Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

It's been awhile since I've written about Benjamin's latest accomplishments. In some ways his development has slowed down, now that he is in the 3rd year of his life, but in other ways he continues to amaze me daily as he learns more about the world and his place in it.

Much of Benjamin's attention, these days, is absorbed by the fascination of letters and numbers. He knows all 26 letters of the alphabet (and a few other assorted combinations such as "ch" and "sh") by what sound they make and is starting to know some of their names as well. His favorite song in the whole, wide world is the "A, B, C's." We sing it at least 20 times a day, sometimes even for his bedtime lullaby. He is not yet "reading," in the proper sense, but can sound out the individual letters in a word--for example: if he sees the word "pot," he will say, "p...ah...t." When he is not pointing to letters and making assorted sounds, he is counting any and everything in sight. He sometimes gets lost at 13 and will say "mm-teen" several times until he finds 16. Our favorite trick at the dinner table is to tell him to count his bites. He sometimes gets up to 18 or 19. (Sneaky, sneaky!)

Benjamin is also very fascinated with making music. He loves to play the piano, the kazoo, and the "flute" (which is really a plastic recorder which was a party favor for his birthday). For Christmas he received a great set of toy percussion instruments. He has been learning how each instrument is played and now goes about crashing cymbols, dinging the triangle, and shaking the tambourine quite professionally. (Well, it depends on your standards....)

He continues to read, build with his Legos, climb, rough house with Daddy (Mama is not a very good rough-houser), and hide. In addition, he has a new level of interest in cars, hightened by the fact that he received 25 assorted cars for Christmas!

Health-wise, we have had some challenges over the past few months. We had some more testing done and have not learned anything new, which is good and bad. His symptoms, at times, have been quite severe and are concerning to us as parents. The doctor is keeping an eye on things, but is less concerned. I suppose that is encouraging. His most recent regimen consists of nebulizer treatments 2-4 times a day, an antibiotic for returning eczema (which was infected), and a probiotic to help with digestive issues. We are thankful that he is feeling better and continue to pray for complete healing from his food allergies.

What I have not captured in this recital of accomplishments is the eager and earnest spirit of our sweet boy. He is so warm and friendly in his interactions. My heart is warmed each time he reaches out to hold my hand or give me a spontaneous hug. His zeal for life gives a new sparkle to each day. Our home is a happier place because of our Benjamin.