Update on........everything??

I recently told a girlfriend my head feels like rainbow jello where the individual layers weren't allowed to set long enough and now all the colors are mixing together. With the end of swimming and the beginning of no naps, coupled with no more overtime pay that = no more help with house cleaning, getting my regular stuff done is a struggle.  I know it's a song as old as time and that all of us wish we had more time, it's just a transition that conflicts with my constant struggle to do less and simplify.  All that said, my days are filled with joy and I wouldn't trade my job for any other in the world.
In the midst of the chaos of late I find myself thinking, "I need to blog that," or "don't forget that." So, I log into blogger and make notes, and here, finally, is a little recap of some news of late.
Ben has gotten lots more daring in the food department in the last few months, particularly eating lots more meat. He's willing to try new things more frequently rather than reacting like we must be trying to poison him. Cucumbers now share the veggie  sort-of fruits stage with tomatoes which reminds me I need to research whether they have ANY nutritional value.
His favorite books the last few weeks are Go Dog Go, Love You Forever (I think he'll love this book forever) and 5 Little Monkeys. In most books he has a particularly favorite page and will insist you read the same page over and over as long as you will. Mom and Dad's bed is still the preferred reading spot with interruptions for "sleep Mommy, (insert snore noise here,)" so he can also rest with Jelly or jump on the bed undetected. :)

One day last week I heard Ben crashing things in the tub and caught him playing away as if it was filled with water.  His pretend play and mimicking is really developing and is so fun to watch.  Of course by the time I grabbed the camera. :(

As his vocabulary blossoms, he spends more time telling stories and recounting things that shock us.  He was particularly chatty last night and I quipped to Ryan, "Why were we so worried about his talking?" We are now discovering that any lasting issues in the speech department will be with pronunciation but likely not overall communication or vocabulary.  His speech therapist said he's made more progress faster than any kid who started in a similar place and she's not at all worried about him.  We're working mostly on clarifying functional phrases so he can get his needs met when he's not with me.  We've all concurred that people who aren't with him everyday only know about 50% of what he says.
His school will continue with two mornings a week over the summer.  Next fall's schedule will be determined after another speech evaluation in June or July. We going to try to get weekly swimming lessons lined up at Nana's pool and I'm also searching for a music or tumbling class that doesn't take place when he's already at preschool.
One of the most fun new things about Ben in the last two months is his counting.  On our trip with my Dad it finally came together consistently and Ben usually counts to ten and then jumps to 18. :)  If I tell him I'm going to count to three and he needs to do something he looks to me with his devilish smirk and says, "7, 8, 9, 10."
We plan to take great advantage of our zoo membership this summer and should go lots before school lets out. We hope to make it to MT to see my Dad (and likely cool off a bit,) but have no other travel plans with Ryan's crazy work schedule. 
I think that covers us for a bit.  We had a positively delightful Mother's Day weekend.  Those details coming soon..................