Ben is 18 months old!

Yep, our little man is a year-and-a-half old now and well on his way to two, as indicated not only by the calender, but also by recent tantrums. Good fun. Ben is not shy about letting us know he's not pleased about something, like being redirected when he starts getting into things he shouldn't, or if he wants something he can't have, or for no apparent reason.

I took Ben for a haircut yesterday. I really should have waited until I could get his regular stylist (yes, Ben has a "regular stylist" -- Mommy doesn't even have a regular stylist!) because I don't like his haircut nearly as much as his previous two. She really took a lot off the top, so he doesn't have his cute, floppy mop anymore. *sigh* I suppose in a month or so it'll be back and I can bring him in for a better cut.

Mini-meltdown.

Fortunately this one was easily solved with a cup of milk.

Father's day at the Toronto Zoo.

Father's day was a beautiful day for the zoo, so after Ben gave Daddy his father's day gift (a card, a board copy of Hop on Pop, and an EB gift card so Daddy could buy himself a new video game) Ben had his nap and we hit the road.

Daddy helps Benjamin have a drink from the water fountain.


Mommy and Benjamin play in the sand.

Benjamin is a little hesitant to check out what I *think* was supposed to be some sort of beaver dam replica.

Some nice scenery at the zoo.

Benjamin and Daddy meet a billy goat (Ben was surprised that the goat didn't feel as soft as our cats; he'd touch the goat and very quickly retract his hand, then make a face).


Next we saw some butterflies.

No idea what kind of butterfly this fellow is, but he was HUGE (if you know, please tell me).

Then we saw tigers. They were a bit sluggish; it was really hot out.

And these interesting looking creatures are red river hogs.


Next up, the elephants!

Ben and Daddy watching the elephants.

Ben gets his first taste of Powerade. Yum. Tastes like blue.

Would it really be a trip to the zoo without seeing a seagull? Every restaurant had a seagull "exhibit".

After breaking for a drink we saw the lions. Like the tigers they were logy because of the heat.

Mommy and Ben sitting on a rock, only later when I examined this photo did I realise the big red sign behind us said "DANGER: Please stay off the rocks." Oops.

Then we saw the giraffes.

And finally, the highlight of the entire day, the splash pad at Kid Zone. Ben had an absolute blast! All the other parents in the area got quite a kick out of him.





Chillin' in the stroller after the splash pad fun:

Very happily kicking his feet and yelling "car-car-car!" all the way home. :)

Ben had his MMR vaccination today!

FINALLY.

We brought him back to the allergist who did another skin test, saw no sign of reaction, so he gave Ben his MMR in one shot. Thank goodness. I can't imagine how he would have felt if we had to go with plan 'B' (if he'd reacted); that would have meant a series of ten shots over a two hour span. We both would have been in tears!

He felt fine afterwards, and after a brief grocery run Ben went down for a second nap (poor thing was exhausted), then woke up two hours later in great spirits. Daddy's giving him a bath as I type.

Benjamin Potatohead

Ben really needs his own pair of sunglasses. I bought him a pair of BabyBanz, but he's not keen on the headband-style. He is, however, very fond of Mr. Potatohead's glasses; they're not a great fit though.

Ben's first camping trip!

We went camping last weekend at Pinery Park on Lake Huron. We were rained out after one night, so we came home early, but had one nice, albeit relatively sleepless, night out. And Ben certainly enjoyed playing in the dirt. For the record, everything sticks to a well-sunscreened baby.

Yay! My first camping trip! Let's get this show on the road!

Ben and Daddy donning their "festival hats":

Cuddles and kisses from Mommy:

I bought Ben his own little blow-up bed to sleep in, but he wasn't having it. Apparently the tent floor was more comfortable; this is where we found him about 10 minutes after we put him to bed and zipped up the tent.He woke later in the night wanting nothing to do with his bed, so he climbed in with us until he settled enough to go back to his own bed, then he woke us up at 5am by hitting us on the head with a frying pan. We'll be sticking with the crib at home for a loooong time. :)

Note to self: bring the Pack n' Play for Ben to sleep in next time.

And here are a few more pics of our filthy little boy. :)

This mimicking thing has gone too far!

The other evening while Ben was having his dinner he asked for "mo-mo" (more), so I tapped my finger on his tray and said "finish the food you have first, then I'll give you more", so he looked at me and started tapping his finger right back.

The kicker, however, was when he later walked up behind me, stuck his face in my bum and took a big sniff -- I guess he was looking for poop?? Silly kid. Constant entertainment around here, for sure!