on the cusp

at least he can't drive...yet!

(If you haven't had a chance to check out today's Reap to Sow discussion post, here it is)


I'm so not ready for this. For my "baby" to not be a baby any more but to enter fully into little boyhood.

Admittedly, Ben has not been a baby for over a year and despite my attempts to eke it out, he is determined to grow up...and at a quicker rate than his siblings. ;)

Already he is wearing clothes that I'm certain Luke grew out of just earlier this year. He has conquered gates, all the non-locking, non-boy-proofed doors in our house and, just last night (sob), he began climbing out of his crib. This is the first time in four children that our child outgrew the crib before I did.

Brianna and Reese were put in big girl and boy beds out of necessity (the arrival of siblings!) and Luke gained that privilege when I wanted to cuddle with him during our before bedtime story.

So, before he is solidly on little boyhood ground, I'm indulging myself with capturing my favorite Ben moments here:

• Current movie favorite: Finding Nemo (or, "Memo, Memo" in Ben speak)
• Still calls all vehicles bigger than a truck, "huh-dahs." Horses are "neighs", sheep are "baas", Brianna is "Mia," Reese is "He He," Luke is "Goo-tee," Jack is "Gaa," Lauren is "Aunt Nora," Tim is "T"
• "Daddy car" is a favorite outdoor "toy"
• Loves the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" - either being read to or reading it himself. It was one of the thing he retrieved last night when he ventured out of his crib
• Still sucks two of his fingers when in need of comfort
• Is practicing grimacing and loudly (!) making his desires known
• Loves to join in with his sibs on recounting movie lines and telling knock knock jokes and only a parent call guess at what he's saying
• If we don't repeat back to Ben what he is trying communicate, he will repeat it until we say it back verbatim
• Likes to join us at the school table to color
• Loves to sing and dance
• Ben and I adapted the "Wheels on the Bus" song to fit with things on Daddy's car
• He can recognize when we're close to Grandpa and Nan's or Jack's house
• Loves playing hide and seek and chase, especially with B, R & L and their friends

Sigh.

I'm going to miss this time, but I know there is much to look forward to...though it still may be another month or two before the crib is gone from his room. ;)