Big Question

Last night I was peeling and cutting up some apple and I told Benjamin "God gave you teeth so use them" as he tentatively licked the small piece I handed him.

"Who is God?"
"God's the one who made everything."
"I don't want to use my teeth."

Skip to an hour later, while we were in bed about to read some books before bedtime. Out of the blue he asks, "Who is God?" But this time it was a reflective question, one he had been thinking about to himself for the last hour since he learned my basic definition of God. He was intrigued and curious about how in the world someone could make everything and how come he hadn't heard of this before? I blame his dad, Mr. Religious Studies, who, when I told this story, corrected me.

"Evolution made his teeth."

Whichever way you think, I am thankful for my Bug and his chompers.

Three

Today is Benjamin's 3rd birthday. Three years ago we got a surprise early Christmas gift, the best one we could ever imagine. We love you so much, Benjamin Bug.

Dog Biscuits

While shopping at Target tonight Benjamin LOUDLY and insistantly begged to eat dog biscuits that we had just bought at PetSmart. We finally just got home and opened the box for Wiggy to have one. Benjamin insisted on eating one, too.

"I kinda like it. And I kinda don't like it."

At least he's stopped demanding we give him some. He's letting Wiggy enjoy the rest of the box. Now he says he's hungry for dinosaurs. Oh my. Glad we got him a RoboRaptor for his birthday. Yummy! Now if we could get him to eat real human food.

Transition

Saying goodnight to our 2-year old and waking up to our 3-year old.

Buttlock and Snickerdoodles

So there's a new dance craze sweeping the Coffey-Kivett household. It's called the buttlock. Imagine a headlock. Now imagine you're locking someone's butt instead of their head. Now imagine you're using your butt to do it. Yes, it is as awesome as you're imagining. I invented it a couple of days ago (this is Henry), for reasons that I think are obvious. Or not.
Last night, after gorging his tiny tummy on my slightly dry but otherwise delicious homemade snickerdoodles (this is actually pronounced snack-ah-doodahls, btw), Benjamin started buttlocking like an expert. Seriously. His butt, by the way, is mostly out of diapers these days. We were so used to a big bunchy diaper butt, that his little buns now seem like tiny pink plums. Plums that lock.
We had a really fun night, and he totally dug my sweet buttlocking and kicking dance moves. He'd annouce "Buttlock!" and totally lock butt. Then I'd lock his butt and he'd yell, "take it back," and throw it back at me. A little more practice and I think we'll be ready for the big time. Whatever the "big time" is in the buttlocking world.

Raining Birds

This afternoon Halmuni visited us through an enormous flock of grackles. Like a hundred of them. They were in our backyard flying all around and at one point they all began diving down to the ground from the trees.

"It's raining birds," said Benjamin.

It really was. It was beautiful.

This Morning

It is icy outside this morning and while we were snuggling in bed Benjamin asks, "Where are my presents?"

"What presents?" (Nisha)
"The presents from Santa."
"Santa brings presents on Christmas and it's not Christmas yet." (Henry)
"It is Christmas. It is icy outside. Why would Santa not bring presents on this icy Christmas day?" Good point.

A few minutes later while we are still snuggling I said, "My head is itching." Benjamin comes back with, "My pig is licking." Hee-hee!

WordWorld

While watching "WorldWorld" this morning Benjamin began to cough.

*Cough* *Cough*

"I don't like Pig."
"Why don't you like Pig?"
"He makes me cough. He's too cough-y."

I had no idea he was allergic to pigs.

Peek-A-Boo & What's YOUR Super Power?

Tonight I taught Benjamin about the secret exit that are in his new Yo Gabba Gabba underwear (we are still potty training). He was so excited to discover this nifty feature of his underwear he spontaneously erupted into song. While trying out the newly discovered undie feature he sang Andy Sanburg's Dance-y Dance song from Yo Gabba Gabba, "Chomp, Chomp, Chippy Chippy Chomp." But when he sings it is it, "Tomp, Tomp, Tippy Tippy Tomp!"

Henry and Benjamin are running around the island playing chase. After many days in the house because of the cold weather and lots of papers to write (Henry's end of semester which he just finished minutes ago, yey!) they have lots of energy to burn.

Benjamin: "What's your super power?" Mine is poop power!"
Henry: "Mine is pee power!"
Benjamin: "Mine is bahngoo, panggoo power! (Korean for fart)"

Now they are dinosaurs.

Benjamin: "Let's put on a show, Microraptor! (talking to Henry)"

I love my boys!

What a Day!

