Ben Tid Bits

At Breakfast this morning, the boys & I played a silly little game we liked calling "freeze & go". Now Benjamin officially knows how to say(or yell) GO and STOP! It was funny seeing them try freezing mid bite. They got a big kick out of Mommy obeying their commands too. It's was one of our most enjoyable breakfasts. It just might become one of our new traditions to keep the kids engaged & to help them finish their food. I was really impressed how fast Ben (21 mos) picked up on this game & these new words. He's growing leaps and bounds in so many ways each day! I can't believe what a Big Boy he's becoming right before my eyes.

Ben also is insisting on Potty Training himself. I'm amazed. After such a long battle with his brother, I expected a good two more years of diapers, but at the rate he's progressing I wouldn't be surprised if we're through buying diapers in a month. Wo, how nice would that be? I can hardly believe it! The funny thing is I'm the one dragging my feet about the whole thing. It may be because the road for Caleb was so bumpy & long, but I'm gaining faith that we can do this together soon.

Tonight after dinner Ben was demanding to go potty. So I helped him up on to the Master toilet to do his business, then I was promptly told by Ben to "GO!" (he sure put that new word to work fast, and even used it in proper context, I was proud) I had to hold back from cracking up as he demanded for me to actually leave him & close the potty door. So I left the door slightly ajar and sat out on our big tub and waited with anticipation. I know one of the first parenting tips for potty training is patience, something I often struggle with :) because all my boys take way too long to go. So every once in a while I would check up on him by peeking through the crack (which he found entertaining for a time) then he'd yell GO! and point demandingly at the door. Wow! I guess he really wanted to be alone. But at one and a half years old I couldn't just leave him be, so I continued to check up on him. A few moments later he slams the door shut! On my! Of course I couldn't just let that go, so I swing open the door as fast as I can and he squeals with delight as he scrambles back on the potty. Eventually he did go number one and two and even wiped himself. Unfortunately, he needed a shower after that, but, he did it! This kid has now gone to the potty a couple of times a day for about a week now and as you can tell from his attitude, he won't take No for an answer. He totally has a strong little will of his own and I'm really proud of the progress he is making. I'm so grateful for Caleb's example and his Daddy's diligence. I would have never guessed we'd be doing this again so soon (it was just three or so months ago it finally clicked for Caleb). It's just a great reminder that the Lord has a plan for each one of us to get back to Him. I'm glad He's patient with me on my path.

The last tid bit is Ben's obsession with fashion. He loves wearing shoes and is often opinionated about which pair. So we regularly leave the house with church shoes on to go to the park or his cowboy boots on for a neighborhood potluck. I've learned not to argue and to just let him be little. It's fun to see his personality emerge. He loves his hair being done (Caleb does too and often requests his "volcano" 'do)when we go out. This morning we were getting ready for a lunch date with daddy and he would point to each type of hair product (gel, hair sprays, mousse) and wait for me to apply it. Normally we only apply one, so this array of products was new. It was fun seeing him be so particular. Then he made sure I didn't walk out with out earrings. We were through in the bathroom and I said "lets go!" but instead of running to the door he told me "No" and said "EEErrr Mommy!" I told him thank you for reminding me, I do hate it when I forget to wear earrings and quickly grabbed a pair off the rack. I made the mistake of asking "Do these look okay?" and he emphatically shook his head "No". So I chose another pair, "No" again. So in order to save time, I asked him which ones and he pointed to a specific pair and said "Balls, Balls Mommy". Sure enough they were blue and dangley like my first pair but instead of chandelier style they were balls. He definitely has good taste. They did look good with my blue top. So I asked him if I looked pretty and finally I got his big nod of approval, then I knew I looked pretty. Off we went looking our best to meet Daddy for lunch at Chick-fil-a. Yum!
That's all for tonight about our growing boy. I just love our sweet Ben.