Benjamin 2 years

2 years has flown by and Benjamin is changing so much every day these days.  He talks non-stop and is starting to be able to tell us what he wants and needs.  He is a very happy boy who loves to laugh and play.  He has also become quite a teaser and will do or say things to make us laugh...then he will laugh right afterwards too!  We love watching him grow and learn new things.  His smile and laughter is contagious and he has all three of us laughing multiple times a day.

Benjamin continues to enjoy daycare with Margit.  He can say all of his "friends" names, but his favorite is by far "Isak".   Sometimes he just goes around saying/yelling "Isak, Margit"  "Isak, Margit"  Isak and his family also go to our church, and he loudly pronounces Isak's name every time we see him...also during the quiet times!

Benjamin has been to a lot of Dr. appointments this past year.  Both for his hips and for his ears.  At the moment everything is looking just fine.  The hip specialist has said that things are on track but that things aren't 100% yet, so we will go back for a follow up check in October.  As for his ears, he is on his 3rd set of tubes and these ones have held for almost 3 months, so we are hoping that it continues.  He hasn't seemed to have any infections since the last set was put in, so we are encouraged.

As for sleeping, well our dear Benjamin is now sleeping through the night, without little parties.  He sleeps around 7:15 pm and insists on getting up around 5:15-5:45am.  We think it is still a bit early, but we try to remind ourselves that at least we aren't up with a crying boy for 2 hours every night anymore.  At 5:15 he is completely awake and no amount of coaxing can get him to sleep again.  Luckily he usually in a great mood and will play happily and/or watch some cartoons on our lap.  We take turns with the early morning shift and it seems to work for now.

Here is a list of some of the other things that Benjamin is doing right now.

1) He calls himself two different names "Benmin" (Benmean) and "Benji"

2) He calls Silas "Sitah"

3) He loves to help set the table.  Even when Søren is gone, he has to set a place setting for him.  He absolutely insists on it

4) Says many words in both languages...right after each other.  F. eks.  "bord, tableee"

5) He laughs when I pray the Our Father with him at night time.  He laughs through the whole thing.

6) He needs to be rocked to sleep for his afternoon naps in his carriage.  We used to be able to just walk away from him, but now he wants us to gently rock him.  It only ever takes max 5 minutes, so we are just doing it.

7) Silas and Benjamin are beginning to play more together.  They like to chase each other, play with the train, build Lego towers, scream back and forth at each other, and run after balls in the hallway.  They can both really bother each other, but now there are also times when they are having fun together and it is so amazing to watch!

8) He yells EVERYTHING.  There are very few words he ever says in just a regular voice.  Most things have to be yelled.  The loudest word though is "NEJ" and is often directed at Silas.

9) He can thread beads on a shoelace and also enjoys puzzles and sorting boxes.

10) He likes to climb on our Bobles (foam figures that you can make towers, etc out of) and then jump off of them onto the beanbag.

11) LOVES to play with his wooden train.  It is the first word he says when he wakes up in the morning and the first word he says when he gets home in the afternoon!

12) Enjoys taking all the DVDs out of the drawer and then sitting inside the drawer in his "boat"

13) He can with a fork and spoon by himself , for every meal.

14) If you ask him a question he responds with so much energy and excitement "ME!!".  Also if he is telling you something he wants and you guess what it is, he will squeal excitedly "YEAH" in response.   Ex:  B: Water   M: You want some water?  B: YEAH!!!!!

15) He is sure to tell you if he thinks something is fun.  He yells "Sjovt, fun"!!  And then "mere, mere"

16) He enjoys singing songs with movements and can't get enough saying "mere, mere" before the song is even done

17) TV and "IPam" are big hits.  They don't usually last more than 10-15 minutes, but he is quite persistent.  He is now getting better at accepting a "no".  But just recently he would through tantrums, and he had to start hiding the "IPam".

So those are some of the things I can think of right now.  Here are some pictures of this adorable, fun loving and independent boy!

PS: Here are some pictures from Benjamin's 2 year birthday party.  His Danish family and Godparents were there and we had a nice day with cake, games and lasagne!