What's Going On With Ben?

is what you may be asking, since I did a Rachel update a few weeks ago and haven't posted anything on Ben lately. In a word: Biting.

Well, biting and hair-pulling. I've started to put Ben into time out in his crib when he does either. Today he's been in his crib 3 times for biting. He's been teething, but he bites *really* hard sometimes, and Rachel was never a biter like this. She did it once. He's done it A LOT. At least he's so far only bitten his immediate family. The hair-pulling needs to stop, too. He'll grab on and come away with a dozen or more hairs. I'm hoping both are part of a phase he outgrows soon.

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On the flip side, today after his 3rd time out, I took him out of his crib and told him "I love you, but no biting. It hurts." Then I asked him for a kiss instead. He balked for a second, but then he leaned into me with a big, open slobbery mouth and gave me a kiss. He pulled back and I thanked him, and he pursed his lips and gave me another kiss. In his first year, he would sometimes give me big wet kisses, but he's been kind of shy about that for probably 6 months, so that was quite the sweet surprise!

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He's definitely showing more comprehension of language. He responds to things I say and can clearly understand the meanings, although he's been stubborn about actually *using* words. Sometimes he'll say a word a few times, then he won't use it again for months, like he's just teasing us. "I know I can say it, and you know I know I can say it, but I'm only going to say it when I feel like it." We're anxious for him to use more words so that he can communicate his needs with us better and find himself frustrated less frequently. We know that will come, but it's hard to be patient.

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Teething is taking an eternity. At 17 months, he still has just 8 teeth, and each one is a traumatic occurrence. Each tooth seems to take forever and bring with it so much pain. I wish it wasn't so hard on him and am looking forward to the day that teething is over! Poor little guy.

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Ben tried peanut butter for the first time today, and it was a big hit! His hands were an absolute mess afterward and he needs a hair washing, but it's nice to be able to add another protein option to his diet. No symptoms of an allergy. He hasn't been allergic to other foods previously, although he did have digestive problems with some as an infant.

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We went to Yakima over the weekend to visit James' grandma, and Ben is still not an easy traveler. He fussed for much of the drive to Yakima, although he blissfully slept for quite a bit of the drive back. He also slept fitfully while we were there, although that may have at least partially have been because the thermostat was set at 74 degrees for most of the time we were there. HOLY COW, it's hard to sleep when it's that warm.

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Ben loves making noises and imitating things - a soda can opening, the ding of a timer, somebody howling like a hound dog or wolf - it doesn't really matter. If it's an interesting noise, it catches his attention and he tries to copy it. He's really good at some of the sounds, too. I'm working with him on animal noises. He likes mooing like a cow and he's great at roaring like a little lion cub.