Oh my where do I start… First Ben, he's thirteen months old now and busy beyond belief. Lindsay and Ryan have called him "Destructo Baby" for months now because he destroys everything in his path. We took a morning run to Trader Joe's on Saturday, and Daddy apparently sat the cart too close to the Gingersnaps. This happens often, we think he will surely be a basketball player because of his long reach.
Now he's walking, staggering around because he doesn't quite have his balance figured out, refusing to let anyone touch him, screaming if you try to hold his hand. So you walk with him, surrounding him, but not touching. He's happy little guy, teething like crazy, but still in a good mood. He loves Abby, watches her constantly, taking swipes at her when she's within his reach, which of course annoys her, but she's perfected the duck and run.
He loves Daddy, but his favorite thing in the world is his Mama, when she leaves the room, his whole world collapses. He' a snuggly little guy, tucking into your shoulder and grinning, and he's very vocal, of course none of us know what he's saying, but he has a lot to talk about...
Next week is Abby's 4th birthday, but since we won't be there, we celebrated this weekend. I brought her stuffed Peanuts characters and the books that went with them, and she sat and read them by herself. It's something to see, this little girl just reading whatever you put in front of her.
I also brought her a wooden puzzle of the United States, remember those from when we were kids? She loved it, and the names of the state capitals were on the puzzle board itself. She would pick up a piece of the puzzle, read me the name of the state, and I would tell her what the capital was, and she would search the board until she found it, and then put the piece on top of it. Her favorite capital was Boise, she must have liked the sound of it, she would clap her hands when she found it and say "Boy-zeeeeee." I am constantly surprised at the things she can do, she just figures things out. When she unwrapped it, I tried to explain to her that it was a map of the United States, she looked at the puzzle and said, "Oh, I get it, it's the earth, Grammie."
I taught her to spell Mississippi, M-i-crooked letter, crooked letter, i-crooked letter, crooked letter i-humpback humpback-I, just as I learned when I was a little girl. She picked right up on that and would spell it and giggle, and then I thought, oh my, it's a different generation, is this politically correct? Oh well, too late now, Grammie always seems to push a button, it's just the way I roll. And yes, I know I'm bragging, but don't we all brag on our grandchildren, they are so precious...
