Ben

I've been thinking a lot about writing this post over the past week. A post about Ben. 

Ben you are our second born. I say your name, think of you and I can't help but smile. 

You are bursting with personality. You like things just the way you like them.

For example on the way home from nursery you like to tell me the things you would like for lunch - 'I like a sauce sandwich on bread, a chocolate bread and a biscuit' - you love your carbs and are not a big fan of fruit at all, only in the smoothie variety. (disclaimer - you don't get everything you ask for!) You also like poached egg on toast or tomato soup and toast and somedays, if you could get your own way, you'd just have 'syrup in a bowl with a spoon!'

You love to wear a flat cap. You totally rock wearing a flat cap. That teamed with your brown duffle coat and stripey wellies complete the farmers boy look!

 You have two flat caps, one from Uncle Tim which Grandma donated to you (I'm not sure he knows!) and one from Eric at church who came for tea one week and seeing that you liked it, gave it to you. As they are both meant for adults they are a little too big and often slip down your face! On our way to collect Joseph you have someday pretty much walked the whole way; holding onto the tail of my coat with a cap covering your face. This has lead to a few accidents - today you walked straight into a wall and yesterday it was a telegraph pole!

 You are as tough as nails, you certainly don't over-do it on the crying front. You love to hold my hand and I love it too. Sometimes you'll trip up and I'll stop you from falling flat on your face, you'll be sprawled out on the floor and I'll ask -

'Ohh, are you OK?'

'Yes I'm fine Mum'

You get back up and off we go again.

On other days, you'll call out 'you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread man' and run again giggling loudly as I try to catch you.

You are growing upwards fast and are probably only an inch or two shorter than Joseph. You could do with growing a bigger bottom!! Your trousers are always falling down, even when you're wearing a belt! It's a common sight to see you walking around hitching them up and it's also a common sight to see you hanging low too!

Most of the time you are a really happy boy. A boy who can happily run back and forth the living room floor having conversations with imaginary people. A boy who begs to have the white tin opener to pretend that it's a Star Wars x wing or   any of Mummy's toiletries which are in tubes as they make good space ships too! Yesterday you were driving a truck on our bed but the truck kept breaking down and you had to get up and fix it again and again. Sometimes there is no conversation and you just run back and forth making loud and varying raspberry noises which could be random vehicle noises or they could be star wars weapon noises, I'm not sure though you definitely are sure about what you're doing in whatever world you're playing in at the time!

There are times when you're not happy and you get cross

you shout, stamp you feet and say you want to go home!?? 

At those times, we need to help you to feel better and try hard to understand why you feel cross. We also need to set a good example at not getting cross ourselves.

Even though you are not the baby of the family anymore, you're still my baby and you love your cuddles. Perhaps not everyday but most days at some point, you will come up to me and say' Mum come snug with me on the sofa' Every time you ask I have promised myself that I will come I need to enjoy them with you whilst you still want to 'snug with me.'

Ben, I'm so thankful to be your mum.