Music

We have discovered over time that Bennett is quite musical. When he was little, he used to hum or "sing" himself to sleep. It was really quite endearing. I wish that I had those sounds recorded because he doesn't really do that anymore now that he's becoming more verbal. I think he was mimicking the song that I would hum quietly in his ear as an infant when he was a little restless before letting himself fall into dream land. My singing was a great calmer when he didn't want to get his diaper changed, or he had become a little fussy. I even find myself humming a tune into his ear now when he's crying because he's fallen or his feelings have been hurt. At about six months old, he would willingly spend thirty minutes or more in his jumper as long as I had my iTunes playing. Elton John and Pink were his favorites. He jumped in time!! And also - you should see his face light up when I turn on the record player. I can't wait until he starts to sing along.

But now? He's Mr. Rhythm. We have been going to a mommy and me music class called Music With Mar since Bennett was about four months old. It was a great excuse for us to get out of the house in the dreary winter months and it also provided me some much-needed exposure to grown people. I didn't do much talking with the growns (that's another post), but Bennett loved the class, and his teacher, Miss Katie, so we kept going.

One of the songs that we sing each week involves rhythm sticks. The littlest guys get red ones and the toddlers get blue ones, which are a couple of inches longer (and much more dangerous!). Bennett LOVES this part of the class. We ended up purchasing a set of the sticks for him to have at home - for "practice". (They're really for Brian to play the drums on our ottoman, but I can keep a secret if you can. shhhhhh) There is not a part of this house that hasn't been beat upon by the sticks. Brian and Bennett play the drums every day.

Bennett is getting very good. He doesn't just aimlessly toss the sticks around as if they are not attached to the ends of his arms. He taps a rhythm! He can copy us if we tap a few "notes" and he really likes to accompany the Jackson 5 or Stevie Wonder. The boys have gotten so good with the red sticks, we bought them a pair of the blue sticks today. Now the Ballmen can play the drums together and really lay down some tracks.

Winter in Buffalo

We moved to Buffalo on November 20-21, 2009. The move went fairly smoothly as we had a really great guy driving the truck and leading the teams that moved us in and out. We used Atlas Vanlines and would highly recommend them to anyone moving. All of our belongings arrived when promised and nothing was broken or missing! Granted, we put our most valuable things in our own cars, but they had the heavy furniture and I was sure something would arrive scratched.

According to all the locals that we chatted with as we were getting to know our new home, we got to Buffalo just in time as they hadn't had a big snow yet. I think the flakes started falling around the beginning of December and they didn't really stop until March. Granted, there were never more than about a foot and a half of snow on the ground at any given time, but there was quite a stretch there when we saw a blanket of white.

The real benefit of living in this area during the winter is that snow doesn't freak anyone out. There are snow plows out on the streets before the sun comes up. All major roads get plowed throughout the day even. By living in an apartment complex, we didn't have to worry about our sidewalks or parking lots either. The guys were out salting and scraping every morning. Additionally, folks around here know how to drive in the snow. Mostly everyone was slowing down and being polite on the roads. Quite a refreshing change from the hotheads in Virginia who thought snow and rain were the same.

Bennett also adjusted to the new climate well. We tried to get outside for fresh air as often as possible, but there were some days when it was just too cold to even walk to the mailbox and back. He had an audible change in his breathing if the air was too cold. He started taking these really quick, shallow breaths almost as if he were trying to avoid breathing, but just couldn't hold his breath any longer. I'm anxious to see how that changes this winter.

The one thing that troubled me regarding the winter up here is that it seemed as if everyone was hibernating! We live in a very large complex (21 buildings with at least eight units in each building, some have twelve) and I can honestly say that I didn't see a single neighbor beyond the lady who lives underneath us until about late March, early April. I felt like we were living in a ghost town! Sometimes, I would go to the leasing office, just to talk to another grown human being. Needless to say, both Bennett and I were very excited about spending time outside when Spring finally arrived.

We had two big visits during the winter months. Thanksgiving found all of the Erlandsons in Buffalo. We got our meal from Wegmans so that mom and I didn't have to cook. We ordered way too much food. Bennett really enjoyed meeting and snuggling with Uncle Ben. And Daddy-o had a good time teaching Bennett about how to build a fire.

In December, the Allmans came down for a Christmas visit. We were sad that Cindy and Trevor couldn't join Oma and Grandpa, but had a good time with the grandparents. Cindy was able to come down during one of her Spring trips to London and Trevor will be in Ontario in October, so we'll get to see him then. We are so fortunate that Bennett gets to spend so much time with extended family, despite living far away.

Today was a very brisk day - a hint of the Autumn to come. I was explaining to Bennett on our nightly walk that Autumn is my favorite season because the temperature is just right and you can sense that change is on its way. Now that Bennett is a little older, I'm hopeful that we won't feel quite so cooped up this Winter - we'll keep you posted.

Bennett has the sickies . . .

We have been dealing with what many affectionately call a "summer cold" for the last week. Bennett's nose has been running like a faucet! He is starting to cough a little and has the cutest sneezes. However, it hasn't stopped him from eating (he weighed in at 23 lbs 8 oz at the doc's office this morning!) or trying his hardest to walk.

Unfortunately, I am also a little sick (yuck!), so our days have been spent at home for the most part. We haven't been able to make it out to our playgroups or music class, boo. I just want to make this go away as quickly as possible. It's really hard to watch him writhe around in his sleep or wake up often due to coughs when he has recently been a really excellent sleeper. Also? He's waking up at 6:30 am now. He was getting up at 7:00 - 7:30 am. I'm not sure if it's related to the sickness, or just a change . . .we'll see, I suppose.

In other news - I have applied for two jobs. The first is with a local therapeutic agency called Gateway-Longview. They are a residential facility for troubled kids in the greater Buffalo area. The job I've applied for is Visitation Specialist. I understand the responsibilities to be related to helping the families have successful visits with each other. Secondly, I learned from my WM classmate that there was an opening for a psychologist in the Clarence Central Schools. I have applied for that one and then learned that it's quite different than the job I held in Virginia. They're looking for someone to serve as a school psychologist, but in a very specialized classroom and only part time. I checked with the personnel folks today and they said they should know who they want to interview by late next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works out. I really miss being in the schools.

I have been spending a bit of time on a local mom forum and they are all chatting about how their kids start school next week. They are discussing traditions surrounding the first day and the unbelieveable requests on school supply lists (NINE 24-packs of crayons?). It has made me quite nostalgic and also sad that this will be the very first EVER first day of school that I do not get to participate in. I have had (and loved!) a first day of school every single year since I started kindergarten back in 1980 (or so). Sigh. I'll just have to take notes about what folks are doing so that I'm ready when Bennett hits the books for the first time!