Bye bye, crib!

We said goodbye to the crib yesterday. Ben slept in a big boy bed of his very own last night. It was a big success. He slept through the night with no problems. When he woke up this morning, he got up, went to the potty on his own, and then went back into his room to read his books. I watched and listened to this surreptitiously from another room. 

Well, tonight has been more of a struggle. He has gotten up once and once he was put back in bed, he started crying. So here I lie, on the floor of his bedroom, comforting him without talking or touching, waiting for him to lull himself to sleep. This is a big adjustment, and I know he is ready, but I am having a hard time with it. He is growing up so fast!  Believe me, I love not changing or buying diapers, and we gave his crib and lots of clothes to a family in need. But he's not a baby anymore, and that is heartbreaking in many respects. Hearing him say, "No, Mama. I do it by myself!" or hearing him call out, "I'm frew!" when he finishes his business on the potty and needs his bottom wiped makes me proud, amazed, nostalgic, and melancholy all at the same time. Seeing him walking down the sidewalk without the tell-tale "diaper booty" of an infant is also another reminder that he is growing up. Where does the time go? 

When I get his new bedding this weekend, I will post some pictures of his big boy bed. He is proud of it and feels like it's really his room now instead of a place that happens to contain his crib. He played in his room by himself for a few hours today. I love to watch and listen to him pretend and talk to himself. He says, "Wait a minute. Let's see," when he is thinking about his next steps. His new favorite toy is the ottoman we bought for the living room ("Company is coming! Shove all the clutter in the ottoman!"). He loves to put toys in and out of the ottoman. He pretends it's a boat, a spooky forest, a volcano with "hot laba", a castle, and hot air balloon. 

His favorite show this week is Scooby Doo. His favorite book this week is Spot's Having a Party. His favorite things to eat this week are Popsicles and cherry tomatoes. His favorite stuffed animal this week is lullaby bear. 

And, of course, he is our favorite thing ever - an amazing little boy with a good heart, empathy, strength, bossiness, creativity, and curiosity. 

6-25-2014

6-20-2014

We had a family party last week for my aunt's 80th birthday. It was fun to spend time with relatives we haven't seen in a while. Ben was the hit of the party. He entertained everyone with his stories, giggles, and enthusiasm. He enjoys life, and it is infectious! 

Here are some things that he is doing now: 

He can count in groups and decompose numbers (he recognizes a group of 3, 5 etc. and can break it into smaller numbers to add or subtract). 

We were driving down the road last week, and he pointed at some power lines with the round, ball-like insulators hanging on the lines and said, "Those look like planets, Mama!" And they totally did!

Now for the scatological stuff with potty training: 

He likes to sit on the potty and request a magazine, then says, "Find me a cool picture, Mom."  Then I find him a photo and ask him questions while he does his business, like identifying how many objects are in the photo, their colors, whether people look happy or sad, and what he thinks they might be saying or thinking. It's actually a pretty fun activity. Just wish it didn't have to take place on the potty!

The potty training is going well. He has been dry all week except when he is sleeping. We haven't changed a poopy diaper/pull-up in weeks. And we don't miss it! 

Here are some pics!

6-9-2014