Sometime in the last 8 years the little baby we called Benjamin Bunny grew up and I'm amazed at the boy he has become. On Sunday Ben received his First Communion and over the last few days I have taken a few moments to just stop and watch him. My how he has changed.
When he was born, Ben was a serious baby who used to stop and take in the world. Noah on the other hand was always giggling and silly and squinty-eyed smiling. By contrast, Ben's somber demeanor took me aback. I remember once seeing him playing in his exersaucer and when I pulled out the video camera he immediately stopped playing and sat and stared at me holding the camera. I have a good 5 to 7 minutes of video of a drooling baby staring at me while I try to encourage him to laugh and smile and play. I should have realized then that Ben does only what he wants to do, not what others want him to do.
Ben has always had a soft spot for stuffed animals, and names and treasures every single one. His favorite though is Monkey, a small beanie baby sized zebra he has had since he was a newborn. Ben has literally loved Monkey so much he is nearly disintegrating, his velour fabric almost see-through now and his head wobbly and limp. Every few months I gently hand wash Monkey in woolite and Ben makes a bed of towels for him on his nightstand to dry. We have talked about the eventual passing of Monkey and the conversations never go well. Ben just swells with sadness at the thought and his eyes fill up.
When he was born, Ben was a serious baby who used to stop and take in the world. Noah on the other hand was always giggling and silly and squinty-eyed smiling. By contrast, Ben's somber demeanor took me aback. I remember once seeing him playing in his exersaucer and when I pulled out the video camera he immediately stopped playing and sat and stared at me holding the camera. I have a good 5 to 7 minutes of video of a drooling baby staring at me while I try to encourage him to laugh and smile and play. I should have realized then that Ben does only what he wants to do, not what others want him to do.
Ben has always had a soft spot for stuffed animals, and names and treasures every single one. His favorite though is Monkey, a small beanie baby sized zebra he has had since he was a newborn. Ben has literally loved Monkey so much he is nearly disintegrating, his velour fabric almost see-through now and his head wobbly and limp. Every few months I gently hand wash Monkey in woolite and Ben makes a bed of towels for him on his nightstand to dry. We have talked about the eventual passing of Monkey and the conversations never go well. Ben just swells with sadness at the thought and his eyes fill up.
Ben is a rule follower and he likes lists. He likes puzzles, origami, sudoku, classical and jazz. Electronic gadgets are his new favorite thing... he loves to sit on Jason's lap and play with Jason's new ipod touch. He loves amusement parks and can tell you all about Walt Disney and the history of Walt Disney World, and his favorite computer game is one where you build a virtual park. He's bright, handsome and loving, and determined to be his own person.
When did all that happen?? Eight short years. What will he be like in another eight?
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