18 Months Old

This week our little boy reached the 18-month mark. We're pretty busy packing for our move into a rental house this weekend, so I haven't had time to do a proper blog post. But here are a few pictures; I'll post more when we get settled.

Happy Father's Day!

I was putting together some moving boxes and thought Ben might like playing in them (everyone's always talking about kids liking boxes more than the toys inside them). He was tickled. And then he was literally tickled, by Daddy and the polar bear, his current favorite stuffed animal.

Visiting Grandma

Last week (yeah, I know I'm a week behind with posting recently) we drove down to Florida to visit my grandma. It was the second time she's seen Ben, and it had been over a year. He really enjoyed riding on the seat of her walker. I mean, he REALLY enjoyed it.

One problem with the walker: he could slip off the front and under the bar, sometimes on purpose but once by accident. Luckily Mike was there to catch him before he hit the ground.

After a rampage through Grandma's bedroom. There's a sheepskin rug on the floor that he liked so much that Grandma insisted we bring it into the living room for him to play on.

Ben was obsessed with the small step from the living room down to the screened-in patio.

This little leprechaun sings when his belly is pressed, and Ben figured out how to do it.

Mike trying to read the newspaper while Ben kicked it.

So many things for Ben to play with here...let's start with the mirror wall. He loved the little boy who always looked back at him. Then there was the remote control (to whatever that thing is on the left) that he's holding. Plus there's an air freshener plugged into the outlet in front of him that's not visible here. He was here a lot.

I have to mention that the first thing Ben did when we got to Grandma's condo was go to the TV and turn it on. One track mind. It was a very short visit - got there Friday night, left at noon Saturday - but a six-hour drive each way, and Ben was fantastic during both car rides. I'm so grateful that these trips have gotten easier.

This was when Mike took Ben to a squadron party at a coworker's house. Ben refused to come in out of the rain.

Ben is now having fun with playground equipment other than the toddler swings. He gets so excited going down the slides with Mike.

He played with his laundry basket for quite a while here.

Ben's easy chair. All he needs is a cold one and a remote.

Some Nana Pics

I've been meaning to post some photos of things Nana has made for Ben. Then Dad sent me some photos from their visit last month, so I decided to put them all in one Nana post.

Goofing off at a restaurant at the end of the visit. Ben was imitating everything Nana did.

Fast playmates.

I love this one.

Playing with his DVD player. But I really posted these to show off the lovely quilt that Nana made for Ben. It's for when he transitions to a big-boy bed and it has a baseball theme. Nana is such a talented seamstress!

Ben loves to play on the quilt, so until we need to use it as a comforter he can use it as a play blanket.

Another of Nana's creations. She filled it with band-aids, non-sting Neosporin, and other first aid items. In the last few blog posts, you can see that Ben had scraped his right leg. He did that when we were in North Carolina: he wanted to climb the concrete steps over and over, and one time on the way down his foot slipped and he got a pretty nasty-looking scrape. It was just on the surface, and he didn't cry when I put on the Neosporin or even when he went in the pool. But his Boo-Boo bag came to the rescue. It goes everywhere with us now!

Sesame Street Live

Last week we made a last-minute decision to take Ben to see Sesame Street Live in Macon. Mike had seen an article about it in the newspaper and thought it would be fun. I was skeptical. But we figured we should take the opportunity while we could. It was a good experience. Even though he didn't smile and yell like a lot of the other kids there, Ben enjoyed it in his own serious way.

Mesmerized by everything happening onstage.

Such the little professor - can you see the wheels turning?

We didn't expect him to stay on Mike's lap the whole time. He was fine standing while there were musical numbers, but as soon as it was just the characters talking he tried to run down the aisle. Luckily we weren't in a crowded section. He did enjoy looking at the other kids around us.

There was an intermission, and it was getting to be Ben's naptime so we decided to leave after the first half. We let him wander around the lobby a bit before we left.

He ran after the little boy with the backpack. I'm not sure if it was because he has the same backpack (it's a monkey) or because he's just drawn to other little kids. Oh, and Ben's holding his toy cell phone. That thing comes in very handy.

Yes, Ben has a pacifier in every picture. Mike and I have talked about it, and I've talked with lots of other moms. We've decided to let Ben use a pacifier until we move to Germany, then wean him off of it. There will be a lot of changes to go through & I think he'll deal with them much better with the security of the pacifier. We are trying to limit it now to just naps and bedtime. Most mothers I talk to suggest not forcing him away from the pacifier for the next months. Many of them say their own kids gave it up by age two. And he seems to be teething again during the last week or so, and the pacifier soothes him. I had read that teething is worst when the tooth first cuts through, but these molars come in a little at a time and even when we can see part of them he still seems to be in pain, putting his fingers in his mouth and crying. I'm so grateful for infant Motrin.

Charlotte, Part 1

Last weekend we drove up to visit some of Mike's relatives who live outside of Charlotte, NC. It's been over a year since they had last seen Ben. What a difference a year makes! Mike's Aunt Sandy and Uncle Rick are friends with people who have toys and equipment for their grandchild, and they were kind enough to let us use them. Ben really liked the toolbench.

Hanging out at Rick and Sandy's.

Our water baby. He loved this float on the first day in the pool, but on the second day was kind of grumpy about it. Can't figure him out.

Wearing arm floaties for the first time.

He wasn't so sure about this position at first. Then he started doing it on his own. When we got home and tried to bathe him in the bathtub, he went into this position. Not the greatest for bathtime.

Smiling big for Aunt Sandy. His fascination with steps continues, this time with the ones in the pool.

Checking out Sophie, the dog who wears shades. This poor dog was scared to death of Ben for a long time. She is the sweetest dog ever, and Ben loved her (even if the feeling wasn't reciprocated).

Pool time with Heather.

These sunglasses are actually Jamie's, but Ben and Sophie kept stealing them. Of course, we couldn't get Ben to wear his own sunglasses. Or a hat.

Giggling while Jamie played a game with Ben's feet.

Charlotte, Part 2

He refused to put his feet up and insisted on walking with the bike.

Going for a ride on Big Wheels with Uncle Rick.

The first night we spent there, Ben had a pretty terrible night of sleep (or lack thereof). He was up for several hours and did not want to go back to his pack and play. Almost everyone in the house woke up at some point because of it. Ben was kind of cranky the next morning. This is the only way he would take his nap. Mike swung with him for over an hour.

Heather and Jamie brought bubbles for Ben, who was more interested in fishing out the wand than in blowing any bubbles.

On the pool steps again. He loved that toy wrench. He loved it so much that we bought him his own toy workbench with his very own toy wrench.

One evening we went to a local park. It was so much better than the ones we have near our house in Georgia. Here's a picture of three generations of Carmon women: Gram, Aunt Sandy, and Heather.

Justin playing with Ben (that's Justin sticking out of the tube).

Having fun with Aunt Sandy.

More swinging fun with Justin.

Ben's entourage.