Benjamin the Baby

I thought before our new baby comes I should post a few pictures and say a few words about little Benjamin before he loses his place as baby of the family. I have a feeling the transition to big brother Benjamin is going to be a bit rough. He revels in the attention of being the youngest and even though he likes baby dolls and other people's babies I think he will feel differently when it is a baby that I am holding all the time. We have a "big brother" t-shirt all ready for him to wear but I doubt that will soften the blow much.
Anyway, here are some things that 22-month-old Benjamin loves to do.
Benjamin wants to be a helper. There is nothing that gives him more joy than sorting silverware into the drawer or "helping" Daddy sweep the floor with his toy broom. Other chores he helps with include putting dishes in the sink (you have to be careful with this one, he broke a plate), taking diapers to the trash on the back porch, putting dirty clothes in the laundry chute and putting toys away.
As mentioned in the previous post, Benjamin loves to have his picture taken. Here is a self-selected pose complete with the "Cheese!" smile.

Benjamin loves to sing. His favorite at present is "Baa Baa Black Sheep". He is great with tunes, but you can usually understand only a few of the lyrics. He also sings ABCs, the chorus to Angels We Have Heard on High (the ohs), the theme to Elmo's World, and a rendition of Barabara Ann as sung by the minions which he calls "BaNaNa". We love that he sings, except when he occasionally sings really loudly in church.
Benjamin also loves to dress up- if it's his own idea. In these pictures he is stylin' in some hats and glasses the older boys brought home from a Michael Jackson themed birthday party.

 

We are blessed to have yet another book addict in the family. He would be happy if someone just sat on the couch and read to him all day. Favorites are Pigeon books, Go Dog Go, Maisy books, anything by Mercer Mayer and a board book called "To Market, To Market". I like to stop reading every once in a while and hear him fill in some of the words. I also enjoy watching him read to himself and occasionally saying some words out loud that are associated with a certain page.

Benjamin loves to be silly. He loves to surprise or be tickled and he finds his brothers' antics hysterical. Apparently, his tendency to silliness extends to when he is asleep. We are always finding him in amusing positions when we check on him at night.

We love you, baby Benjamin and we will love big brother Benjamin just as much.