February 28, 2010

Another photo of Ben with the cherry blossoms. The flowers have already started to drop... and it's not even when they usually should bloom! It has been a weird winter.

We went to the park to eat up some time this afternoon and to distract Ben from his tiredness since he decided that he only has one nap a day now. We're not positive that he's really ready for just one nap, but there is so much more going on in the house, he's too excited to go to sleep these past two weeks. But if he is just on one nap, the transition actually hasn't been that bad so far... knock on wood. We'll see what happens once all the guests leave and Ben is so bored with just me.

February 27, 2010

Tonight we all went out for dinner since Auntie Celeste is leaving tomorrow morning. We ate at Rocky Mountain Pizza Company in Kits. It's a kid friendly restaurant with a little play area in the corner.

Ben enjoyed dipping his bread in his soup and using a fork to splash soup everywhere. He did not enjoy the beans in the soup though, which is weird since beans were one of the only things he used to eat.

This is the super awesome wood stove in the play area. Ben and I LOVE this stove. It's by NaturalPod and costs a mere $500. I think Ben should have it, Rick thinks feeding Ben is more important. I'm trying to convince Grandpa to make one.

February 26, 2010

Ben went to long track speed skating today. The loud cheering doesn't faze him anymore and he spent a lot of the time cruising between me and Grandpa who was at the other end. He may have also spent some time sitting under my chair playing with who knows what-- I am 97% sure he didn't put anything he found in his mouth. He was very pleased with himself when he found a napkin and gave it to Auntie Celeste.

And btw, thank goodness for Auntie Celeste who at all these events held Ben's snacks and bottles and kept him entertained... and for Grandma's cane and umbrella. The flag was also a big hit though I was afraid Ben was going to smack those around us with his enthusiastic waving (which he never did thankfully).

I don't want to think about how many puffs and Smarties Ben ate today. At least he didn't cry, right?

February 25, 2010

Early this morning we went to go see the Olympic Cauldron. First we took a family picture with the ugly fence in the background, Rick left for work, an then the rest of us stood in line to go up to the platform for an unobstructed view.

Auntie Celeste had to feed Ben as we approached the top of the platform since he was very grumpy from standing in line and missing his 1st nap. He's wearing a hilarious fleece hat she made him and actually kept it on for a while.

February 24, 2010

Because Ben did so well at curling the other day, we brought him to the ladies long program practice this morning. He loved all the clapping and even joined in... albeit 5 seconds after everyone else had stopped.

February 23, 2010

Definitely not safe.

And being the good parent I am, I decided to take a picture.

February 22, 2010

Ben went to curling today. We figured this was the best event for him to go to since it wouldn't matter if he made noise.

He was fussy at first because we had to stand in line for about 45 minutes to get in and he was starving by the time we made it to our seats. But once he had some food and a bit of a bottle, he was good to go. Ben ate about half a container of puffs and didn't share. He usually feeds us food, but not today, it was all for Ben.

February 21, 2010

Rick, Auntie Celeste, Ben, and I made an impromptu visit to the park this afternoon on our way back from the curling venue. The cherry blossom trees are already blooming. I'm pretty sure they are at least a month early, maybe even two. It was very sunny today... too bad it was 34 degrees outside.

After Ben finished playing, we sat on the grass and ate some snacks Auntie Celeste had in her backpack. Ben put about 10 bunny crackers into his mouth. He's really fond of shoving as much food as he can into his mouth at once. About 90% of the time, this results in Ben gagging and terrible things happening after that. Thankfully he was able to eat them all since I didn't bring anything with us.

Rick went wandering and I wanted to take his picture with the trees and blue sky in the background... Ben decided he should be in the picture too.

February 20, 2010

While Ben and I were waiting for Celeste and the grandparents to come back from the Richmond Ozone, Ben decided to use this downtime to learn to drive.

He started out sitting on my lap on the passenger side pushing the radio buttons and turning the dials. Then once having mastered that, he decided he was ready to move to the driver's seat alone. The wiper blade control was a favorite, but mostly liked leaning on the steering wheel and watching people go by. I think he kissed the window a few times too.

February 19, 2010

Here's Ben rocking out to the music from his ABC snail and Lightning McQueen car. He likes to hum along too.

P.S. Try not to judge my messy house, but I understand if you do... I'm sure I'd judge me too.

February 18, 2010

Ben had just woken up from a nap when we decided to surround him Olympic mascot stuffed animals. Ben still hasn't claimed a stuffed animal or blanket as his favorite... he is completely uninterested in them actually. We have two stuffed animals that are in his crib now in hopes that he'll talk/play with them in his crib instead of screaming when he wakes up... I even put a spoon in once. No luck yet.

As a side note, Rick says that one day we will look back at these photos and say, wow that is an ugly couch cover. And if you too are thinking that, I just want to say that I bought it for only $40 at the IKEA Midnight Madness Sale... so there.

February 17, 2010

Today Grandpa, Ben, Auntie Celeste, and I ventured out to downtown Vancouver to see some of the free Olympic stuff they have going on. Grandma stayed at home because now she's sick.

Anyway, here we are at the mall, Ben enjoying a smoothie. I don't know why Ben enjoyed it since Celeste and I thought it was pretty gross. Maybe he couldn't actually taste it since he has a horrendous cold.

This position is Ben's preferred way of traveling in a stroller... standing while leaning on the back. Definitely not manufacture recommended. I usually stand on the side holding his pants or shirt in case he decides to take a header out of the stroller... it probably doesn't help , but I do it so that I don't feel like such a bad mom for not making him sit and strapping him in.

February 16, 2010

Whee, Ben on the swing! Here he's trying to grab my camera as he swings close. Ben loves swinging. LOVES IT. He laughs uncontrollably the whole time... well almost the whole time... when I wouldn't let him grab my camera, he cried.

"Hm, what is this stuff?"

I will neither confirm nor deny Ben putting tanbark in his mouth... 3 times.

And I wonder why Ben is sick all the time.

February 15, 2010

Grandma, Auntie Celeste, and I went to go see the mens/pairs training session today, Rick went to work, so Ben spent all day with Grandpa. This is the longest Ben has ever been left. He and Grandpa have always been best friends, so everything was okay after those first hysterical 5 minutes.

There is something about Grandpa's glasses that Ben loves. Whenever he's with Grandpa, Ben goes straight for the glasses case in Grandpa's pocket. He will spend a good 15 minutes pulling the glasses out and putting them back in.

When Ben first used to try to grab Grandpa's glasses, we tried to tell him "no touch." But Ben's perseverance won out and now he plays with them all he wants.

February 14, 2010

Ben is still sick. And instead of taking pictures of him crying or barfing on me, I present a happy moment from today-- Ben and Auntie Celeste playing the copying game, put keys around Ben's foot. Fun for all ages!

Oh and you can sort of see in this picture that Ben's hair is starting to curl in the back. Come on, curly hair!

February 12, 2010

I'm going to cheat today-- I'm supposed to post every day, but after screwing up that up within a week, I decided that as long as I take a picture every day and post later, then it's okay.

But this picture is actually from Thursday, the 11th. Ben was horribly sick on Friday and I completely forgot about taking a picture. Oops.

Here is yet another photo of Ben and the tv. Ben enjoys pushing buttons. He recently discovered that he can stand on his tiptoes and push the button that turns the tv on and off. I feel that he is also mocking our attempt at baby proofing.

In the Night Garden was on, which is one of Ben's favorite shows. I have no idea what goes on in this show. I think it's scary and weird, but Ben really likes it.

February 13, 2010

Auntie Celeste is here! That means dressing up time for Ben. Celeste made him a waterproof cape... very little Red Riding Hood. Ben at first tried to yank it off, then was resigned to wearing it, then was curious, and then back full circle to freaking out trying to pull it off. All that took place in about 2 minutes.

Ben and I were both sick today. It was so fun.

February 11, 2010

Today's great adventure was going to see the Olympic torch run by. Honestly, Ben was not so thrilled to be there. First he was bored in the carrier, then it rained for 5 minutes, then Grandma put ANOTHER hat on his head and covered his hands, then it was crazy loud when the various vans/police/screaming people went by and Ben had had enough and freaked out. But it was one of those once in a lifetime moments, so I'm glad we went. My only regret is that I should have taken Ben out of the carrier and held him so that he could actually see. I have no idea if that would have helped or not since Ben only likes loud noises when he makes them.

In the video, you'll see that Ben and I are standing in front of a bus. We were all on the sidewalk, but they just stopped traffic when the torch was coming so everyone just piled into the street instead. Watching it now, I'm pretty sure Ben didn't even see the torch. The video is unfortunately nowhere near as exciting as it was to be there, but proof nonetheless!

February 10, 2010

Invasion of the grandparents!

Grandma and Grandpa arrived today. We picked them up at the airport this afternoon and while Ben was less than thrilled on our drive back, he warmed up once we were back at home and took a very belated nap.

He quickly remembered how fun it is to play with Grandpa's glasses and that Grandma gives him treats.

Ben was completely exhausted by the time it was bedtime and passed out without a sound-- I don't think he's ever gone to bed without a peep before. We are all happy they're here!

February 9, 2010

Ben and I went to a meetup today at LilliQ in Yaletown. LilliQ is a baby friendly coffee shop that recently opened downtown. They serve coffee and there's a big play area for the kids. They also have a giant pirate ship there and Ben usually spends most of his time playing in that. The ship is my favorite too since I can lay down inside.

I meant to take more photos, as in more than one, while we were there, but was too distracted talking to the other moms and following Ben around so this is the best/only thing I have for today. Here Ben is playing with babyfriends Catherine and Eva. I really have nothing to say about this... the only interesting thing I'm noticing is that this picture really shows off Ben's lack of hair on the sides of his head. When is that hair going to grow in already?!?!

February 8, 2010

Baby bedhead! I was very excited to see Ben's hair sticking up after he woke up from his first nap. For those of you that don't know, Ben has almost always been a stomach sleeper (gasp!)... which unfortunately isn't very conducive to achieving bedhead. That in addition to Ben not having a lot of hair and it being not very long makes today's bedhead that much more of an extraordinary event.

Also, the velour one piece makes another appearance! Photos do not do this wonder justice.

February 7, 2010

Superbowl! Ben decided he too wanted to partake in the 7 layer dip, so he grabbed himself a chip and dug in. Ben had a great time taking entire bags of chips and dumping them onto the floor. Ipo was happy.

And in case you didn't notice, there is a crapload of toys in the background... I now only put toys away at night because I felt it was a waste of time to do it during the day since Ben would just take them all out again anyway. I'm thinking of getting some giant basket/box thing and just throwing all the toys in there. I think Ben would enjoy taking the toys out and it would be easier for me to fake clean with it.

February 6, 2010

Ah the mall. Today we went to Old Navy because they were having a 30% off baby and kids clothes sale. Rick went and got one of those mall strollers at the info desk. It was pretty awesome-- black police car with steering wheel, cup holders in the back, and a this huge basket to put stuff in. Normally shared shopping carts, high chairs, and strollers would gross me out, but for some reason, shared Vancouver stuff is not to me. I think it's because the city seems cleaner and is less crowded.

I promised a picture with Ben facing the camera sometime this weekend and today was obviously not the day. Ben was actually smiling a lot at me in his car, I just blew it big time when it came to capturing those moments. Good job me. I'm going to console myself by eating one of the many Beard Papa's cream puffs we brought home tonight. Oh and speaking of consoling yourself with food, Ben hit his head really hard on the changing table tonight and you know what was the only thing that made him stop crying? Smarties. Haha, I knew he learned some kind of life lesson after the shot trauma.

February 5, 2010

To carry on the theme of Ben in little chairs...

Last weekend, we put in Ben's convertible carseat and took out his infant seat. Also, last weekend, we failed to get Ben a PBK Anywhere Chair. But being the resourceful child that he is, Ben had decided that his infant seat is a suitable Ben-chair for the time being. Today was the first time that he actually climbed in. He was very pleased with his discovery and eagerly climbed in every time were in the living room today. And yes the birthday decorations are still up.

You may also notice that Ben is wearing no pants. Ben doesn't like pants, it takes two people to put pants on him. It's just easier on everyone if he doesn't wear pants unless he has to. I also like to think that he takes after me in this regard. No pants and being grumpy after waking up are two traits from me... Leaving one bite of food and neglecting to close cabinet doors are from Rick.

This weekend, I promise to post a picture that actually has Ben's face in it.

February 4, 2010

Poor sweet little Benjamin... just hanging out in the Benjamin-sized rattan chair at the doctor's office thinking everything is great, not knowing that in just a few minutes, he would be getting his 1 year immunizations.

Usual Rick is there but I said I would go alone since the other shots had been quick and not so bad. I didn't factor in how much more aware Ben is now and that he would be getting four- two in each leg.

I gave Ben some Smarties once we were back in the car and he was good to go... well stopped crying at least.

February 3, 2010

Today was Ben's last gymnastics class of the Winter session. We found out today that his teacher, Naomi, isn't going to be back after the break. We are totally bummed by this because Ben loves Naomi and is always very excited to see her every week. She also is very funny and amuses me during class. Now I don't know which class to sign up for. Blah.

Anyway, about the picture... Here Ben is with his friend Nate. We met Nate and his mom through the mommy meetup group. Nate is also half Japanese.

Ben is wearing his Canadian Olympic t-shirt. Thankfully this shirt was only $10 because pretty much anything Olympic related around here is usually more around $50... which is obviously overpriced and very stupid.

February 2, 2010

Today's photo is one of Ben and Ipo. It's not a very good picture of Ben (he just woke up from a nap and is still zoned out watching tv), but I thought it deserved posting since this is the closest the two of them have ever sat with each other for any length of time that didn't involve food. Usually their interaction consists of Ipo doing her food rain dance under Ben's high chair waiting for him to drop the goods. She'll also take food from Ben if he's on the ground, but she runs away as soon as she gets it. I couldn't believe that Ipo stayed on the couch when I put Ben down next to her... and that she stayed there long enough for me to grab the camera and take a picture.

It'll be interesting to see if their relationship changes when Ben is older. Rick and I are convinced that all the pets and Ben will run around together in the garden one day. And that they'll spend most of the day harassing me to let them out.

February 1, 2010

Ben loves feeding Rick and I random objects. I rather enjoy being fed things like cereal, cookies, and crackers... paper is okay... toys are okay... food that's already been in Ben's mouth is not so okay, but I still let him do it anyway.

I cut out all these little circles for Ben's birthday, but then I didn't do anything with them. Ben found them and he loves picking them up and sticking them in his mouth. He doesn't try to eat them though... just bites down, spits them out, and then puts them in my mouth. This activity probably occurs at least 3 times a day and he thinks it's hilarious.

Ben is wearing a super awesome velour one piece given to him by my mom. Like his whole arm waving, this outfit makes me laugh. He wears it at least once a week.