A Real Little Person

On Tuesday morning, I met with some other moms and their children from church at a nearby park for a fun play-date. Even though Ben is so little, he still had a great time! He wanted to climb the steps to the very top of the slides, but he wasn't too sure about actually going down the slides, even with Mommy. However, he LOVED the swings! It was his first time ever on any swing (or on any slides, for that matter) and it was so fun to see him grinning as he swung back and forth.

I always thought that I'd be so sad when the baby-stage was over, and that I wouldn't know what to do with a toddler. And although at times I really don't know what to do with Ben, he is so much fun to watch. He's learning new things every day. A few days ago, Bryan was getting him ready for bed and Ben started actually "helping" Daddy dress him, moving his arms and legs just when he needed to get the PJ's on. Of course he hasn't done that since and seems to prefer wrestling and squirming around when he's getting clothed (or diapered, for that matter) - not fun with a 26-pound 1-year-old! (He's strong!) Today, he was playing with his toy basketball and I said to him, "What do you have? Do you have your ball?" And I swear that he said "Bah..."

Over the weekend, Bryan and I took him to the zoo and enjoyed watching him notice the animals and toddle all about the place. He loves being outside and walking around, and it was nice to have a place where he could do that. (Our backyard is awful, mostly gravel and cacti, and he tries to eat the rocks.) He fed the giraffes and loved how they licked his hands with their long tongues. (I never knew giraffes had such looooong tongues!) He was very adamant about NOT being in the stroller - we realized that he's become quite expressive in many ways - of his opinions, of his moods...Bryan and I said to one another, "It's almost as if he's a real little person!" Almost as if!