What a day it was! This past Saturday December 4th was a wonderful and full day! We started the morning bright and early with Benjamin's first tennis lesson! He was not very happy about getting out of bed so early but once we got there he had a fantastic time. He was fortunate enough to have two great coaches--you can't beat that student/teacher ratio! There is usually a little girl in the class but she didn't make it that day so it was just Benjamin. We wondered going in how they would teach 2-year olds the basics of tennis but the coaches had fun and effective activities that Benjamin really liked doing.

After his lesson we ran to get breakfast and change into our wedding clothes. Our friends John and Christy's wedding was at 10 a.m. so we had just enough time to get there. We realized that we left Benjamin's nice sweater at home so I had to pop into Kohl's to pick up a nice shirt. He looked super cute!

He did great during the wedding itself and had a good time during the reception with Brennan and Fiona and making new friends. I watched him walk up to an older lady he didn't know and start chatting her up, even pulling a chair closer to her and sitting with her for awhile. I love that he is so social and has never met a stranger. Sweet baby. During the reception it began to snow, the first snow of the year.

After the reception he feel asleep in the car and Henry and I drove around for awhile to let him sleep. We even got take out and ate in the car while he slept. It was beautiful to see the snow fall.

When we got home Benjamin woke up and got bundled up to go outside to play in the snow. We all had such a great time! And when we got too cold we came in and Benjamin had his first hot chocolate, homemade by him and Daddy. He took a sip or two but then decided to make his own concoction, his new favorite drink, water, a squeeze of lemon, and marshmallows. Doesn't that sound delicious? He guzzled it right down. It was a jam-packed day of great memories. A full day, indeed!

A Little Privacy, Please!

While taking a shower today Benjamin gestured towards the shower curtain. "You can close that. I can do it by myself." Well, really he said "by myseh-eff." So I closed the curtain most of the way but still had it open enough to grab him in case he slipped. "No, I'm good. Close it." Dude, you are only two!

Last Two

We woke up today knowing that this is the last month Benjamin will be two years old. How is that possible? Today is his 35-month birthday. Thirty-five wonderous months during which he has changed from a little preemie to a chubby infant, then a sprouting toddler and now a tall and lanky little boy.

This has been a hard year for Benjamin in so many ways. Seeing his Halmuni so ill and then being away from home for such an extended time while she was in the hospital, being away from me (Mommy) for long periods of time for the first time in his life while I was with Halmuni in the hospital, and then finally losing his beloved Halmuni and best friend. And he has been a trooper through it all. The other day he and I were in Halmuni's room watching t.v. and laying on her bed, something he did daily with her and something that comforts both of us now and makes us feel closer to her. We were eating dry cereal in the bed and made a bit of a mess and he said, "Let's clean it up before Halmuni gets back." It broke my heart. Too much for a two year old to understand. Too hard for a thirty-five year old to understand.





Tonight during his shower Benjamin had a new first. He gargled for the first time! He has been mimicking Henry for months now but never quite getting it exactly right, not as far back in the throat to be a true gargle. But tonight, he did it! Each day is a new skill. We eagerly look forward to each small and large discovery Benjamin makes during his last two-year month and look ahead to the three-year old discoveries that he will unveil. Happy birthday to you, our sweet baby!

Just a Swangin'

On Wednesday Benjamin and I were feeling well enough to run some errands in the car and really needed to get out of the house since we've been homebound since we got sick at Halloween. It was making us both grumpy. On the way home I decided to make a detour to Bur-Mil Park to get some fresh air and sunshine as it was a beautiful, warm Fall day.

We met too little girls there, sisters named Wendy and Vera and their dad and Yeah-Yeah. Up until then Benjamin would feel most comfortable with his belly down on the swings rather than bottom down. Vera asked her daddy to push her swing to the Moon. Bug liked that idea and asked me to do the same. So we swung like that for awhile but then he told me he wanted to sit in the swing the other way. So he sat with his bottom down on the swing and asked me to push him to Saturn. I happily obliged while holding on to him because he has never been stable swinging this way. But he said he wanted to do it himself so I let go and pushed him softly. I guess my speed was too slow to get to Saturn in a timely fashion. "More, Mommy!"

While reminding him to hold on every two seconds I pushed harder and up he went, a little higher each time, not as high as the big girls but for his first time on a swing by himself he did awesome!

And then, without warning, he just jumped off. Good thing the playground is super padded with wood chips! "I'm okay, Momma!" I thought this ending to his swinging would deter him from getting on them again but before we left he ran back over to the swings and did it again. Again, he jumped off at the end but we talked about how next time he should let me know when he was done and we could slow things down before he jumped off.

Our little boy is growing up!

