Archive: The Fine and Right Education of the Young Doctor Benny

Benny had an AWESOME violin class on Thursday. He missed his Monday class because Sadie was having her hospital trip, and he missed the previous Monday because he himself was having the plague, so I was getting all anxious that he'd be behind and ruined and as I am reading Dr. Suzuki's book right now, I have become very inspired and motivated, not that I wasn't before, but EXTRA inspired and motivated -- it is a beautiful book by the way. It's called Nurtured By Love and it's all about how practicing the violin and learning to play beautifully makes you a better person. ANYWAY, so we were trying to keep up with practicing at home and he was learning the bread/butter/jelly/bread method of learning the parts of Twinkle, and he was actually practicing RATHER diligently.

So we went to the lesson, which Mrs. Ford very graciously snuck in during a cancellation of another student. HE PLAYED ALL OF TWINKLE. It was rather halting and not entirely perfect but he concentrated and played all the way through. We just sat and watched him until he was done and it was, if I may say so, RATHER MOVING to see him earnestly pick his way through it -- a very good job. He has a lot of work to do on his bow hand -- when he thinks about his violin hand his bow hand tightens up into a claw, but Mrs. Ford gave us lots of things to do to rectify this and she commented that his violin fingers were very round and correct and that his concentration on the music was marvelous! HOORAY! He is very enchanted with the fact that he can play all the way through a whole song and he says, "My song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. That's my song." :) :) :) DEAR BENNY! He has definitely GOT the idea of putting his fingers down all the way to the fingerboard and how to make different notes and he understands the structure of Twinkle and it's looking good for us. YAY! It was very nice to have that happen, and to have it be so Benny-motivated. Gives me strength to go on with the practicing, which hasn't always been... harmonious. In more ways than one. :)

Benny was entertaining himself on AIM after I went away to nurse Sadie. She nursed for 1.5 hours by the way. Yeah, I'm ready to hide in the basement. If only we had one. Anyway here's one endearing little conversation:

thebennyeel: I love you!
lostcheerio: i love you to
thebennyeel: Are you hungry?
lostcheerio: no
thebennyeel: Are you thirsty?
lostcheerio: yes
thebennyeel: Would you like some water?
lostcheerio: no i like some? choklit milk

And here's Benny playing by himself. I interpreted a bit where necessary, but a lot of these words are related to one of his playstation games (Tak, Juju, Nerbel, Gorilla, Feather, Etc.):

lostcheerio: chicken
lostcheerio: bnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
lostcheerio: juju
lostcheerio: 1234567890
lostcheerio: 123
lostcheerio: abc's
lostcheerio: and
lostcheerio: 123's
lostcheerio: juju
lostcheerio: bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
lostcheerio: ddddddddddddddddd
lostcheerio: oooooooooooooooo
lostcheerio: '
lostcheerio: ''
lostcheerio: '''
lostcheerio: ''''
lostcheerio: '''''
lostcheerio: <----------><---><---><---><--->
lostcheerio: juju
lostcheerio: hop
lostcheerio: pop
lostcheerio: mom
lostcheerio: poopanoonoopepl (pupanunu people)
lostcheerio: tak
lostcheerio: popsicle
lostcheerio: jaboba
lostcheerio: nrbl (Nerbel)
lostcheerio: my
lostcheerio: me
lostcheerio: ben
lostcheerio: fedr (feather)
lostcheerio: grila (gorilla)
lostcheerio: take
lostcheerio: wet
lostcheerio: rat
lostcheerio: liapop (?)

thebennyeel: Hi Benny!
lostcheerio: how are you doing
thebennyeel: I am doing good.
thebennyeel: How are you doing?
lostcheerio: i am doing great
thebennyeel: Today we will go to preschool.
lostcheerio: yes we will
thebennyeel: We will see Ms. Claudia.
lostcheerio: and ms munek (Ms. Monique)
thebennyeel: And Ms. Jessica!
lostcheerio: and mstr stef (Mr. Steve)

Hehehehe. :)

I made Benny a plate of strawberries cut in half. One of them was ENORMOUS.

