Learning the word "no"!

So, the most hilarious part of the last 2 days for me is that Ben knows what he is not supposed to get into and figures that no one should be allowed in those areas! For example, he is not allowed in the desk drawers, so any time he even places a hand on the drawer handles we tell him no or stop. Well, as I'm going through papers, cleaning, etc, I occasionally need to get into the desk. Ben comes running from where ever he may be with his finger pointing at me, arm waving in the air and a very serious look on his face while yelling "no, no, no, no!" It's pretty cute. I guess it's time to start teaching him that there are things that Mom and Dad can do that he can't.

He's continuing to talk more and more every day! Some words that he is getting very good at include: shoes, socks, juice (although that sounds more like Jooo), Abby, Spongebob, please (actually VERY good at saying please and very clear), thank you (sounds more like dat-choo), feet, eyes, belly, and today a new word was popcorn.

Other discoveries this week include Ben finding his echo. Sounds cute doesn't it? Well, not in the middle of Home Depot! He was very pleased with himself but I was a little embarrassed. He also realized he can hear his echo in our garage so now I have him screaming with excitement every time we are heading for the car or into the house. I'm starting to lose hearing in my left ear!

He is extremely good at puzzles and continues to yell "I did it" after every successful assembly. His other favorite activity is reading his books. He's just starving for us to read to him constantly! A VERY smart kid! He is also 100% accurate in pointing out body parts. I tried to catch that on video but he just kept pointing to my eyes, mouth, etc.

We did spend one night at the pediatricians this week. Ben broke out in another rash! His skin is more sensitive than mine. He was at his babysitters and she called me very concerned and felt I should take him in. His doctor was not concerned. She seems to think it may be the tail end of that virus and just give him some Benadryl or children's Zyrtec. The rash has sort of come and gone throughout the week. Not bad at all. I gave him the Benadryl a couple times and it really made him groggy. Not a bad thing at night, but during the day I don't like it. So, she recommended trying the Children's Zyrtec (or the store brand rather since there was a Zyrtec recall!). I gave him the first dose today so we'll see. You may even be able to see a welt on his lip in the videos. It's just always something with a 17month old, huh!?!

Oh, one last thing, he is addicted to brushing his teeth! Not a bad addiction to have except I can't get him out of the bathroom and he can't be in there alone! More on that later....I think that's enough for now!

All in all, continues to be a great kid! We're having a ton of fun! This weekend is supposed to be sunny and hot so hopefully we'll get some good outdoor times and pictures!