New Tonight

Benjamin watched his first game show tonight. I mean really watched it. There have been game shows on in the background before that I'm sure he absorbed but didn't really acknowledge. But tonight he was into it. It was called "Family Game Night" and involved kids and parents on teams playing games like Connect Four, Bop It, and Cranium in order to win prizes. He was all into it. He watched quietly for a long time and then asked some questions and at the end he gave commentary on his favorite parts. I think the Bop It section was the most exciting to him. And us, too.

His other new thing tonight is he threw up a little in his mouth. Not as a result of the show. But maybe because of all the orange juice he's been downing since he has been sick with a cold this past week. But he was confused when it happened. "What is that?" Henry asked if it was sour and he nodded. Yeah, not the most exciting news but still notable. Well, to me anyway. Nice that he's gone this long without ever experiencing this particularly yucky bodily function. But cute that we will always be able to reflect back on when he first threw up a little in his mouth.

"I remember the night you first threw up a little in your mouth. It was a cold and windy night...."

Roots

Benjamin said new things today.

Korean
Spock
Kirk

He made both his Mommy and Daddy very proud!

Halmuni

Benjamin's Halmuni and best friend flew away on Friday August 27th, 2010 after an almost 2 year fight with neuroendocrine carcinoma. They are so close it is painful to think that they are separated but really they aren't because she is around us all the time. We visited her today, the day after her funeral service, and he asked where she was and we told her that she was here, under the flowers. He looked again, under the flowers, and asked where. And we explained that she was asleep under the flowers, under the dirt. He asked why and we said that we come from dirt (the earth) and we go back to it one day. That she was asleep in her dirt bed. He said, "Wake up, Halmuni. It's a really nice time outside--the sun is shining. Let's play." And then he took flowers from her grave and used them to clean off her bed, like dusters, saying, "Oh, Halmuni."



This morning she visited us via praying mantis, right outside our doorstep. And has visited us and several people via butterfly over the last few days. And most spectacularly, she visited Henry while he was driving via a white dove that flew parallel to his car for some time, keeping up with him as he traveled down the highway. We can't wait for her to visit again. We love you, Halmuni and Benjamin is the luckiest little boy to have the best Halmuni in the world. We love you.

Kivett Cousins

We got a chance to get all the Kivett's together this past Saturday to celebrate Father's Day. We couldn't even remember when we were all under one roof--it has been a real long time. Benjamin hadn't seen his cousins since his party in February. We had a good time hanging out!

Two and a Half

Benjamin is two and a half today. What in the world? Where did the little baby go? We miss the infant he used to be but enjoying the heck out of who he is now. Gregarious, inquisitive, empathetic, and loving. And busy. As he tells us all the time, "Me busy." Or, "Me gettin' busy," which actually means he's getting dizzy.

Today was spent indoors. Poor Bug has been sick the last few days and it has been really hot outside so we have been in the house resting, along with Halmuni. Hopefully he will be well again soon and we can do something more active to celebrate this milestone. Two and a half. Our baby is two and a half....

Mit Dee See

Benjamin is eager to see and understand everything. One of his most uttered phrases is, "Let me see!" Interpreted into Bug-ese and it is "Mit Dee See!" One of mommy's favorite things to hear :)

Not That Right

When correcting us Benjamin says,

"Not that riiiight."

And it sounds perfectly right.

Hen-er-y

Last night when I was cooking dinner and Henry was in our room down the hall I heard Benjamin singing to himself. As I listened closer I heard,

"Hen-er-y. Hen-er-y. Bock, bock, bock! Hen-er-y. Hen-er-y. Bock, bock, bock!"

Daddy's a chicken.

Also, most of the time when you ask Benjamin what his own name is 8 out of 10 times he will say Bug. Other times he will give his first or whole name. But he expertly knows all of our full names. First, middle, and last. He is very cute reciting the formal-ness that comes with a proper full name. Henry Saundahs Kibett and Nisha Kim Copy. So cute.

Knock knock!

So, he's telling knock knock jokes now. Don't know where he learned the format, but he totally cracks himself up.

The first one was:
"Knock knock"
(who's there)
"Banana"
(banana who)
"Banana... CHICKEN!"
followed by maniacal laughter.

Most recently:
"Ding dong"
(who's there)
"orange"
(orange who)
"orange peel you!"
followed by attempts to peel the other person.

Most often:
"Knock knock" (or ding dong)
(who's there?)
(pretty much anything or anyone)
(pretty much anything or anyone who?)
(pretty much anything or anyone) "GONNA GETCHOO!"
followed by lots of getting you.

It's extremely fun.

Already?