Benny: Oooh, that looks like it must be a big one!
Me: Yep.
Benny: You eat it. So that's a big one so you eat it.
Me: Okay. (I ate it, and it took two bites.)
Benny: OOOH MOM YOU EATED IT TWO TIMES! YOU EATED TWO TIMES ON ONE STRAWBERRY!!!!

Just thought you all should know that I eated two times on one strawberry because I know you wouldn't want to miss that exciting world event. Here's another anecdote, while I'm at it... Yesterday I took Benny with me to take Sadie to the pediatrician. He has been spoken to with great severity concerning sharing in the waiting room ever since the day he kicked me and had to be dragged away screaming "MINE MINE" over some bead maze or other. So now he is extremely pious and holy about sharing. We went in, he noted some kid playing at the table, and went over and played happily and cheerfully for about 15 minutes, then we went in. I noticed they were playing with some little action figures or other. So last night he's in his bed:

Me: What's your best thing today?
Benny: Going to the doctor.
Me: Really? What did you like about that?
Benny: I shared with the little boy! And I like sharing with the little boy! And I played guys with him! And the guy went down the chimney!

When I think about the endearing excitement with which he recalled playing "guys" with that little boy, I want to cry with love. He needs a good playmate. What's wrong with me that I didn't get his mother's phone number? Ack.

Okay last one. This one killed me. Benny is in a conversation with Joshilyn on AIM. I translated where appropriate:

lostcheerio: hi joslin
Pluffina: HI Benny!
lostcheerio: how are you doing
Pluffina: I am Well! How are you?
lostcheerio: i am doing great
Pluffina: Me too! Do you like the Circus?
lostcheerio: yes
Pluffina: I like elephants
lostcheerio: i like liens
Pluffina: I like Seals
lostcheerio: but i like seals
Pluffina: Have you seen seals at the circus?
lostcheerio: wuts your name
Pluffina: Dear Joshilyn
lostcheerio: i dreeme sum yourabl's (I dream some yorbels -- it's from a game he plays)
Pluffina: I dream about candy
lostcheerio: i like to dreeme sum teengngkees (I like to dream some tikis -- also from this game)
Pluffina: I like to dream about swimming
Pluffina: Do you swim?
lostcheerio: daddy is woching teevee
Pluffina: I have to go to bed, Benny
Pluffina: goodbye!!!
lostcheerio: i will go see him

Benny says:
PLAY TIPTAPTO WITH ME

HAHAHAHA!

Conversation in Messenger:

Lydia says:
Are you ready to take a bath?
Benny says:
DO YOU WUNT A POPSICLE
(Benny: "Say yes!!!")
Lydia says:
Yes.
Benny says:
DO YOU WUNT CHOCLET
(Benny: "Say yes!!!")
Lydia says:
Yes.

He is trying to get rid of the dread fudgsicles that I got him to try and make him eat when he was sick. He thinks there's something wrong with them. Right now he's saying, "EAT YOUR POPSICLE BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WANT TO MELT ON YOUR DESK." Something he has frequently heard.

Moments from playing Tic Tac Toe with Benny via MSN Messenger:

"No, Mom, you put the X over HERE. Don't you GET IT!?!?"

I go away to get Sadie, and I come back and on my desk is a written sign that says, "STOP BLOKING ME"

"Mom, if you put the X over HERE, it will take you to a new special place, OKAY!??!"

"We both win, Mommy! We did the whole sharp!"

"Hey, how about circles in the middle, and X can only go on the sides?" (as he's about to win down the middle)

"STOP BLOCKING ME! I HAVE TO WIN, DON'T YOU GET IT? STOP BLOCKING ME NOW!!!" (hehehehe)

"HEY STOP WINNING! HEY NO NO NO!!!" (cackle)

"Stop blocking me! That's what the sign says! Okay, let's do it again!"

And of course the ultimate... "I WIN!!!"