Congrats Mom!

I've been a bad husband lately, especially given that Leslie's Birthday, Law-School Graduation, and Mothers day have converged in a perfect storm of events worthy of recognition all within about a 2 week period. I've tried to take her shopping, to dinner, and a number of other things to celebrate her recent accomplishments and special days and they've all been thwarted by the classic "(sigh), it's OK, we don't have to do anything...."
So since she's such a blog freak, I decided that I should at least acknowledge these things here.
So first Happy 29th babe! it always comes during finals week, so we never get to celebrate it properly. But alas that problem is now over because the second item is...
HAPPY freakin' GRADUATION!!!!!!! Finally!!!!! It's been three long years, and even if you are not excited about it, I am. You've accomplished a lot during this time and to try to do it while giving birth to and then taking care of a kid is an accomplishment in and of itself. I love you and appreciate your hard work and the sacrifices you have made for our little family.
I Love you so much, and I'm so proud of you!
Lastly, Happy mothers day! You are very busy but still find time to be such a good mom to our little roo. I know he loves you too!

If you're reading this (even if you are blerking) please leave Leslie a note of congratulations on her trifecta of things to be recognized for.
-Cameron

Busy little Ben

I have a lot of things I should be doing right now. I've got a final to get ready for, a house that needs cleaning--heck, I've got a house that needs painting and flooring installed so we can move into it in this lifetime. But I'm feeling the need to reflect and I don't keep a journal (I know, I know) other than this blog. Basically, feel free to skip over this post.

Ben is just growing up so fast and is turning into such a big, able little boy. Well, he still refuses to stand on his own or walk; however, he has demonstrated that he has the ability to do so. He's lacking the desire I suppose. It's so fun to watch him become aware of his little world. He babbles constantly, although his vocabulary of "real" words consists only of "hi" at this point. He has proven that he can maneuver the stairs--both up and down. He's just a lot of fun and I love him so much.

I guess I've been feeling particularly grateful for my healthy little guy recently. I've been faithfully reading (okay, blurking) Charlie Cooper's blog for weeks now. He's a little boy who is just a little younger than Ben and he's been in PCMC for months now. He got very sick after contracting pneumococcal meningitis. This sickness took a serious toll on his little body. He has brain damage, hearing loss, and is likely blind. I look at pictures of this perfect little boy who was a healthy little child just a few months ago and I think about how quickly things can change.

We've been to PCMC with Ben a couple of times for testing. Each time we've been sent home with a clean bill of health. I can't imagine spending months there and I certainly can't imagine seeing my sweet little boy affected by a disease the way that poor Charlie has been. My heart aches for his parents. Before Ben was born I would have thought Charlie's story was sad and probably not given it much more thought. But after having a kid I'm so much more affected by things like this. It makes me a little more patient when he yells, rummages through cupboards, and paws through the baskets of laundry I just folded.

Argh!

Ben has been out of control today. At lunch he refused to eat anything I gave him. When I tried to feed him his applesauce, he just screamed and spit. Frustrated, I left the bowl of applesauce on the table, and I never got back to picking it up.

Around 5 o'clock I decided to plop down on the couch for a few minutes and turn on the news. I listened as Ben rummaged through the kitchen cabinets, pulling out tupperware and pots. I decided I'd deal with it later. Then I noticed that things had suddenly gotten very quiet--a little too quiet. If there is one thing I have learned to be afraid of during my short stint as a parent (besides horrific accidents or illness), it is silence. So I jumped up to see what trouble he'd gotten into.

I found him on the floor by his highchair, slurping his abandoned applesauce from lunch. I have no idea how he got it off the table. I didn't hear him pull anything down, and he's certainly not that tall.

Since he was already a total mess, I decided I may as well take some pictures before we headed up for a bath. Sigh.

I am a total sucker

Ben's hair has continued to grow quickly and my hair cutting skills have not kept up. Cutting a one-year-old's hair is about as difficult as it sounds. Finally I gave up and decided I would fork out to have someone else deal with it. So yesterday Ben and I made a trip to Cookie Cutters.

Really whoever thought of this is brilliant. They have fun colors, movies, video games, and toys; the kids sit in barber chairs shaped like cars, fire trucks, or in Ben's case, an airplane. Ben screamed at the top of his lungs the entire time, but the girl was unfazed. She worked quickly, and in less than 5 minutes Ben looked like he was ready to enlist.

Then I forked out even more money for the first haircut package. Yes, technically this is not his first hair cut as I have made several feeble efforts on my own. But as I mentioned above, I am a total sucker.

Sunday Best

Aside from the fact that he looks like he just got hit over the head with a blunt object, is he not the cutest thing you ever saw? And to think, Cam said the tie was over the top.

Birthday Fun

Here are a few shots from Ben's first birthday. Of course, he enjoyed opening presents. Mostly he loved the wrapping paper and tissue.




He also enjoyed his birthday cake, although it took him a while to warm up to it. But then, who doesn't enjoy Costco cake. Mmm.

Cute Boy

After being prodded (repeatedly), I guess it's about time for an update.

A while ago Brooke took some really cute Easter pictures of Lizzy and Jane. Of course, Ben had to tag along and Brooke was kind enough to take some pictures of him as well. They turned out really cute so I'll share. If you haven't already, check out Brooke's handiwork at www.oliverminiej.blogspot.com.