Brother and Sister

My visions of the perfect Christmas picture quickly disappeared the moment I sat these two in the chair.

Poor Addilyn is not very photogenic and Big Ben has decided it is super fun to make Mommy beg for a smile.

Ben loves giving his 'dee dee titter' (baby sister) kisses.She is NOT laughing.I do love Addilyn's gaze at Ben. Already looking up to her big brother. Maybe next year!


Merry Christmas!

Oh, Christmas Tree

This weekend Ben got his first Christmas tree.

After Daddy cut it down we went inside for some 'nat nellows' (marshmallows), tookies (cookies), and a one-side conversation with a very unfriendly fellow.

The highlight of the trip was a ride on the train.

When we got home Ben helped put on the 'tee tee yeights' (Christmas lights) and the 'balls'.



He is still not sure why the 'tee' is inside.

But hey...

sometimes the strangest things are the most fun!

Gingerbread Cookies

This morning we made 'tookies'.

Ben loves to add ingredients,

watch the mixer stir,and lick the beater clean.He loved rolling the dough with the 'hammer'

and putting 'milk' on the 'man'.He was very proud of his creation but, completely uninterested in making more than one. Why mess with perfection?
Yum!

Big Brother

Today Ben met his baby sister Addilyn, for the first time.

He has helped Mommy paint, decorate, and organize the baby's room. But, other than that he is pretty unaware of how much his life is about to change.

The first thing he wanted to do was kiss the baby.

Ben had his first sleep over with Grandma and Grandpa while Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital.

He came and visited us there.

He was so gentle and sweet. I know he will be a fantastic big brother.

Oh.....and....

she passed her Newborn Hearing Screening!

Independence

We have been a Cochlear Implant family for ten months now. The technology that was so scary, new, and fragile has become as mundane as putting socks on each morning. Ben really has no idea of life without processors, tape, magnets, and remotes.

Just the other day, as we were driving in the car, Ben started shouting from the backseat, "Moo dad-der-y." It took a few guesses and loud "NO"s in response before I landed on new battery. Sure enough Ben's light was orange and a battery was going out.

He has also started replacing his magnets when they fall off. In the past, he would take the whole processor off and give it to us. Now, he can gently reach up and fish around for the magnet to stick.

I can picture the day when Ben's 'ears' will sit on his night stand and he'll stick them into place all on his own when he wakes up each morning- without thinking a second thought.

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we went to the pumpkin patch with Auntie Sarah, Cousin Maddie and Uncle Marc. Ben met a cow named Bob.
A Turkey named Tyson.

And a sheep named Chops.

He went down the hay slide with Maddie,

played in the hay with Daddy,

and spent a LONG time digging in the wheat.

Ben helped Maddie pick the perfect pumpkin.

And then....

Ben discovered.....

the

tube

slide!!!

Again and again!

He laughed so hard, tears ran down his face!

It looks like we sent him down by himself (which he would have loved) but he is really trying to go up the slide on his own.

Unfortunately, we had to leave.

When we got back to Grandma's, I asked Ben what he wanted carved into his pumpkin. He said, "O".

Carving an O into a pumpkin is really much harder than it looks.

This was my second try.

Half way through we discovered he really wanted to eat 'O's. As in Cheerio O's.
Oh well. At least it was game day.

I've had a lot of questions about how Ben has been doing since his second implant. I love the questions and love to give my answer.

"Perfect. We think he's doing really well."

More specifically, Ben is just a 20 month old boy with extra ears. He runs, climbs, tries to jump, dances, loves to sing, and never stops talking. We often forget he's deaf and truly couldn't imagine what he'd be like if he couldn't hear us.

He shouts "touchdown" every time football is on t.v, calls every flat space to put things a "teple" (table), loves to eat "tow an yam" (toast and jam), drags a step ladder throughout the house saying "up da ladda", uses a "teep ne ne" (tape measure) in the car to turn the light above his head on and off, and has long 'conversations' on the 'phone' always ending with "Yeah. Okay. See ya. Bye."

We sing songs in the car, when he's in a bad mood or when he's sad. He shouts out the animal he wants to be on Old MacDonald's Farm and adds in each of the animal sounds though out the song. He 'signs' and sings the "A d ds" (ABCs) with me. Today after a fall, in tearful snuggle he sobbed, "un on mommy." (Sun song, Mommy) This is our go-to feel better song, 'You Are My Sunshine.'

Ben's two favorite phrases are "excuse me" and commanding people "sit down". He'll ask for things by saying, "Wan more appa pus." or "Ben hungry. Wan eat."

He talks in his sleep saying things like "chick n nunnets" (chicken nuggets), "Mommy home", and "vroom vroom."

He announces each time someone enters the room or leaves it, tells you what you're eating or drinking, and verbalizes what you have just done. "Mommy light on." or "Mommy coat on."

He argues, protests, and bargains. He says, "uh oh dado" (uho spagetti-o) when his batteries go dead or a magnet falls off.

Sometimes we have challenges with his 'ears' and at times we have pangs of sadness when he wakes up scared in silence or his 'ear' was accidentally shut off. We do wish every day that he could hear naturally and often wonder what exactly does he hear.

But right now, we are happy, Ben is happy, and that's all that matters. He talks and listens all day long. He's perfect.

Pumpkin Time

Today we got 'nanans' (pumpkins)!

Ben painted his own pumpkin.

And helped clean out Daddy's pumpkin.

.He loved sorting out the seeds

.and scooping out the guts.

.

He was excited to stick his fingers in the holes of the pumpkin,

but not convinced this was an eye.

He's saying, "No eye, Mommy. Nannan!"

.He is trying to blow out the candle. Each time he succeeded he'd say, "Light off. Wan light on."

.Blowing the 'light' out again.

.

Ben loved eating the 'deeds'.

. He doesn't look thrilled, but he actually

pulled his ladder up and chowed down on quite a few seeds.

Just like his Daddy: if it's salty and crunchy, he's eating it.

Dee Nah

When Daddy's out of town Ben and I get pick what's for 'dee nah' (dinner), no matter how strange it may be.
.

Tonight was one of Ben's all time favorites: rice with cheese and carrots.

He helped puree the cooked carrots.

Then add the cheese,

.

blend it all together,

.

and pour it into the bowl.

.

I didn't get pictures of him stirring in the rice because it took both my hands to keep him from shoveling it into his mouth.

.

And the final test....

How does it taste?

Good enough to leave the boy who NEVER stops taking speechless!