June 10, 2008
18 months of Ben
Dear Ben,
You are 18 months now! and don't look a day over 12 months.. Really. You don't. It is unbearably cute.
The biggest news I have is that you are a guitar player! We noticed long ago that whenever we would see a street musician you would stop whatever you were doing and plunk on the ground at their feet, staring in total amazement. Sometimes they were terrible, but you didn't care. You could sit there for hours.
The other day someone let you play their ukulele and you were in pure heaven, immediately laying it on your lap and plucking away. You cried and cried when they took it back and ever since then you have been trying to play the mop, your push toys, the rake and the broom. You have been pretty much air guitaring all over the house!
The video above is of you playing the ukulele we got you. You strummed and sang and carried it around with you all day. I think it must run in the family because when dada was little he made a guitar out of cardboard and carried that around playing air guitar too. The sad news is that you broke your ukulele three times that first day. I think the thing is toast. We glued it with super glue over and over but it can't withstand your rockstar ways. I think we need to get a plastic one. Anyone out there have one? or know of any good ones?
Anyway, I could tell you about all the words you say, Gato, agua, dada, mama, owl, apple, out, up, yellow, ball, etc, I could tell you about how you carjack the other kids at the park. (Yes, it's pretty much as bad as it sounds.) You stop their car, grab them by the their t-shirt and escort them out of the vehicle. Before they know what him them, you are in and off! We're working on that.
Oh, and I think your biting phase might be over. You were experimenting with that for the last week or so, getting spazzy and biting me, the babysitter, your dad. We kept stopping you and saying "No!" very firmly, but it didn't help. What did help was when you absentmindedly bit your very own foot and screamed and cried because it turns out you bit down pretty hard. I saw the teeth marks.
You haven't done any biting since.
But what I really want to say is that I admire you.
I admire you for how much you love the world and the people in it.
I admire you for how unafraid you are, how curious you are and how much you want to learn.
I admire you for how clear you are about what you want and that you are willing to ask for it even if you don't always get it.
I admire you for how honest you are with your love, your affection, and your joy.
I admire you for your joy
and how you know that moment by moment things can be different.
I admire you for how quickly you forgive,
and forget.
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Posted by: epighru fzdnxgpb at July 30, 2008 11:48 AMhi,
i clicked on over from boho's blog and i was sooooo with you thru this whole time reading these posts....i was feeeelin the investment in myself and feelin the mommy blogging - then when you started writing about how much you admire your Ben, you got me
POW!
right in the kisser
:0]
i'm all cryin' but happy
remember that Donna Summer's song about how she was feeeelin' love?
THAT.
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Posted by: itjchbo forxn at June 18, 2008 09:51 AMWhat a whole lot of cuteness...
Posted by: kathleen mcghee at June 16, 2008 01:31 PMthis is a beautiful post...i was laughing out loud! thank you :)
Posted by: meldee at June 15, 2008 06:17 PMDon't worry about him smashing his ukulele. He's obviously a passionate musician. Hey, look at Pete Townshend. He smashed an untold number of guitars and look where it got him!
Posted by: marky at June 14, 2008 07:06 PMBen is just too cute for words and look at all that beautiful hair!
Posted by: Leslie at June 13, 2008 11:15 AMthis is BEAUTIFUL... i only hope i can write things like this to my kids... when i have them...
Posted by: Amber at June 12, 2008 04:57 PMmy completely crappy day just melted away watching this video.
so absolutely dear.
xoxo
jen
Love, love this video and post. My friend's little guy started playing the guitar at about Ben's age. He is now almost 4 and still very much into guitars, drums, music of all kinds. It's amazing to see how even very early they have their own interests. I also wanted to comment on how funny it is when kids are doing their own thing, and when you grab the camera they stop to watch you, and my own videos feature me encouraging my little one to pick back up and keep singing, laughing, carrying on in her own little way. But they always notice those darn cameras!
Posted by: Becky at June 12, 2008 02:55 PMThis is simply beautiful. It made me smile, laugh, sigh, and cry.
As a childless woman, it warms my heart to live somewhat vicariously through brave, loving, caring, authentic, amazing parents like you. I truly share in your joy.
Posted by: Lisa at June 12, 2008 05:54 AMOh my gosh he is so cute. You have a little star on your hands. What a great video. He will love that when he is older.
Posted by: Jennifer at June 11, 2008 09:14 PMHow adorable! Ben is great! My son will be 18 months next week and he's a drummer. Since we live in the same area, maybe they'll run into each other when they're older and form a band. Isn't it wonderful to watch them learn about their world and to see the pure joy in them? I love it. Thanks for sharing. :)
Posted by: Nancy at June 11, 2008 09:00 PMHA! I love how he tosses it aside when he's done!! Such a cutie...
Posted by: Swirly at June 11, 2008 07:42 PMthese are all the things i admire about YOU!
