He's got the right to be fussy.

Benji's been a little fussy lately, which is very unusual for him. On the other hand, he just had a molar break through the gums, has another one on the way, may be coming down with a cold (Aaron has been feeling under the weather), and has taken several tumbles in the past few days, both times landing on his face. If all that had happened to me, I'd be more than "a little fussy."

To top it all off, he had a doctor's visit this morning and had three shots, two in one thigh, and one in the other. He was okay until after his nap, but when he woke up, apparently his legs were hurting him a lot. He was really wobbly when he walked, and cried so hard that he soaked Curious George. Aaron gave him tylenol, but Benji just lay in our bed all afternoon and evening like an invalid. We had dinner in our bedroom because we couldn't bear to move him and make his legs hurt more. Needless to say, we gave him everything he wanted and he got to play with everything that's usually off-limits -- for example, Mommy's wallet and credit cards. He eventually had a quick shift into his crib and went to sleep after more tylenol and a warm bottle. -- Victoria

Postscript: He's feeling MUCH better the next morning, walking around and smiling. We're so glad he's not in pain anymore.

Busy Evening at the Park

Benji the Future Morris Dancer

One of my hobbies is morris dancing, which is a type of traditional English dancing done by six dancers waving handkerchiefs or clashing sticks. We practice on Wednesday evenings, and Benji has been coming to dance practices with me since he was about five months old. The wonderful women in my dance group not only tolerate me bringing a baby, but shower Benji with attention and take turns watching him while we take turns dancing. Last week, Benji discovered the dance sticks, and decided he would claim one of them as his own. -- Victoria

Aquarium Visit

This past weekend, we had a visit from Aaron's brother David and David's girlfriend, Roxanna. We all went to the Baltimore Aquarium and had a great time. Benji enjoyed their visit so much that he didn't nap much, and then he almost fell asleep during the dolphin show. -- Victoria

Bean Goatee

New Trick -- Sorting and Stacking

Benji's latest obsession is stacking blocks on top of each other, and stacking bowls that nest inside each other. This amuses him for long periods of time. We like this.

-- Victoria

Sushi Baby

Sometimes we make sushi for dinner. The most recent time we did this, Benji insisted on having some too. No raw fish for him, though! Fortunately, everything in a California roll is cooked. -- Victoria

Rough Day

Between a third molar that's almost through the gums, and a raging diaper rash that apparently sprang up out of nowhere in the course of a few hours, Benji had a rough day. Needless to say, Aaron also had a rough day.

-- Victoria

Benji le Petit Bébé

For a couple of months now, I've been talking exclusively French to Benji. My French is rusty and dilapidated, but I figure that passing along the gift of bad French is better than nothing.

Based on his reading material, I think he's starting to get the idea... (it's a Larousse French-English dictionary)

-- Victoria

Bipolar Breakfast

Just in case you think Benji is ALWAYS happy...

Sometimes, you just need a cuddle from Daddy

Weekend Fun: BBQ Party

Our freezer was overflowing with meat, so Aaron decided to "celebrate the beasts of the field and the fish of the sea by cooking them with fire and feeding them to our friends." So we did. We're friends with several of our neighbors, which is really nice. Rado and Marie, who live just around the corner, brought their son Max, who is almost two years old, and who loves Benji. Max coaxed Benji onto the train then sat behind him and pushed them both around for a while. Unfortunately, when Benji saw me pull out the camera, he decided to abandon the train and see what Maman was doing. Hence the slightly-out-of-focus photo... but still cute.

-- Victoria

Toothy Toddler

At this point, Benji has 10 teeth (technically, 8 teeth and two halfway-up molars). Fortunately, he loves brushing them.

Me, I love his teeny tiny toothbrush. So cute!

-- Victoria

Yoga Baby

I've never taken Benji to a yoga class. I don't do yoga at home. Aaron doesn't do yoga at home. Despite this, Benji sometimes does a perfect yoga pose all by himself.

For those who don't recognize it, this is a very common yoga pose called "downward-facing dog."

-- Victoria

Two New Teeth!

I was tickling Benji and he had his head thrown back and his mouth wide open... which allowed me to see that he's got two new teeth coming in. They're both molars, mid-way back in his mouth, one on his upper right side and one on his lower left side.

-- Victoria

Long Tall Benji

I don't know what it is about this photo, but when I look at it, I realize this toddler has one heck of a long torso. Maybe his diaper is riding down? I suspect he's going to be a tall guy one day.

--Victoria

New Trick -- Bringing Us His Shoes

I was at work, and Aaron sent me this email message:

"Benji just brought me one of his sandals to put on. Just one. I wanted to encourage him, so I put it on for him.

He then stood up and took a few steps - wobbly, because one leg was now longer than the other. He tried to walk into the living room, and instead wound up walking in a wide circle in the direction of his shorter foot.

He had no clue what was going on.

Silly baby."

Weekend Fun, Part Deux: Crèpes

After our canoe adventure, we found a crepe place and Benji had his first introduction to crepes. Mine was strawberry-lemon and Aaron's was chocolate-banana-strawberry. Benji enjoyed them both. I think he looks even cuter than usual with his little face covered in chocolate.

-- Victoria