Benjamin Bug

2009-07-14T17:02:00.000-04:00

Three sons of three college roommates: Alex (Chelsy's son); Haver (Melanie's) and Ben (Karen's son)

Be Careful What You Wish For

2009-06-05T23:10:00.002-04:00

I know that kids are supposed to get older faster these days, but Ben has apparently turned into a teenager already. His new trick is to sit in his room, reading a book in his lap. . . and when I walk in he says: "Away!" while imperiously waving his hand towards the door.

Well, I guess we were hoping for a reader, weren't we?

A real Boy's Boy

2009-05-11T16:20:00.003-04:00

Not much explanation needed here. The boy likes his ladies, his ball, his Hooters...and the occasional hug from Mommy.

Prepositions/Propositions

2009-05-10T17:14:00.003-04:00

The Bug is a talking machine these days. Not words that everyone understands by any means, and he's not great with two syllables or with those tricky last consonants, but he mimics just about everything you say and loves practicing his words.

Indeed, he does a lot of things just so that he can practice his words. As we walk down the street, he will sit on random steps just so he can say the word "sit!" (Pronounced "sih".) And he will open and close the door to the balcony over and over so he can say "opeh" and "lohw" respectively. In addition to the door, he will pull my hands or my feet apart and back again while chanting "Opeh, lohw, opeh, lohw."

He's really good with prepositions in general. Besides open and close he says "off" -- one of the few words where he can get that last consonant sound -- repeatedly. ("On" another favorite, sounds closer to "Aww"). "Up" and "dow" also said all the time, for example as he walks down the street alternatively squatting to the ground and standing up tall.

Hi and bye are the other favorites -- and he got to say them a lot this weekend as we went to the beach. The bug waved hi to everyone and then said "bye bye" immediately as he walked away. The only ones he didn't walk away from were the girls. He is a flirt of maximum proportions.

There was one girl he particularly liked on the beach, an older woman at about 6 years old. She was digging in the sand, and Ben would bend over at the waist to get his face right up close to hers and wave "hi! hi!" at her. She wearily would just say "Hi, again," and nicely put up with it. He must have thought he was doing pretty well, because he sat down next to her and I saw him put his hand on her knee. I walked a little closer to make sure he wasn't bugging the poor girl too much -- only to realize he was tugging at her knee while yelling "Opeh! Opeh!"

Look Out, Julian Casablancas

2009-04-09T23:45:00.004-04:00

With his dad's Guitar Hero and his irresistible strawberry-blond locks, the boy can't help but front the next major indie act to go double platinum. Look for his debut album c. 2020.

(more posts to come, we've been especially lax this spring)

Slides!

2009-01-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

He is obsessed with slides. Makes him happy as a clam.

Party Tricks: Animal Noises

2008-12-09T18:51:00.003-05:00

Here are three animals in the Bug's repertoire: the snake, the hippo (which are kinda smushed together in this video) and the coup de grace -- the monkey. He has recently started doing dinosaurs too. . .

Photos from Thanksgiving. . .

2008-11-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

No pictures of the holiday turkey here (it was deboned, well-brined, and yummy) -- but some new pictures of the Bug with a leather chair AND books this time.

Pumpkin Festival

2008-11-30T20:54:00.000-05:00

These are photos from a pumpkin festival we went to last month -- mostly we played around in the big haybarn. . . though we did get a little sheep-petting in too.

Update for the Grandparents: Stats

2008-11-30T20:49:00.002-05:00

At the latest doctor's appointment -- Ben weighed 27 pounds, 7 ounces. He is 33 inches long and his head is 47.5 cm around.

Best Elvis Picture Ever

2008-11-05T14:23:00.000-05:00

"Where's my peanut butter and banana sandwich?"

Elvis Is In the House!

2008-10-29T13:49:00.000-04:00

We dressed Ben up in his Halloween costume for a local park Halloween event last weekend. He was strangely content in his red cape and gold belt -- and even wore the black wig for awhile, but we had mercy and took that off. None of these pics do justice to just how great he looked (people would stop and laugh when they realized he was Elvis) but I love how happy he is in the swing photos (despite the fact that they're out of focus. . . )

Party Tricks: By the Powers of Greyskull!

2008-10-28T16:54:00.002-04:00

This is a video from a few months ago, when the Bug was a year old. It was the start of a variety of tricks he could pull off . . . of course he didn't necessarily perform them ALL that well, since he was on film. . . but it's still fun. These days we have lots more party tricks. Indeed, I think he even learned how to walk finally today!

Bug and Chair

2008-10-14T16:50:00.000-04:00

The Bug has gotten very into rolling around on big chairs. It's fun to watch and it kinda makes me hope that he'll really enjoy the same kind of lounging in the library reading thing that Steve and I do. On the other hand, the last picture in this series makes me think perhaps it's really just that he's a ham who's destined for beefcake model photo shots.

