Benjamin is my second son and youngest child. Until the moment I met Ben, I was terrified to have a second child. I had no idea how I could love a second child as much as I loved my first. Perhaps I was so anxious about my ability to love another baby because I am an only child, or perhaps because I had just loved Jake so much that I didn't know there was room left in my heart to make way for another child. Regardless, all of that silly worry was washed aside when I finally got to hold Ben. It turns out that you do not possess a certain amount of love, but instead you possess a certain ability to love, and the amount multiples as you let it.
It's hard to tell just who Benjamin will be when he grows older. To present date, Ben has a very soothing personality. He is a relentless optimist. Benjamin says at least once each day that, "this is the greatest day ever" or "this is the greatest day of [his] life". Ben loves fun. Ben loves to joke and is quick to smile. Don't let his smile fool you, though... he's very free thinking and mischievous. People seem naturally drawn to Ben's face, particularly his always happy smile, and it's that pure happiness that seems to make him very photogenic. Ben loves his big brother, and loves to make new friends. Ben loves to play, sing and dance. At the end of the day, Ben is most content when he is being loved and cuddled, and loving and cuddling you. Ben is the type of child that makes you want to have many more children....
Just as with Jake, I could fill pages and pages detailing the special moments I've encountered to date with Benjamin, but I haven't the time or electronic capacity to unload that all at this time. So, I will start with today and move forward from this point.
Today Ben has been a comedian. All day long, Ben has been telling Knock-knock jokes. Most of them do not make sense, but so long as he gets one silly look or laugh, he seems to be content with his ability to do stand up and improv. The most popular knock-knock joke of the day seems to include "Nathan", and no one in the house can seem to figure out why....
Ben: "Knock Knock"
me: "Who's there?"
Ben: "Nathan"
me: "Nathan who?"
Ben: "um.... Nathan the kitty kat. HAHAHAHAHAHAH"
me: (small giggle) "Um, that's just silly, Mister Benjamin"
Ben: "yep! It's a silly joke, MAMA!"
For the record, today was also the greatest day of Benjamin's whole life! It turns out that Benjamin is water baby, and so he was thrilled to go the public pool today. He has no fear, rushes right into the wading pool till the water is up around his ears, checks out each aspect of play the pool and grounds have to offer... and is most excited when the entire family slides down the water slide for his amusement. He is also very anxious and excited to go to see the fireworks later tonight. So, apparently today, pool+fireworks = BEST DAY EVER!
I sure hope tomorrow is also the best day of Benjamin's life, as well.....
Jacob is my oldest son. Before I met him, I had no real idea that I wanted to be a mother. The moment I met him, I knew there was nothing in the world that would be more important to me. It would take many pages and hours to recant all the wonderful things that have transgressed during our time together, and I regret not having started this much earlier, but I suppose this is better late than never.
Though Jake is obviously very young yet and will take years to become who he will be, he has made many aspects of his core personality very clear already. Jake is extremely intelligent. He has both a strong rote memory and a knack for comprehension, so he picks concepts up quickly and never forgets them. He's a very strong student, though sometimes he feels that he is more socially awkward. (Please note his teachers seem to think that everyone wishes to be his friend, and Jake is his own worst critic.) He is a very critical thinker, and sometimes that does not lend itself to being very accepting of new things that he doesn't agree with or understand. However, rest assured that if he finds the truth in you to be favorable, he will love you unabashedly. Jake is more recently establishing that he is very sentimental, which isn't surprising considering he never forgets even the smallest, seemingly insignificant moments. Jake is also learning to be very empathetic. He works very hard to put himself in the metaphorical shoes of others, and he feels their hurting and their joys with them when he can. Mostly, Jake strives to make his world fair. He shares his toys, his candy, his thoughts... He is honest even to the point of jeopardizing his own well being. Overall, he is a very amazing person already at the early age of 7.
Now getting back to current times...
Last night, I watched Alice in Wonderland with the kids. (Unfortunately, it was not the awesome Disney cartoon version, rather a newer version with Martin Short and Whoopie Goldberg in it... kids seem to have better attention spans when animation is involved...) I recall watching this story several times when I was younger, and I almost always felt confused and uncomfortable in the middle of the movie. I never really grasped the point of the show.When the show was over, it was bed time and so Jake and I discussed the movie as I was settling Ben into bed. Jake, to my surprise, called the ending right from the beginning. He knew that Alice was hiding to avoid singing to her guests, and he realized that she had fallen asleep, and that accounted for the very strange happenings in Wonderland. He picked up on the fact that much of the scenery was based on items they had showed in Alice's house and bedroom. Most importantly, he realized that all the character interaction that took place in Wonderland needed to happen to help Alice feel brave and confident. I was so impressed that he comprehended so much out of such a complex fanciful, nearly distracting show.
As Jake was falling to sleep himself, he questioned if there was another movie of Alice in Wonderland. I enlightened him that in fact, there was a much more recently released Alice in Wonderland movie, but the story was written in the 1800s and has been done many times in many different ways. I told him also that I had read a book that was based on the story of Alice in Wonderland. After much consideration, Jake decided that he could relate to Alice because, like Alice, he finds himself nervous to speak and sing in front of people. Jake decided that one day, he would re-write the story from a boys point of view, so that readers could understand the main ideas, but could live without all the flowers and dresses that the movies are known for. He decided he would call his book "Madden in Wonderland", because that would be more masculine. He also confided that he wishes to be more like his father. He actually said, "I want to be more like Daddy. He is really well liked by everyone." At that point, Jake and I spent a little time talking about the reasons people like Daddy so much, and I reassured him that he is a well liked boy also. Jake quickly drifted to sleep... and I felt like a very proud mother, watching his innocent face, knowing that he has such a complex and well developed mind behind that young mask. I simply can't wait to read his future adaption of a classic story.
