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

Benny had a great swimming lesson. He was swimming around beforehand trying to get the attention of these very imperious and very adorable little girl, and she was swimming across underwater, so he WENT UNDERWATER AND SWAM ACROSS LIKE FIVE FEET UNDERWATER!? Then he surfaced and told me he was like a ray in the ray pool at the aquarium. So. There you go. Then he was VERY silly and goofy with Ms. Deanah and had a lovely time.

When we got home we were greeted at the door by Big Brother Nemo and Benny told him about the swimming class and then Benny said, "GOOD!" and then asked BBN if he wanted to play checkers, which he did, and "they" ran off to get the checkers out. So much for "Let's tell Daddy all about it" -- sheesh!

Okay, Benny likes to play checkers -- he learned it on MSN Messenger. So yesterday I got him a checkerboard and he was very delighted. As he went to bed he was saying "Tomorrow we can play checkers in the living room and then we can play checkers in my room, and in the front room, and in Sadie's room, and in Daddy's room..." blah blah blah. So this morning I hear him thudding down the stairs so I start getting out of bed, I nurse Sadie, etc. etc. I finally come downstairs and he's playing checkers in the middle of the floor in the living room. The board is all complicated and people have been getting kinged and whatnot.

Me: What are you doing?
Him: Playing checkers!
Me: Who are you playing with?
Him: With him. With Benny.
Me: Oh, okay. Well I'm going to get the coffee started.
Him: Wanna play checkers with me Mom? Benny, it's Mommy's turn now, to play checkers. You have to move.

.
IMPORTANT!!!!!

I posted a page with links to a bunch of movies. GO HERE!!!!

I've just been playing chinese checkers with Benny. He cheats by allowing himself to jump sideways as well as forwards. He jumped my last man, sideways, and we had the following exchange:

Me: BENNY! That is CHEATING! You are a SHOCKING CHEATER!!!!
Benny: MOMMY! IT's a GAME don't you KNOW IT?
Me: *LAUGH*
Benny: MOMMY it's not a LAUGHING game it's a CHECKERS GAME!!!

Hehehe.

More bathtub sociology. Of the seal, the shark, the otter, the sea turtle, the two alligators, the dolphin, and the ray, the RAY is the second class citizen. It is frequently very badly behaved and also it can't talk -- it just grunts and growls. When everyone gets out onto the sink to get their hair combed and teeth brushed, the ray is still in the tub. Last night I suggested that Benny might have FORGOTTEN to put the ray out on the sink, and that he should include the ray -- might as well have suggested eating a worm. Hehehehe.

And, as I was typing all that, I burned the garlic bread. NO JUST KIDDING. I was only preheating the oven. HAHAHA. *thud*

Benny has the beginnings of an invisible friend, or maybe more like an alternate persona. He has been calling himself "Big Brother Nemo" for a while, since Sadie was born really. Recently he started doing things like... for example... he'd be in bed and he'd say, "Oh! I think Big Brother Nemo is coming up the stairs!" then he'd scramble down a flight of stairs, and come back up grandly making his entrance as Big Brother Nemo. In the last few days they've been talking to each other, like... Big Brother Nemo will be in bed and say, "Benny? Benny?" then child will rush across the room and say, "What? Huh?" as if he's just waking up. Or the other night Benny jumped into bed and he said, "NO! You can NOT be on the bed that is MY spot." I, in my kneejerk fashion, said sternly, "DON'T SPEAK TO YOUR MOTHER IN THAT TONE. THAT IS NOT THE WAY NICE LITTLE BOYS ADDRESS THEIR MOTHERS" or whatever and he returned meekly, "I wasn't talking to you, Mommy, I was talking to Big Brother Nemo, he has to sleep on this pillow over here." I can't remember all the episodes where this has come up, but I'll try to document them more efficiently now that I *think* this might be turning into something more than a passing idea. Let the insanity begin!

I'm going to try and make garlic bread now. Can someone call me in 10 minutes? Or, call me in 15 minutes and hear me hysterically crying as I scrape the charred remnants off the infamous "cookie sheet" aka "burn pit." Just kidding. Dan is on the job.

File this under "Terrible But Hilarious" --> I ran through the grocery store on the way home from violin class, and was in a big hurry to get home and save Dan from the starving Sadie, so as we were getting in the car and Benny was taking his usual endless time getting into his seat and getting it buckled, I said, "BENNY, get in your seat, RIGHT NOW." And was answered with, "Mommy, you can ASK Benny to get in my seat" and I, shocked, automatically responded, "Will you please get in your seat?" and he returned, "Yes, now wasn't that a nice way to ask? Thank you Mommy."

Duuuuhhh.

In other news, last night the ray, the seal, the shark and the other critters had BIG BIG drama in the tub involving who was going to climb onto Benny's knee and then who was going to be saved (by the shark) when the knee went underwater without warning. There was much shrieking discussion between the different animals. Then they ALL had to get out onto the sink, get their hair combed, and brush their teeth. Sea turtle was selected to accompany Benny to bed. We read the eel story three times, rather than reading three books. Then he leaped out of bed and had to rush over to the magnadoodle and draw EEL POTS.

Benny did a little photo journal for March before the family visitors arrived. Here it is.

Test.

Grammy, Ashley, and Andy came for a visit! Click RIGHT HERE for a page of pictures! If you're wondering why there's a giant sea turtle about to swallow our little son (because you know the turtle's first line of defense is his fierce bite) then Click RIGHT HERE to view pictures from our trip to the aquarium.

lostcheerio: Your tiger is sleeping!
thebennyeel: my tiger is licing doun
lostcheerio: Is he dreaming?
thebennyeel: no
lostcheerio: what is he thinking about?
thebennyeel: lions
lostcheerio: does he want to eat the lions?
thebennyeel: no they need too steay outsid
lostcheerio: what if they get hungry?
thebennyeel: beekus they need food
lostcheerio: what will they eat?
thebennyeel: food
lostcheerio: bugs?
thebennyeel: baderflis?
lostcheerio: the lions will eat butterflies when they get hungry?
thebennyeel: i wunt a popsicle
lostcheerio: okay! what color would you like?
thebennyeel: yellow?
lostcheerio: the yellow popsicles are all gone!
thebennyeel: green
lostcheerio: okay! do you want to get it?
thebennyeel: Yes.
thebennyeel: do you wunt a popsicle
lostcheerio: Yes
thebennyeel: do you wunt a green one
lostcheerio: No
thebennyeel: okay'
lostcheerio: sadie is waking up
thebennyeel: yes you need sadie too sleep