11 January 2011

b is for jenji.



a few of his/my favorite things.

picking out his own treats. he's in heaven searching through cupboards. craisins and clementines are the new after-nap fave. p.s. what happens when they stop taking naps?! pushing his step stool to any light switch to turn it on. (he'd push it for miles if he had to, he loves flipping lights and doing little tasks around the house!) rummaging through my mac eyeshadows and rolling them along the bathroom floor like they are wheels. when something funny happens he comments, funn-eee. i love that he gets what humor is. and how, at bedtime, he always grabs two or three books after i say we're all done and he titles each of them, the last book. he loves to push the limit with extra stories. luckily he is cute enough, i always give in.

i said 'you're welcome' after he said thank you the other day and now you're welcome has become his go-to phrase. i hand him a plate of food or snuggle him in his blanket and i hear, you're welcome. i try to teach him, now you say, thank you and he continues to reply, you're welcome. it's our polite banter, which feels like monkey business. but oh, how he is learning to talk! yay. benji knows his a,b,c's and 1,2,3's. his voice is so cute as he rattles them off. he puts his own spin on things. everytime we count to ten, seven somehow becomes seventeen. and he always says B is for Jenji! so proud of his accomplishments, never shying away from praise! i love hearing him repeat, good boy or good job to himself. (if only we could all be so self-affirming!) somehow he knows to turn a number six upside down and it makes a nine and the letter m turns into a w. i marvel at the little discoveries he unveils.

my favorite thing in the world is how we do something once and he remembers it and recalls it at just the right moments to make me laugh. he lost a toy a few weeks ago and i told him we could go on a hunt for it. we roamed around the house saying, fire truck, where are you? now, every morning when he wakes up bright and early, i hear.. mom / daddy, whe' ah you?!

he has happy conversations about his train engines; toby, charlie, thomas and percy. they could be his siblings and he couldn't love them more. when we're at home, he loves pulling on my legs (or apron) until i am in exactly the spot he would like me to be and we play bus or racetrack or choo choos or puzzles together. however if i pick up a book to browse, he notices. he'll not-so-subtly settle himself on my lap to ensure all eyes on him, please. however when we're at barnes and noble and he's playing around and it's time to go.. he'll cajole me back into my chair and hand me my magazine and say read, read. begging for a little longer. oh, the clever mind of a toddler.

he especially loves when the whole fam is wrestling and dancing and having a hoedown in the living room after daddy comes home. it's a hullaballoo party and dad can always energize us after a long day of toddler-isms. he puts the smiles right back on our faces after a particularly tough day. then benji will announce–i love his litttle voice–familee hug. we then smush him into a benji sandwich. massive giggling and then, again, again!


23 comments:

Suzanna said...

This post brought a smile to my face, and made me wish for the days to come when I'm a mommy. :)

Heather MK said...

So cute, truly! I have a 3-month-old babe and I cannot wait for all of the talking/dancing/cajoling/learning/growing. It seems like each stage is yet another magical place in time... so glad you are enjoying it!

chris said...

Whoever coined the phrase "terrible twos" was mistaken. I love two year olds, and am reveling in mine right now, too. I won't say the same for three, but four is delightful.

sunny said...

What a cute boy!! Love these stories about him!


(Are you in a rental? Seems you and I have the same stove with microwave on top AND the same towel hanging on the oven door.) :)

Vanessa Rae said...

He is growing so fast Marta! My son is SO into Thomas & Friends right now and making his own track is his favorite hobby. We've rented books out from the library for bedtime reads, a lifesaver!

Heather Scott Partington said...

jenji.... aw! My favorite things to remember are the sweet mispronunciations of words. I was so sad when those started to fade!

debby said...

when they won't nap anymore (i am entering that phase and lamenting the lack of my productive time), quiet time is a must in my book. time in their room to read, play quietly, whatever they want, but it has to be quiet and it has to be in their room. we grew up with this and now that i am a mother myself, i realize why my mom insisted on it. it is a time for them to wind down a little each day.

Julie said...

Sort of random, but I think we have the same stove! :)

Travelin'Oma said...

You'll always remember Jenji speak. We still use all the cute 2-year-old phrases from our kids of long ago. He's a doll!

Marisa said...

When they stop napping, life as you know it will end. I miss my 2-3 hr alone time. But we do have more craft time together, which is good, and he goes to bed earlier, which is very good. I agree, quiet time is helpful, but it's just not the same...

Hang on to those naps! :)

Ali said...

thats so cute! love the whe' ah you?! my little nephew who is 26months says a similar thing when looking for things but says, whe ar ooo? and especially to his 'b' his bear/blanket he carries everywhere!!

Sarah said...

So cute. Lou has some of the same favorites. Only she says, "Tank You! Yelcome!"-- almost as if it is one phrase.

Cat said...

my son is now 5 and in school all day. on the week ends, he still naps and he can sleep for 2 hours, more if he's with papa-bear!
love that pic!

Jake said...

So dang cute, Min!! I have a photo of Jake at that age getting into the spice cupboard, too. Enjoy.

carrie said...

Quiet time is a must, my twins just turned 4 and yes the long 2-3 hour naps are over but now we do an hour to hour and a half quiet time in their room. I keep a laundry basket full of things just for quiet time. Then when they are up it's quiet crafting time together which has become such a sweet time.

He's getting so big! Thankyou for sharing your family with us.

Ginnie said...

Such a cute little stink! I have a picture that's very similar to this... except I had knives left on the counter. No worries though, Macie somehow managed to climb up and down completely unscathed. ;)

summer said...

thinking about the jump that "jenji" has made from baby to boy to clever-toddler-who-knows-about-humor... i am in awe. how!? growing is such a mysterious thing. (of course i've been into your archives recently, studying up on being a mom, and saw his baby pictures just yesterday... that probably has something to do with it.) his chatter must be the cutest. thing. ever. did your relationship just get even more exciting? you guys must have fun talks in the car. (it always seems like the car is the place for true talking.) oh happy days.

Laura said...

LOVE these stories! It takes me back- haven't had a toddler in awhile. Enjoy these days and write down all the funny things he says and does. My boys are 9 and 11 now and they love hearing stories about when they were little.
Thanks for sharing!

anya said...

love, love this. time flies too fast... let's enjoy our crazy toddlers!

Hannah Blair said...

I don't have any children. Actually, I'm not even married (I won't say far from engaged though..eeks!), however, when I do (marry) & start thinking of becoming a mommy, I so hope my experiences read like yours. Having a little Benji must be so special..and fun :0) Thanks, Marta for sharing all you do.

Abby said...

Cute picture, and I love this post. I think your Benji posts are my favorite!

Rachel said...

Your Benji posts are my fav's also!... my son is the same age as yours, and it's always nice to hear their quirks put into pleasant stories. I should write about my little guy also... to help my outlook for tomorrow start fresh! Thanks.

Relyn Lawson said...

You are going to be so very happy you took the time to record all these little,happy things. It's the little things that make a life, after all.

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