We had a few friends over Saturday night. Ben had a blast playing with his buddies. He got great enjoyment from teaching Michael to jump from the bottom step of our stairs onto the floor!
Yesterday when I got home from work with Ben, he initially went outside to play. When I went out to check on him (ah, the luxuries of an enclosed backyard!), this is how I found him:
He's in the "garage" under the deck -- space built for toy storage that is just the right size for Ben to stand up in! He wasn't at all concerned that he couldn't get his car out until I asked if he wanted to get it out -- up until that he was content to just sit there!Then he came inside. He went upstairs and came down with his pillow. He told us he was tired, and laid down on the dining room floor with the pillow. Then he got up and went back upstairs, coming down this time with his blankie. Then he laid down on the floor at the foot of the stairs. I encouraged him to lay down on the couch where he'd be more comfortable. Through all of this he continued to tell us how tired he was and how he just needed a nap. When Andy took his photo he feigned sleep. He ultimately moved from the love seat over to the couch where he bummed with Andy. Then he decided to play, after all. After dinner he was bummy with me too -- such a nice thing for him to do.
Andy had a great story from this morning. Ben asked him, "Do you see those drawers over there?" Andy asked, "Which ones? The gree ones or the wood ones?" His reply:"The wood ones. And the green ones. If Milo was here he would come out of them. He would come out of the TV and say 'boo' at us. But he doesn't say 'boo,' he says 'meow' to say 'hello.'"
Profound thoughts from our little man!
He also says somethings that tend to give you pause. As I was putting his sandals on this morning, he threw his arms around my neck, squeezed, and said, "Mommy, I love you." I returned the sentiment. Then he said, "Mommy, do you remember Jake?" I told him, "Yes, I do Ben." He then told me, "We miss Jake. And sometimes, we cry about it." He sounded very forlorn. I reassured him that it's okay to do that, but that we also need to remember the happy times we had with Jake. Then he said, "Yeah, and soon I'll have a new baby brother, and he can teach Max all kinds of things." Of course, I told him he and Max would probably be teaching his brother things, not the other way around.
It is both comforting and heartbreaking to know how often Ben still thinks of his brother, and misses him. He truly is an amazing boy, especially for having been just shy of two when his brother was lost to us, and for over ten months having past since. He truly is a little hero.
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