Benjamin: 4.5 years old

Ahhhh! My big babies will soon be turning 5!  The 26th was my boys' half birthday.  We began by celebrating with flu shots, which the boys handled with a minimum of crying, and as a treat we went to Panera to get cookies afterward (yes, at 9:30 in the morning).  Then the zoo.  For their half-birthday cake, I baked a small carrot cake and made each of them half.

Raaaawr!

So- my Benjamin at 4.5.  I have noticed that he sometimes doesn't feel comfortable in social situations.  He is very sweet- he will go up to someone and take their hand and begin disclosing irrelevant information, but around kids he has started either getting quiet, or roaring (like a lion).  Other kids don't seem to love the roaring (not a surprise, right?), and then his feelings are hurt that people don't want to talk to him.  Once he gets more comfortable, he's fine, but those social skills might need work.

Sick boy at the dr.'s office

On Monday, Benjamin got sick with his first ear infection.  Of course we had no idea what was wrong with him, because he kept complaining of an "ouchie" on his ear.  We thought it was a bug bite, but his level of hysteria indicated otherwise. By 11 when he was up for the 10th time, Eric was losing his mind and got impatient with him, as it was a lot of nonsense over a bug bite.  But in the morning he woke up with a fever and said his ear hurt on the inside- off to the doctor we went.  He was weighed and measured: 36.6 lbs and 41.5 inches.

Benjamin is surprisingly observant, and makes connections I don't even think about.  One night I showed the boys the picture I have of them as embryos- it's a photo of 6 embryos, and 2 are marked with an X.  I said, "You two are the ones with the X!" and Benjamin said, "What happened to the other ones?" which wasn't the follow-up question I had anticipated.

Diligently mastering the rocket launcher

He can be resourceful, and happy to play by himself without making trouble.  He can get involved in a task and stay involved for a long period of time.  He loves books, and "pooping" is often sitting on the potty and making his way through every book in the bathroom.  He's great with puzzles.  Of my 3 children, he is the least aggressive in his needs and with sharing.  Asher generally dictates what they'll watch on TV and who gets to use the special spoon at breakfast.  I try to look out for Benjamin and his desires, since he sometimes lets himself get bowled over.  In general, his behavior is good- until he gets overtired, at which point he becomes nonsensical and quite difficult.

Not serious for a second

Benjamin is a total goofball, too- as these pictures show.  He has a hard time being serious.  His speech is still not great; he leaves off the "s" and the "b" at the beginning of words, and the "r" in the middle of words.  He also speaks with his own inflection, which makes it sound kind of like he is speaking English as a second language.

Benjamin is an enthusiastic and adventurous eater.  I think he sometimes pretends he doesn't like, or doesn't want to try, foods because Asher doesn't, but he seems to like almost everything he eats.  He seems especially willing to try a food if Papa Nick recommends it.  He LOVES mustard and will dip any food in it.  Today I sent him to school with baby carrots to dip in mustard.  He likes every fruit there is, and eats vegetables, too.  He and I enjoy very similar diets, and will often share snacks.  At the table, his seat is next to mine, and he almost always crawls into my lap over the course of the meal.  It's pretty cute.

Benjamin likes music and likes to dance with me.  We dance to a lot of pop music- our current favorite is Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off."  He has beautiful, hazel, almond-shaped eyes with long dark lashes.  He has sweet little lips and perfect small white teeth.  Sometimes when he has trouble napping but needs the rest, I lie down with him until he falls asleep.  I love looking at his face when he is asleep- he couldn't be sweeter.