I'll try to be better. Some major milestones so I don't forget and Benny doesn't get the "second child no one really notices what you do shaft" below:
- Seven months old: Benny got two little teeth below! Turns out he is not a late teether like Max. Somehow I'm always surprised that he isn't following the exact same trajectory in every way. I.e. NOT sleeping through the night (Max did by six months).
- 7.5 months old: Benny decided to crawl...and he is moving faster and faster everyday. Favorite toys/things to crawl to include the clicker (literally cries if I take it away...he is Mama's son!), paper (his favorite food), wires & plugs, wooden "foods", and Max toys. But never, not ever, does he want the baby/teether/safe/light up stuff I have so much of.
- Basically, he is the happiest most mellow guy ever. I thought Max was mellow - this guy is a whole different level of happy mellow dude. More goofy, I think. All smiles and laughs. Max was a bit more serious.
- The one exception is night time. He isn't his best behaved self...
Max updates...Max is the funniest, kindest, most hard-thinking and interesting 3 year old I've ever met (no bias whatsoever). Sometimes he tries to be "bad" because he seems to know he is supposed to. He really only does this to me (lucky me). But he definitely enjoys testing his limits - seeing what prompts a response. And he is VERY stubborn and independent. I don't know many kids his age who have the patience to get themselves dressed head to toe including difficult socks and shoes. But he does this every day and does NOT want any help.
I keep a list of funny things he says in my phone. Some of my recent favorite include when he started using the phrase "no chance", as in "Erika has no chance of picking me up from school, NO CHANCE. It has to be you." Or how he refers to the Yankees as "Jeter and the other Jeters". Or when I say someone got hurt and he asks "Did he hurt his feelings or his head?".
Unfortunately, much like his Mom, Max has some anxieties. We're hoping these aren't abnormal and kind of par for the course since he is so smart. He just thinks A LOT. Everytime I ask what he is thinking about, I get a truly interesting answer. Not just a canned response like "nothing", but things like "I'm thinking about why its sunny during the day and 'moony' at night." Maybe he'll be a poet..
We just returned from the most marvelous trip up north where we saw lots of friends, stayed at Rancho Relaxo and had the pleasure of being part of a big, busy house (like my childhood), got to spend days and sleepovers with Grammy & Tom (which afforded me & Charlie two nights away...yahoo!), and spent five glorious days with the whole Randel family together under one roof including The San Diego clan. Swimming, Baseball, eating eating eating, sparklers, swings, arts & crafts, it was endless fun 24/7. Watching Max & Ben play and bond with Thea & Helen was truly heartwarming, and something I'll never forget and can't wait to do more of!!
Some pix...
