He's growing up... but not THAT fast!

Because Aaron wears a beard and mustache, Benji has always been confused about the difference between a "chin" and a "beard" -- I think he learned the word "beard" first and he thinks that a chin is called a beard.

Yesterday, he bumped his chin on the wooden chest in the bedroom, and said "Mommy, I hurt my beard!"

--Victoria

Overheard at the Train Table

"Bill and Ben . . . were twins. Salty and Mavis were uncomfortable with tank engines. Bill and Ben were naughty. They are tank engines. They like to play a trick.

Bill and Ben were twins. You're tank engines, yes. Mavis is a tank engine too. Hi Bill, hi Ben, hi Mavis.

Then he saw the truck. [in a deep voice] CRASH, SAID THE TRUCK. Crashing not good. It's fun, he said.

Ben and Bill were twins. Ben and Bill were tank engines."


If Benji didn't speak so clearly, I never would have believed that he actually said that Salty and Mavis were "uncomfortable" with tank engines -- although the words "comfortable" and "uncomfortable" have featured prominently in his conversations over the past few days.

I can barely write fast enough to get it all down on paper...

--Victoria

Baby Scientists, Hard At Work

A Hammerhead SharP!

Not to be confused with a hammerhead sharK. I have been corrected about this many times. --Victoria

Visit to the Zoo

Benji's little friend Max turned three recently, and his parents hosted a party at a small local zoo. Benji had a wonderful time, as did Aaron and I. We also got some wonderful photographs. These two were taken during a wagon ride through an open area where we saw llamas, ostriches, emus, zebras, camels, and various African cattle with enormous horns. --Victoria

True Confessions

Benji ran away from me in a store. We had a discussion about this. I told him that if he ran away, he would have to sit in the shopping cart.

He ran away again. Then he had to sit in the cart.

The entire time we were in the store, he would intermittently announce, sadly: "I ran away from Mommy" -- at which point, I would remind him that's why he was in the cart.




As we left the store, we had another conversation about the issue.

Victoria: Benji, is running away good?

Benji: No.

V: What is it?

B: Running away WUDE.

V: It's not just rude, it's bad. It's not safe. No running away. You stay with Mommy, that's my good boy.

Thirty seconds later, he ran away again, this time making a dash for an escalator that led down to the Metro station. Needless to say, he didn't get far, and he didn't get to walk by himself anymore.

Ah, the Terrible Twos. I can't wait for the F****ing Fours. :)

--Victoria

Taking After the Hadfields

Benji loves riding in the seat on the back of my bike. We were in the bike store to get some parts, and he wanted to try out all the kid's bikes. He doesn't know that Uncle Gerzel and Aunt Lamara already got him a bike for his birthday when he turned two, because that bike is stored at Aaron's parents' house until Benji is big enough to use it.

Next step -- a balance bike so he can learn to ride!

--Victoria