This afternoon I was lying in the bed with Benjamin. Well, I was lounging and he was sitting up playing with a curious assortment of things--a plastic toy band aid cuff, my foot arch support sling, a paper/plastic bowl, and a handful of goldfish crackers. His lips were pooched out in deep concentration as he stratigically placed the goldfish inside the sling and next to the cuff, round and round. He was so darned cute I wanted to just eat him up! So I asked him, "Can you give Mommy a kiss?" Without looking up he says, "I can't." I asked why and he said, "Me busy." So I waited. A minute or so later I ask again. "I can't. Me busy." *sigh* He's already too busy to kiss his Mommy.

New Tonight

"Come on, Mommy--it's easy!"-Benjamin Bug (as we ran around the kitchen island)

Lots of fun stuff happening!

Benjamin had his first visit to The Little Gym this past Thursday. There were some group activities (like going in a circle with a parachute and chasing bubbles and ringing bells), but much of the session was just 18-30 month old kids running wild on padded gym equipment. Bug was very at ease with the instructor and the other kids, and was extremely active and vocal- especially when they brought out a giant tub of balls.

Also, he played in the snow for the first time about a week ago. It was a little hard walking at first- there was a crunchy two inch slab covering the other six inches of snow, so he'd punch through the top layer one step at a time to find himself up to his knee in snow, then have to climb forward one leg at a time. When the going got to rough, he just crawled through the drifts excitedly. And he really liked tasting and tossing around clumps of snow and running around on the pre-flattened snow on the road. That night he passed out on the couch before bedtime (which never ever ever happens). Sweet little guy was totally tuckered out!

Pictures of both events are below...

FIRST JOKE

Don't get me wrong, he's always hilarious and is easily cracked up by his (and our) antics, but Benjamin made his first sort-of complex joke today. (At least the first that his simpleton audience has caught on to so far). Bug and Mommy and Daddy were all laying around in bed and Mommy started calling Daddy "Mommy" and visa versa. Just silliness. Then Bug corrected comically by calling Daddy "Grand Daddy." He caught onto our teasing and threw it back at us with a twist. We all laughed like crazy. Good times.

25 Months

Well, I guess that sounds strange--25 months. This is when you drop the months and only speak in years and half years. A new era. But I will still count the precious months and celebrate the Bug each 22nd that comes. Happy 25-month birthday, Benjamin! We love you!

To celebrate this milestone we spent Saturday afternoon at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. It was an amazing afternoon--great weather, a welcome break from the rain and cold temps we've had, and lots of things to look at and play with. Benjamin liked the Butterfly House a lot and really enjoyed looking at the "cwittuhs" in the petting zoo. A highlight was when the donkey named Lightning brayed loudly to summon all the children to come visit him as he was not getting any attention at the time. And boy did it bring us all running over to him! Benjamin has been saying "hee-haww!" a lot yesterday and today remembering that loud donkey! We also got to ride the train and yell inside the tunnel, which didn't even phase Benjamin who was being lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the train. We thought for sure he would be out after the train ride but he got his second wind. He rocked out on the drums with his dad. He also got a chance to play in a group with all much older children. He held his own quite well and really enjoyed filling his cup with beads with everyone else. We all had a great family day together :)

Chopsticks and ABC's

Benjamin used his practice chopsticks--a gift from his noonah Jennifer-- tonight at dinner for the first time. He said, "Daddy help put fingers!" So Henry placed his little fingers in the circular finger rings. And it only took him a minute or two and he was able to eat some rice with them!

Benjamin also sang about 2/3rds of the ABC tonight all by himself before dinner. Henry and I just listened quietly while he sang, shocked that he knew that much of the alphabet, in the right order. He is also really into "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" but he doesn't know those lyrics as well. He fell asleep tonight with Henry and I singing it to him. Then Henry fell asleep and I sang until Bug went to sleep, too.

Oh, and this morning, I was pretending to still be asleep and Benjamin stared at me for a very long time. Then said, "Good night, Mommy. Night night, Mommy." And then he got off the bed and went into Halmuni's room. It was so cute. And nice because he usually holds my face and says, "Open eyes, Mommy! Wake up, Mommy!" So a few extra minutes of rest was wonderful :)

Say What?

I had my first real conversation on the phone with Benjamin today. I was on my way back home from working some and called home and Halmuni handed Benjamin the phone like she often does. Usually he might say hi but more often than not he just listens to me talk. But today was a whole new thing.

"Hi Benjamin. It's me, Mommy."
"Hi, Mommy."
"How are you doing?"
"Good."
"Did you have a good nap?"
"Yes."
"What are you doing now?"
"Sitting eating pretzels."
"Are you watching T.V.?"
"Yes. (Then he says something that I have forgotten about the show he is watching)"

It was so strange hearing his little voice over the phone, so clear and... well, grown up sounding. When the heck did we have a baby that can talk on the phone? *Sigh* He is growing up so fast.