A Blue Moon

At thirteen months (as of yesterday) Ben is still a happy, social guy. I would say "little" too, but our once 6 pound baby has become a solid, 21 pound boy. He loves to eat and continues to breastfeed during the day and night. He mostly enjoys food that I consumed a lot of during my pregnancy: pears, black beans, blueberries, zucchini, garlic, peas, and oatmeal. He also can't get enough cheese (just like his dad). Ben has become interested in feeding himself with a spoon and fork and uses both hands to do so, although I think he gets more food into his mouth when he uses his left hand. Meal times are also fun for Molly who never before got fed from the table.

Ben's favorite activities are reading, walking with his cart, and opening and closing items such as lids and gates. He does the sign for "book" as soon as he wakes up in the morning and we spend 30 - 45 minutes reading his board books. His current favorites are Pajama Time, Busy Doggies, Everywhere Babies, Panda Bear, Panda Bear What Do you See, and Dear Zoo. We have also started introducing Ben to paper books and he really likes Hello Toes, Hello Feet and Tumble Bumble. Ben and I have gone to the library for the past three Fridays to meet our friends Erika and Leandre. At first Ben was in awe of the number of books there, but now he settles in quickly and either crawls around with other children or heads right to the baskets full of board books to sort through the ones he likes. Ben usually chooses a book about Daisy the duck. He has definite opinions about what he wants and shakes his head "no" until I show him a book which interests him. We have the same routine when he chooses books to read before bed.

Ben is using many more signs and words now. He says the word "stuck" and knows the sign for help--both of which he uses when he pushes his cart around the living room. He can spend almost an hour walking under our kitchen table and from wall to wall as long as we are there to help him back up and turn around. He often gathers toys to put in his cart as he walks along. Ben has also started to say "beep, beep" as a warning to Molly to get out of his path. Ben also clearly says, "good girl" to Molly and pats her on the head.

Ben likes opening and closing our baby gates (when they are not locked) and says "close" when he shuts the gate. He also likes closing and opening the box of wipes and his way cool water bottle from Ben, Kelly, and Sawyer. Ben is also developing his fine motor skills by experimenting with crayons and using his shape sorter (he says circle and can put the cylinders in the proper hole).

As my family detected from early in Ben's life, he is a lover of music. He points to the radio when it is not on and likes turning the knob to find different stations. He bounces to the beat and sometimes sings along (mostly to country--unfortunately). His favorite song is The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Song by The Flaming Lips. We listen to it several times a day. When Ben examines objects he often likes to determine how they sound against other objects. He thinks that our wood stove insert is one of the most interesting instruments in the house. Ben is also using "sound effects" more and more. He makes noises when pushing his tiny toy car and his cart.

Ben is a love and likes hugs and kisses. He shows empathy to others (especially other babies), still has a very expressive face, and laughs a lot. He has also developed a horrible screech that hurts everyone's ears!

Well, I am sure I have left out many details, but think that this is a good overview. I will leave you with a picture (or two) of our sweet boy.

Ben and I are traveling to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to visit Aunt Risa and Uncle Mike and our soon to be nephew/ cousin! I will post pictures of the belly and baby from there.