Before his recent dramatic escapades Jimmy reached 4 months!

Jimmy is 4 months old and Ben is 29 (that was a difficult calculation for me.) 

Ben is addicted to Kung Fu Panda and Hotel Transylvania and can recite Dr. Seuss's "The Tooth Book" pretty much by heart with a few key rhyming prompts.  He finally has all 20 of his teeth and brushing them is only a disaster three days a week now.  He is a kid who needs a routine and if that is disrupted we pay the price.  He likes to go to school and when you ask what he does there it is the same every day "Played with Friends"  He loves to go outside and has made friends with the neighbor kiddos and has been invited to pay with them sometimes too.  He LOVES to help cook, if I am in the kitchen he screams/whines for his stool so that he can reach the counter to help stir things, or pour things into bowls, or arrange on pans.  His eating is completely fickle, some days he clears his plate and asks for seconds and given the same exact meal a week later won't touch it.  We finally got him to stop using the pacifier except in his crib, and that is where it resides during the day.  If he is having a rough moment I sometimes find him hiding in his tent in his room sucking on his pacifier but he never brings it out into the living room.  He likes Legos and trains but more than anything dinosaurs.  His dinosaurs interact with his Batmans quite well usually all running from dragons.  He has less than zero interest in potty training, but he knows that if he does it he gets an M&M.  He is incredibly independent and wants to do stuff by himself - don't ever pour his cereal, the day WILL be ruined.  You have to read his mind to know if he wants his waffle whole or cut up and again, if you do not choose wisely, your day WILL be ruined.  He has memories!  It is funny, he will be doing something and he remembers that he got a snack in that particular spot or that he had fun and will tell you.  I just think it is amazing to see him be a real person and not just a little parrot, although that is fun too, especially today when I heard "dammit" echoing from the living room.

Jimmy has fully discovered his hands and feet. He always chewed on his hands and would grab at things but now it seems much more deliberate.  He is showing a very strong interest in food, he reaches for our plates and if you eat with him on your lap he opens his mouth as you bring your food to your mouth.  He is really close to rolling from back to front, he gets to his side then gives up attempting to whip that 18 lb 9 oz frame over.  He is 27 inches tall and his head is equally as huge.  he's a big boy.  He laughs frequently and just prior to our latest illness was sleeping solid 8-10 hour stretches.  He is a complete cuddle bug and a delight.