February 27, 2010

Dear Ben, Month 5

Dear Bennett,

I sometimes wonder if you'll grow up to love chocolate chip cookies. Specifically, the ones from Fazoli's. When I was pregnant with you, I ate more chocolate chip cookies from Fazoli's than I'm willing to admit. They just tasted SO good, even when nothing else did.


I know it's not chocolate chip cookies, but you did get your first taste of rice cereal the other day. You weren't sure what to think at first, but by the end, you held your mouth wide open when you'd see that spoon coming. You don't get cereal every day . . . we'll just practice a few times a week for now. Next month at this time, solid foods will become a regular part of your diet, but I don't want to rush things.


Because seriously, things are moving fast enough as it is. Yesterday, I was looking back at pictures that I took when you were just a couple of weeks old and I couldn't believe how much you look like a completely different kid. You're not a newborn anymore. When I hold you tight, you wiggle to be put down. When I nurse you, you try to look around at everything else going on around you (thanks a lot for that, by the way). When we sit down to watch Daddy and Jack wrestle, you kick your legs and lunge forward as if you're ready to jump in there and tackle them, too.

One of your favorite games is when Jack lays on our bed and I pick you up and "drop" you on him and yell "tackle!" You grin and wiggle around on top of him, he laughs and then we start all over.


We can't really read books right now, either. You don't just sit and look at them like you used to. You grab them. You do whatever you have to do to get them into your mouth. We're lucky if we can get through the first page. I remember going through this stage with your brother and thinking we'd never again be able to get through an entire book with him, but I know that someday you'll come back around.


You're not only through with baby games, but with baby clothes as well. I saw a really cute helicopter outfit at Target and so badly wanted to get it for you and was sad when I realized that it didn't come in your size. You're wearing mostly 12 month and 12 - 18 month clothing, though we do have 9 month pajamas that still fit pretty well. And because of the trouble I had getting laundry done this week, we even squeezed . . . no, stuffed . . . you into a 3-6 month shirt at one point. I wish I had taken a picture. Even though I refer to you as "my small baby" you're a big boy!

You don't sit quietly and watch us as much as you used to. You want to be a part of the conversation. The squealing that you do could probably call dogs because of how high-pitched and piercing it is! If you let out one of your shrieks while your Dad and I are talking, we'll stop to look at you and you just flash us a huge smile as if to say, "It worked."

Once or twice, you've pushed yourself up to your hands and knees. I'm beginning to wonder if you've been watching yoga DVDs behind our back, because you'll even push yourself into the "downward dog" position. We could still have a while, but I'm beginning to mentally prepare myself for having another mobile child in the house . . . God help me.


There have been a lot of changes this month, and there's a lot of change yet to come. The one thing you can be sure of is that I love you very much. That will never change.

Love,
Mama

1 comment:

Melissa Hoffman said...

I love love love these posts.