21 Months.

Hey Benny Boo,

Today you are 21 months old! Holy cow, can you believe it? You are turning into a honest to goodness little boy and are leaving behind everything baby. Just in the last few days you've started to say "thank you" all by yourself, with no prompting and you almost always say it at an appropriate time. We're working on your "please's" - you almost always have to be prompted for that one. ;)

Trucks remain one of your very favorite things. You have quite a collection of tiny cars, trucks, SUV's, RV's, trains, garbage trucks, ambulances, police cars... you love them all and play with all of them equally. You continue to be captivated with Elmo and Ernie and I can be a super bad mama and bribe you for 15 or 20 minutes with a Baby Einstein (Baby MacDonald is your super favorite) so I can get dinner made.

You love to play outside and ask to go out often. It's hard to resist after you've brought me your shoes, helped put them on, then go and find my shoes and help me put them on, and then run to the back door asking "side? side?" so we go out often. I hope the snow captivates you as much as your sand table does once the weather gets colder. You love the park, and I love that you love it. You will only swing if daddy holds you on his lap, but you love to slide.

Another of your loves is books. You have your favorites - the doorbell Elmo book, From Head To Toe, The Big Red Barn, the Truck book... but you're glad to listen to any book mama or daddy chooses off your shelf. We love our trips to the library where we pick out 3 or 4 new favorites and those special trips to Barnes & Noble where I let you loose in the kiddo section to pick out a few to bring home. Some times we get something extra, like the new Elmo friend you cuddle with at night.

You're favoring your daddy a bit more right now, but he's been taking care of you a lot since mama's been sick with her surgery. I really miss our cuddle times and I look forward to getting back in to our old routine. We're having a bit of a stumbling block with your temper and aggression. It's calming down some but you hit far more often than I'd like. I think that by reminding you that good boys don't hit, and you're a good boy (aren't you?) has helped.

I'm very excited for Halloween next month. I picked out a very fun costume and have been gathering the parts for it. I thought I came up with something clever and unique but you know how it goes when you get something new - suddenly you notice that thing every where? In any case, I think you'll be adorable and I hope you enjoy your costume (I know I'll enjoy the future wear you'll get out of two of the main pieces ha ha). We're going to take you trick or treating this year, but probably just to the houses in our cul de sac.

We can't believe that in just a few months you'll be 2 years old. It's crazy. You've grown so much and change a lot from month to month. Just last month I talked about the size 6 shoes we bought for our special trip to Chicago and how they were a little big. Your toes already reach the tops now. It won't be long before we're moving you up to size 7's. I measured you against the wall the other day and you've grown a solid 2 inches since the last time we measured in July. We don't have any doctors appointments for you until your 2 year check up, but I know they weighed you at the dentist in August and you were 27 pounds. I wouldn't be surprised if you're 30 pounds or more now. The 24 month stuff that was sort of too big last month fits perfectly now (well, most of it - you have room to grow in your sleepers).

Mama and daddy love every little bit of you, Ben. We love how special and unique you are and we're thrilled with the little boy you're becoming. You're curious and adventurous and loving and kind. We'll get through this naughty phase, because at the end of the day: you're still our sweet little boy, just testing the limits right now. You adore your cousins Hannah & Emma to pieces and spent your very first night away from mama & daddy with them last night. You did great and we look forward to allowing you to spend more time with your family. We're so lucky to have a big part of our family just a cars ride away. Maybe one day all of our family will love closer together, but for now we like looking at pictures of Nana & Granddad, Shea, Ruby, Auntie and Uncle in Florida - and you love chatting with Nana on the phone.

xoxo, mama & daddy