Benjamin's Clubhouse

On a recent stroll through Ikea, I made a wondrous discovery: Ikea sells igloos! This place is amazing. Ikea sells not only cheap potties, furniture, and dishware, but also igloos! IGLOOS! Will wonders never cease? Best of all, the igloos sell for only-- Nevermind. I'm not going to disclose how much they go for, because some of the lucky little boys on our Christmas list may be getting one this year.

Since an igloo would be incongruous within our SoCal home, Benjamin -with my help, natch - fashioned a sign for its doorway, transforming the igloo into a clubhouse. And in deference to his mother's anal-retentive wishes, he made a second sign for the inside of the entryway. Anyone who's been to our home will understand.

The beauty of Benjamin's clubhouse is that a substatial amount of our baby detritus is now contained. Now when you approach his playroom, instead of a messy landscape of blocks, dolls, books, and toys, you're greeted by the far neater sight of a single igloo-- I mean, clubhouse.

The one thing that will stay out of the clubhouse is Benjamin's potty. As the saying goes, one shouldn't um... poop where one eats.

Of course, a clubhouse wouldn't be complete without a trusty guard dog. If Oliver looks less than enthralled with his new job, it's because even though he's welcome to stand sentry outside of the clubhouse, there's an understand that's he's not allowed to go in.

Before you start feeling sorry for the pug, know this: along with the igloo, I also purchased a new baby gate to use during Oliver's mealtimes. So even though Benjamin may have his own clubhouse, the pug now has his own dining room - as well as the smug satisfaction of knowing that his nemesis is barred from entering.

Male Bonding 2

As Benjamin's gotten older, he seems to have traded in some of his more baby-like traits for those of a boy. Don't get me wrong: he still cries, drools, and poops with the best of 'em. But we're starting to see signs that we have a rambunctious, mischievious little man on our hands. He yells. He destoys things. He likes eating red meat chopped up into tiny, bite-sized pieces. He's becoming a Real Man. And to go along with his budding manliness, Benjamin's developed a posse of pretty close male buds.

There's Nolan, his numero uno partner in crime. Nolan's a little older than B, so he's taught him a thing or two about some of the important things in a man's life like eating solids, and standing up for himself. Well, actually, he's just taught him about standing up. Period.

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Then there's Luc, Benjamin's Friday afternoon class buddy. They're a bit closer in age, and they have a great time hanging out. Literally.

And recently, Benjamin made a new guy friend, Brayden. They enjoy looking cool together on the playground.

Even though he has all these great guys to hang out with, Benjamin's favorite bud is still Vince. Maybe it's because Daddy has the most to teach him. He's able to show him how to fearlessly go down a slide, how to bounce on a teeter-totter, and how to ride atop his shoulders to get a better view of the world.

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Maybe Benjamin's old man will even teach him how to pee standing up. That'll be the day!

Cruising

Now that he is able to cruise around the house, Benjamin's horizons have greatly expanded. Literally. In his pre-cruising, crawling-only life, he was only able to see things that were approximately one foot off of the ground. Now that he can pull himself up and stand upright, he can see things a whole two-and-a-half feet off of the ground! That means that he's able to see over tabletops, over the couch cushions, and out of windows where he can see (cue music) a whole new woooooooorld!

Now that the bottoms of his tender little feet are seeing more action, Benjamin's shoes must serve more than just an aesthetic purpose: they must also protect and support his delicate tooties. The three pairs shown above are the ones he wears most frequently now, and they were all chosen because of their superior design and comfort. Ok, I'll admit that the fuzzy slippers (previously worn by his cousins and generously given to him by his Aunt Adele) are for my enjoyment only.

Even though Benjamin has his pick of his own stylish footwear, he seems to be more drawn to mine. He's especially fond of my Ugg boots, a birthday gift from my husband and a staple of moms in Los Angeles. It seems that if you're an LA mom, these hideous-yet-fashionable boots are de rigeur. My friends laugh at me for wearing them in our warm climate, but I maintain that until they see me tucking Juicy velours into them while zipping up a matching Juicy velour hoodie, I'm beyond ridicule. Now excuse me while I go finish my non-fat, half-caf, soy caramel macchiato.
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Thank You, Thank You Very Much

Is anyone else in utter shock that the winter holiday season is upon us once again? Not that I'm complaining. I have so much to be thankful for. Since last Thanksgiving, I've been blessed with a new sister-in-law, a beautiful baby boy, the transformation of my beloved hubby into an equally amazing father, female friendships that only seem to get stronger as time goes by, and the return of my waistline. Kind of.

My brother Leon and his wife Claire joined us again for Thanksgiving this year. Also, we were thrilled to have our dear friend Umberto travel all the way from Milan to celebrate with us, too. I think that Benjamin was even more thrilled than we were, however. He and Umbo hit it off so well that I joked that we'd have to make sure that Umbo didn't bring Benjamin back to Italy with him as a souvenir.

We spent the day before Thanksgiving enjoying what has become something of a family tradition: Rock Band. Maybe Benjamin will actually be able to play one of the instruments the next time we all get together!

On the big day, Leon and Claire resumed their positions as Vice Presidents in charge of Turkey Roasting and Sausage Stuffing. This year, they got a little help from Umbo. Above, you can see Leon and Umberto having their way with the turkey. I swear that I witnessed them doing things to the poor bird that must have been illegal in at least five states.

Later in the evening, Vince's parents, his sisters, and his nephews arrived for the feast. Vince's Dad and Umbo made quick work of slicing up the turkey.

We were anxious to see what our resident food critic thought of Leon's turkey. After puzzling over its unfamiliar taste and texture for just a moment, he gave it one thumb and one chubby pinky up.

Still full from our Thanksgiving feast the night before, we decided to enjoy a light breakfast of Portugese sausage, fried spam and eggs, corned beef hash, french toast, and pancakes at Rutt's Cafe on Friday morning. Never one to miss an opportunity to make new friends, Benjamin spent the entire meal staring at a group of policemen seated in the booth behind us until they agreed to take a picture with him.

The friendly cops at Rutt's weren't the only new pals that Benjamin made this weekend. On Saturday, Umbo's college friend Andreas (whom he hadn't seen in 15 years) and his fiancee Jennifer joined us for lunch. In the evening, Claire's college roommate Grace and her fiance Armand came by for dinner. We capped off the weekend by meeting up with our cousins Mike and Jason and their loved ones. Mike, his wife Wendy, and their baby girl Audrey were in town from Raleigh, NC to visit Wendy's sister in Irvine. Wendy's brother-in-law Ivan joined the reunion. Jason was in Cerritos with his girlfriend Hanie. Ever the Ladies' Man, Benjamin spent the visit showing off his standing skills to the younger Audrey.

And if the weekend weren't exciting enough, Benjamin took his first steps! Ok, I'm totally exaggerating. He didn't really take his first steps, but he did start doing this bizarre half-crawling/half-crabwalking thing in which he crawls on his hands and knees and then takes a step left foot. Surely, that counts for something. Right?

Even if it doesn't, that's ok. I enjoyed a wonderful weekend was filled with food, family, and friends, and that's more than enough to give thanks for!