I didn't *think* he was watching too much TV

I left Ben on the floor with some toys, facing his learning table, while I went to vacuum his bedroom and the stairs. This is what I found when I came back:

It wasn't even on! I guess he was waiting for something to happen. Ha!

Sippy cup action

Ben is warming up to the sippy cup and gets excited now when he sees one. He's not happy taking formula from it, although he will take a bit. When he's hungry though it's all about the bottle. For now he's happy to take water and dilute fruit juice.

Here are a few pics of Ben working the sippy cup:

Bring on the steak!

Ben just cut his sixth tooth!

His mood was a little off yesterday, nothing major, but not quite himself. I had a funny feeling that sixth tooth would be making an appearance, and sure enough, it's here and it's pointy! He now has three on top and three on the bottom.

Here's my toothy little man chomping on a cool teether:

Velcro and Vinny

The two things that make Ben cry.

Several times now Andi, Vinny, and Cooper were over for a visit, and no matter how Vinny approaches Ben he cries. We still can't figure out what it is about Vinny that upsets him. We initially thought it might be his size, but Ben doesn't cry when he see Grandpa Beaton (and he's a big man!)

And Velcro. Nic was removing Ben's crib tent (we used to keep the cats out of his crib at night, but he's now graduated to bumper pads only) and every time Nic pulled one of the Velcro tabs on the tent Ben would cry. It was hilarious. Poor kid.

In other Ben news:

He's not crawling yet, but he is definitely showing interest in finding some way to mobilize himself. When he's on his belly he still pushes himself backwards. He hasn't quite figured out what to do with his legs; they're very frog-like. And when sitting up, he leans forward as if to pull himself forward on his bum. Yes, we may very well have a bum-scooter on our hands - how funny would that be??

Ben also has five teeth now! Two on the bottom and three on top. We didn't even notice him cutting the fifth one, which is an upper lateral incisor. He's sure to cut more soon. You can just see the other three (two bottom lateral incisors, and one upper lateral incisor) waiting under the surface. His two upper central incisors are really coming in. My adorable, toothy, little man.

He's really enjoying feeding himself and getting better at putting Nutrios in his mouth with his hands. I always give him a little practice before and after a meal.

Ben has also developed quite an independant streak, which is great. Seriously, I think he's the only kid who cries at bedtime until you leave his room. Ha! He also quite enjoys playing with his toys and he loves the cats. Daisy, in particular, is always hanging around him. She very patient, and despite our efforts to stop Ben from pulling her tail, ears, and fur, he sometimes sneaks a tug past us, and Daisy purrs! Silly cat. I suspect Ben's first word will be "cat."

My good little boy

Ben continues to be an easy baby, and while we would be lucky no matter what Ben's temperament, I do feel very fortunate that he's so easy to care for. He naps well, sleeps well at night, and is also a good eater. I know his routine inside and out and he generally has what he needs before he asks (read: screams) for it. Overall, this results in him being a, generally, happy boy (unless he's cutting teeth, but who can blame him??)

Ben's learned to fall asleep on his own, rarely wanting his soother. I put him in his crib, he usually babbles and plays for a few moments, then he falls right to sleep. I've sat and watched him fall asleep and it's interesting; a bit of flailing, kicking, and rolling, then he's out. Insert a bit of groaning there too.

He's still a big fan of knocking things together... blocks, balls, whatever. And occassionally the cat gets a knock on the head with a block (or Mommy or Daddy, truth be told.)

Another trick of Ben's is to run things (toys or his fist) over his opened mouth to make a "wa-wa-wa-wa" sound. It's pretty cute. And when he gets excited he makes an airy sounding "ah-ah-ahhh" sound, as seen in this video (of course in this case it was prompted by Mommy.)


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And of course, this entry wouldn't be complete without some photos!

Inhale.

And exhale. Ahhhh.
Balls are supposed to go into the holes to make the dino light up and play music, but Ben figured out where the trigger was so he just pushes the button with his hand.
And here he is looking pretty proud of himself.
And here's a gratuitous "I'm cute" pic.

At the park

This weekend has been grey, cool, and rainy, so when the rain let up we decided to head to the park. And of course a trip to the park wouldn't have been complete without the camera!

I think I'll be in trouble soon!

Ben is really enjoying time on his belly and he's tuning in to his mobility. Yesterday he pushed himself across the family room backwards on his belly using his arms. He looked so pleased with himself, although I couldn't help laughing at him because he was soooo interested in every little thing he found along the way - the edge of his playmat, the floor, lint - and he looked so hilarious, and cute. I think it's time Ben pulls his weight around here (or pushes, as the case may be :P)... maybe I'll get him an outfit like this: