First Shoes

Every soon-to-be-walker needs a stellar pair of first shoes. Here is Ben modeling his new size 5's. He must have felt grown up when I put them on him, because he suddenly started going after everything he knows he's not supposed to go after. Maybe it was the increased traction.

The Bookshelf

In a new variation of the beloved "take everything out and watch mommy put it back" game, Ben now loves to get all his books off the shelf when he's in his room. This weekend I decided to move them from the top shelf to the middle, so that it wouldn't hurt too much if he drops them on his tiny toes. So far so good.

A Visit from the Cousins

We had a nice visit from some of Ben's cousins who were in town this weekend. Technically, these are his 2nd cousins, but they are closer to him in age. He really enjoyed playing with them and was not happy about going for a nap after they left -- he wanted to stay and play more (see previous post about I'm not sleepy yet).

In the last picture, from left to right: Ava, Ben, Dylan and Ana

But I'm Not Sleepy Yet...

Lately Ben will use every trick in the book to extend bedtime. He is clearly tired, but he doesn't want us to know that. On a Friday night, we'll sometimes humor him, and let him come back out with us for 20 minutes or so. He gives us big grins when this happens, like he knows he pulled a fast one.

9 Months!

Ben will be nine months old tomorrow. We had our well-baby checkup today, and he is doing great. His stats, for anyone interested in such things, are:

Weight: 20 lbs 13 oz (55th percentile)
Height: 30" (94th percentile)
Head: 18" (70th percentile)

He does a regular crawl now and is FAST. You can't look away for more than a second or two, and the dog bowls are a favorite target. This creates quite a balancing act between remembering to pick the water bowl up when Ben is in the kitchen, and remembering to put it back down when he's not, so as to not dehydrate Boo. Life, as we are learning, is all about compromise.