Things In Our Future #7

2008-10-14T13:15:00.003-04:00

This in from my friend Jessica: Her son Seth asked her -- as sons apparently do -- if he could marry her when he grew up. Jessica explained that he couldn't but that she was sure he would marry a very nice girl. He said, "Yes, I will. I will marry a nice girl. . . Named Mommy!"

Orange

2008-10-14T13:13:00.000-04:00

A picture of the Bug in a new outfit his grandmother bought him. . . we now know that orange is clearly his color. . . (And yes, we seem to have a theme of baby pictures with his mouth wide open. Apparently he's a happy kid.)

2008-10-14T13:10:00.000-04:00

We spent a lovely weekend in West Virginia with some friends at their beautiful farm. The Bug got lots of ourdoor time, and also got practice "playing nicely" with their son Nicholas.

Bug Pool Party

2008-10-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Ben had a fantastic time playing in the water for his first birthday party (which was really just an excuse for us to have all our friends over to swim and eat yummy bbq. . . ) Here he is swimming with his grandfather and aunt, and playing more patty cake with his grandmother.

Party Tricks: Patty Cake, Patty Cake. . .

2008-10-14T12:57:00.000-04:00

One of the things Ben learned to do while we were on vacation is throw up his hands at the "Baby and Me!" section of Patty Cake. . . this never ever seems to get old for him.

France, Part 2

2008-10-14T12:54:00.001-04:00

We just couldn't be any further behind in updating this blog. . . so here are tons of new (well, new to you . . . ) photos! These are some more from our trip to France when the Bug was 11 months old.

On the Perils of Learning Sign Language

2008-09-22T12:54:00.004-04:00

Well, I am very very excited because -- after a brief two weeks of his clapping in order to get food from us back when he was 9 months old, and not another bit of sign language since -- the Bug has officially learned the hand sign for "more." He got it down pat 2 weeks ago, and now signs it at me mostly when he wants food, but sometimes for an encore reading of a book as well.

It doesn't always mean things are easier, however. When I was driving along a few days ago, every time I turned around to check on him, he lifted up his hands and signed "more" and I basically just kept throwing Cookie Monster cookies back at him for the whole drive. This morning, I made the mistake of eating some left over Pad Thai and feeding him some of it. Afterwards, he kept spotting the takeout carton in the trash, lifting it up, handing it to me, and signing "more" at me. I kept having to open the carton and show him that there wasn't any left.

This went on for 3 hours.

But there are advantages to his actually communicating his needs, right? No matter how, well, needy they seem to be. . .

More photos soon!

2008-09-22T12:54:00.001-04:00

I promise! Later this week.

David Foster Wallace & Us

2008-09-15T22:54:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's been quite awhile since we posted anything. Lots been going on (when is it not?) around here this past month. But one thing we did want to note is the sad, sad loss of one of our favorite and important writers. Important not only for his unique style, wit, and astounding wordplay - but also because, as many of you may know, David Foster Wallace brought us together in a tangential, footnote-laden way. The story is long and sordid; I think it may be in a post further down.

We do have a taped voicemail of him congratulating us on our wedding. I believe he may have actually used the word "horrified." But that makes it all the more precious because who (else) would use that word to describe a wedding? We really need to go find that tape and digitize it.

There's not much that can be said here that hasn't been said in the rest of the mediaverse. So I'll just thank you, David, for the finite impossibility of Infinite Jest, for cracking me up , and for helping us find each other.

France, Part I

2008-08-04T14:10:00.001-04:00

For the first part of our glorious vacation, we were in St. Tropez. The Bug got to live outdoors for a week, which made him pretty happy. It made his parents pretty happy too. . .

. . . the Bug also helped celebrate his grandfather's birthday on the Fourth of July. . .

. . .and he discovered these fabulous French cookies that kept him entertained for hours on end and made him so content that he even fell asleep eating one.

Things in Our Future #6

2008-07-25T08:46:00.003-04:00

Catherine just told me this story that happened to almost-three-year-old Will (who loves trains), while we were away in France. Will had a particularly tough evening one night when he insisted that Catherine put on Thomas the Tank Engine immediately. ("I want to watch Trains! Right now. I want trains! Put it on now!")

Fifteen minute of watching "Trains" is part of his nightly going to bed ritual, but his mom was not particularly excited about his barking tone. She's been working hard lately on his getting his "may I's" and "pleases" and "thank yous." So she whisked him off into his bedroom to have a serious conversation with him.

Will cried a bit, and his mom insisted over and over that he couldn't demand to do things, he had to ask for them: "It's not a statement. It's a question. Do you understand? It's a question." Once, Will had calmed down, he and his mother emerged from his bedroom, for round #2.

A teary-eyed Will looked up at Catherine and said, "I want to watch trains. . . It's a question!"