Uncle Paulie!!!!

This one is for you. It was warm enough that I could actually wear it.
With love,
Big Ben Kanuut

So happy...

Typical Day

Being a busy guy these days, Ben came up with some routines which work for him pretty nicely. He wakes up around 7 a.m., rolls around or talks in his crib for awhile. The talking works like an alarm for Mae and Dad. He spends a good while playing with Dad, who wakes up first. Then Mom wakes up and gives him some breakfast, which is mostly oatmeal and milk. They play and hang out some more. Then off he goes to his daycare where he spends the next 6-7 hours playing, eating, napping and learning Chinese. He loves being there anyone can just tell and his Mae and Dad couldn't be happier to have found Rita. (Pictures with Rita and her staff to follow soon)






In the evening when Ben gets home, they all hang out or go for a walk and visit the playground. Then Ben has his dinner. His next favorite is bathtime followed by some reading. His current favorite is Eric Carle's "The Lonely Firefly". It's probably 7 p.m. by then when Ben starts being cranky, signaling to Mae and Dad that it's bedtime.



I

The Little Farm

Yesterday, Mae, Dad and I visited Grandma and Grandpa in the Berkeley Hills where they live. We had such beautiful warm weather so they took me out for a little visit to the Little Farm. The Little Farm is located in Tilden Park and features a variety of farm animals including cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens and pigs. Several heritage breeds are preserved here, including Milking Shorthorn Cattle.

I also learned that visitors can only feed lettuce and celery to the animals. Well, I was a little too nervous to feed them, having seen the biggest cow's tongue I have ever seen--it was probably as big as my face. Really!! So I thought I'd just watch this time. Mae was obviously nervous too and she kept steering Dad further away from the cow so he couldn't lick me or accidentally eat my arm. At some point the funny-looking goat came so close trying to get to Grandpa's celery that he spooked me. So I cried. Then I laughed when I saw the piggy bathing in a tub and soaking up the sun. Who wouldn't in this weather, I thought.

So we all had a fantastic time and I can't wait to go back there again. Dad said when I'm bigger, I'll get to ride the Steam Train, do the Pony Ride and the Carousel. Amazingly, all this cool stuff has been around since when Dad was little so he was especially pleased to be able to introduce to me his native Berkeley children's (and adults') classics. I LOVE it!!!

Seven months old!

Wow, time really flies. I just turned seven months old today. Mae and Dad took me on a nature walk this morning and for some reason I felt like chatting so much that I ended up just doing that--talking up a storm. Or so they said.

It's great to be a seven-month old. You ask what I've been up to these days? Let's see:

- rollover: from tummy and back--the latter just a week ago. Fun!
- sitting: well, still practicing doing so without Mae or Dad supporting
- nibbling on my feet
- no, no not sleeping through the night yet. Love this middle-of-the-night chatting and feeding time
- trying to crawl
- trying different food. So far rice cereal, oatmeal, carrot, sweet potatoes, peas, pears, apples
- last but not least..I've been cranky the past couple days. Those very first baby teeth of mine are coming in!