My Ben is two years old today. I cannot believe. Just to start my blog with a cliche, it's really true it's amazing "how fast they grow up" and "just yesterday he was a baby" and all those other teary-eyed little sayings. (We had his "birthday party" tonight. I'll do a separate birthday party blog, but this blog will probably end up being way too sentimental to include our day's festivities.)

This is not (intentionally) going to be a brag-on-everything-that-he-knows entry. But just to get that out of the way let me say that Benjamin Mark is everything I could want in a toddler. He's hysterical, too smart for my own good, and perfectly bad. But really, my goal here is more of a character sketch of the Ben that I know, see, and love on a daily basis.

He inherited his dad's musical genes/genius as opposed to me faking my way through marching band.... At church on Sunday after each song fast or slow he would clap his hands, say, "Yay!" And then ask for more. Luckily, we go to a church where I didn't have to try to shush him and when he started clapping everyone around us would clap too. He claps along to music in his carseat and bangs on our piano while singing his favorite songs. We were eating breakfast the other morning and he looked at me and said, "I'd like some music, please."

He has to warm up to new situations and people (wonder where he got that...). He's an observer of social situations until he's comfortable, until then he's not going to talk to or interact with you he just LOOKS. He's most comfortable with his family and that's when he really breaks out the hijinks. He's easily overwhelmed by loud and noisy situations and kids who are rambunctious. There's no use rushing him into trying something before he's ready, he just has to warm up to it on his own time, but then...watch out! This is kind of funny though because people either friends of ours or friendly people in stores will try to talk to him and he just gives them the evil eye and says nothing. He actually made a little girl cry one time because he just stared and stared and stared at her.

He knows his own mind and insists on it, intensely. Recent requests/demands (not always met) have been for: * cookies for breakfast, asked for before he was even out of his crib, *balancing himself while he sits on the potty, *wanting "the other one blankie", *the process of getting a drink: putting his cup on the counter, opening the fridge, getting the juice out, putting it on the counter, shutting the door, waiting for mom to refill his cup, opening the door, putting the juice back in, and shutting the door before proclaiming, "I did it", *utter desperation and tears as he tries to convince me, "I walk! I walk! I walk!" that he should be able to walk through a parking lot unassisted and not have to ride in a shopping cart.

Part of knowing his mind involves him knowing and there be almost no way of swaying him from whether he wants to be entertained/played with, held, or left to his own devices. When he wants held he'll sit on my lap and drive a Hot wheels car across his blankie in front of the keyboard and I can leisurely surf the internet (it doesn't go as smoothly when he wants held and I'm trying to cook...). If he wants to play independently he'll ignore all attempts to talk to him or join in his play. He's totally consumed whether he's playing at your feet or across the room. He can keep himself busy for long stretches of time even if I can't tell exactly what his purpose is, but then his mood changes and nothing will placate him but mom, only mom, and all of mom. Most of the time though he's more than happy to play with dad, especially as they roughhouse more and more.

Love = Ben in top form.   Hate = Guaranteed tantrum.  He LOVES to on errands with Andrew and likewise HATES it when Andrew leaves without him. He LOVES playing outside and HATES coming inside. He LOVES his highchair and HATES "big chairs". He LOVES his undies and HATES putting diapers on for sleeping.

He loves to talk. Indeed, getting him to stop talking is impossible. He talks to himself while he walks around, and narrates to his toys as he plays. He talks himself to sleep in his crib and talks to himself when he wakes up until I go up and get him. Apparently he's also listening though because he's recently started using words and phrases that Andrew and I have been using when talking to each other. After overhearing a conversation where I told Andrew that he needed more fiber Ben walked around the living room saying, "I need more fiber" for the rest of the evening. After hearing me argue with a website that wasn't working Ben started commenting to his toys "this is ridiculous". Telling him that his daddy was a punk (in jest) seemed innocent enough until hearing "your daddy is a punk" parroted back at me from a tiny little mouth. After hearing me tell him that "I need a helper" when trying to get him to do something with me he now says it to me when he can't do something by himself. One of his favorite questions right now is "What is it?" He wants to know the name of *everything* and he'll just keep asking until we tell him so we've quickly learned that the best course of action is to make something up if we don't know what it really is. :)

My favorite "Ben-isms" right now which always require a quick translation from me if we have company are:

Ben says: "You suck."  When wrestling with dad and getting pinned to the floor Ben looks up at Andrew and says, "You suck". What he means is I'M STUCK...that's just not how it comes out. This is probably my most favorite because it's kind of incongrous because it's almost the only time he messes up I/You pronouns and every time I hear it I'm caught off guard again and I look at him and think, "WHAT did he just say?!"

Ben tries to say, "backhoe" you know, like the big construction truck, but what he actually says sounds a LOT more like "butthole"... So he walks around with his little truck saying, "See my *****, where's my ****" It's not very polite, but it's definitely funny.

He's also picked up the phrase "bless you" except that he uses it to bless someone who makes *any* kind of bodily function noise. :)

And the last one isn't really funny, just cute. Ben really likes "baboons" you know the ones filled with helium or just plain air, different colors and shapes, fun to play with. Oh, you're not familiar? How about "balloons?"

He is mega-silly. Despite the paragraph about him being initially a cold fish once he's comfortable in a situation he's a total ham. He'll preform on the piano (simultaneously singing/playing/dancing) for an audiance and then clap for himself, expecting that everyone else will clap for him as well. If you don't, he'll prompt you. He runs in circles, spins, does laps around the living room, and then dives to the floor all while happily screaming bloody murder. We go on walks around the neighbhorhood and he'll spend good portions of the walk either walking backwards or crawling on his hands and knees. Really. I don't know why. Why not, I suppose. He "jumps" but his feet usually don't leave the ground and when they do he's usually surprised and falls. He's just learned how to make "fart noises" by blowing onto his hand or arm and finds this hysterical. He is so ticklish and loves to be tickled.

I just can't believe (to sum up with cliches) how fast the time has gone by. The days that have made me in reality or wishfully scream, cry, laugh, just get through, want to relive are all gone. The little baby blob we brought home from the hospital is gone (til we bring home the next one) and instead we have this little boy who is his own personality and character and I just watch in amazement. And this is what parenting is and why I'm thrilled to be having another baby because I'm watching this person grow up in front of me and become himself a little bit every day (even at age two) and I have the responsibility, privilege, and joy of guiding this personality toward the top of his potential and dreams, showing him how to love God, himself, and the world in a way that is honest and respectful, teaching him to find and give the best in himself when life give its worst.

It's amazing, terrifying, wonderful, and I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow.