Benjamin Michael Singer -- Fifteen Months!

Wow, it's been more than two months since I've gotten to update this webpage! Let's see here. Benjamin had his fifteen-month pediatrician appointment last week, and was pronounced healthy in all respects. 33 inches tall and a bit less than 26 pounds, tall for his age but no longer out of the ordinary in terms of weight. And now he's had the last set of vaccinations he needs until he turns four years old, which makes him very happy.

With the coming of warm weather, and Benjamin having ear tubes, he's been much healthier. And he's now crawling all over the place, crawling up and down stairs, pulling himself up on furniture, and trying to take steps. Life is better now that he can both pull himself up and lower himself down. He's into everything. All cupboards within reach now have cabinet latches on them! What's in the refrigerator is much more interesting than all those toys and stuffed animals. He always has to be underfoot, where mommy and daddy are, and is being a bit "clutchy" this week, a bit of separation anxiety. The whole world is so interesting to explore and taste and touch and see. Benjamin has a few words now: "mama," "daddy," "ball," and "all done!" The last is followed by him flinging all the food off of his tray and dropping it on the floor in case you didn't get his first message...

Benjamin's not taking bottles any more either, just drinking milk and water out of sippy-cups or through straws. The new bedtime routine involves reading books, and, true to his family, he loves it! Sandra Boynton, Dr. Seuss, "Goodnight Moon," and many others are sitting in his room and he eagerly grabs them to read every night. (Occasionally he has a problem with a word or two and has to look it up in the dictionary...!) Melissa is enjoying getting him board books from the library every couple of weeks now that he isn't eating the edges off!

We've taken him to our neighborhood pool a few times. Sometimes Benjamin loves the water and dives right in, and tries swallowing it (that's me fishing him out in a picture below); sometimes he'd rather watch other people and crawl around the pool rim. We have the headband on to keep the earplugs in, no water in the ears with those ear tubes!

We aren't taking quite as many pictures because we're running after him and cleaning up more! (See the messy-floor picture...) We went to Chicago at the end of May, to visit Joel's sister Rachel and nephew Jake, and Joel's parents Gary and Mary also converged in the Midwest. Jake and Benjamin got to know each other and play together some. Then we flew to Boston for Melissa's 10-year Wellesley college reunion. Benjamin got to meet several more of Melissa's college friends, including a few other toddlers there, but it was really really hot the entire weekend -- he spent a lot of it crawling around the air-conditioned library! Finally, we drove to Columbus last weekend for friends Max and Diane's wedding. Benjamin looked great in a couple of new outfits and enjoyed pulling himself up on the king-sized hotel bed!

This weekend Melissa's parents, Lucia and Jack, are visiting. Next week we'll be visiting all our friends in California, to attend Julie and Eoin's wedding in San Jose. Put away your breakables, because Benjamin will find them!