Posted by: Catherine at June 11, 2008 12:48 PMHappy 18-month birthday to Ben. I loved this post. Sorry to have no ideas on where to get him a ukelele that will withstand his rockstar tendencies, but I just love that you want to find one. He is blessed with the Mum he got!
Posted by: Imelda/GreenishLady at June 11, 2008 12:31 PMI love how he throws it down at the end! True rock star you got there! You've got to teach him to say at the end, "I've got blisters on my fingers!"
Posted by: amy j. at June 11, 2008 08:53 AMI don't know about plastic, but my housemate (the fabulous Gemma G of the Wellington International Ukelele Orchestra) used to have a steel ukulele. I don't think even the most wild, rock-star 18 mth old could break that one, and they are much better than plastic for smashing up the room in true rock star style. Not that I like to encourage my friend's children to smash up the room rock star style. Not often anyway.
Posted by: Frida at June 11, 2008 06:38 AMoh ben. i can hear the music maker in you!
what a wonderful video andrea! and such a sweet ode to ben. i hope your next 18 months together as a family are full of as much growth beauty and learning as it sounds like the first 18 months have been!
Posted by: vivienne at June 11, 2008 12:15 AMhi andrea, i am an artist from germany and i follow your blog for quite a while. i really like it ! i love your photos, i like your reflections about life, i like the weekly questions and your boy is soooooooo cute !!! its always nice to see some news about him !
i run a blog, too, so if you are interested have a look at http://missesfree.blogspot.com
all the best, iris
Thank you! I needed that.
Posted by: Diana Kenney at June 10, 2008 09:05 PMhere are a few things i love about ben...
i love his slightly sun browned forearms,
i love that he carjacks other kids at the park because one of my twins does that and that means i am not alone.
i love that he sings along with his playing and sways slightly,
and i really love that his mama shares all the great things about him (and her) with us.
good work, mama. looks like really good work.
and if you find that plastic ukelele post about it, my (non carjacking twin) loves instruments, tries to play his uncle's really nice guitar when he sees it and already broke a harmonica. anything we get for him has to be tough.
smiles.
Posted by: mamie at June 10, 2008 07:47 PMhere are a few things i love about ben...
i love his slightly sun browned forearms,
i love that he carjacks other kids at the park because one of my twins does that and that means i am not alone.
i love that he sings along with his playing and sways slightly,
and i really love that his mama shares all the great things about him (and her) with us.
good work, mama. looks like really good work.
and if you find that plastic ukelele post about it, my (non carjacking twin) loves instruments, tries to play his uncle's really nice guitar when he sees it and already broke a harmonica. anything we get for him has to be tough.
smiles.
Posted by: mamie at June 10, 2008 07:45 PMBen is so lucky to have a mom like you! A mom who not only sees her child's truth but allows it, admires it, and celebrates it.
BTW, I decided to go ahead and register for SQUAM. I'm so excited! I think that having something so amazing to look forward to will do wonders for my soul. Thank you for being a part of it!
Posted by: emily at June 10, 2008 07:14 PMLucky, lucky...beautiful, gorgeous....family.
Swoooooon.
Posted by: Trisha at June 10, 2008 06:31 PMso beautiful. I lovethis post. You are an amazing mom.
Posted by: maile at June 10, 2008 05:17 PMSo glad you're documenting the beginnings of his musical life. It'll be rich content to see later, you know, after he's the new Ben Harper or somebody cool.
Fantastic portrait.
This boy has already known more love from you and Matt than most humans have been given who ever have walked the earth. Great job!
Posted by: Shelley Noble at June 10, 2008 04:49 PMHappy 18 months, Ben! Rock on! I'll be waiting for that Weepies cover.
Andrea,it sounds like you admire in your Ben some of the same things I admire in my Vivian...isn't it lovely to stop and think about about what we love in our children and what they are teaching us?
Posted by: hannah m at June 10, 2008 04:48 PMthat video is so sweet. happy 18 months ben.
Posted by: Jen b at June 10, 2008 04:47 PMthis is beautiful. as is ben. and he's still pretty darn cute for an 18 month old ;)
Posted by: Silvia at June 10, 2008 03:57 PMHe's beautiful.
Posted by: blackbird at June 10, 2008 03:12 PMwonderful things to remember in our own lives. "Willing to ask even if you don't get it"
Posted by: alex at June 10, 2008 01:52 PMAnd, what I'd like to tell your mom Ben is how much we admire her for how in love she is with the world and how she shares that love with us through her own unique sense of creativity.
Posted by: sheshe at June 10, 2008 01:14 PMOh my goodness, that is just TOO CUTE!
I like when I see parents pay attention to their kids' natural inclinations and nurture them--okay, not the biting sort of natural inclinations, but you know what I mean--rather than ignoring them and trying to shape the kid into something else. Bravo to you.
Posted by: W. Lotus at June 10, 2008 01:12 PM