highs and lows

My day started like this. Ben eating toast. Now Ben's eaten toast before, but it's been a while. And anything that's not a yellow cracker (wheat thins...they come in a yellow box) or a regular cracker (saltines) and is not from a baby food jar is cause for celebration around here. For goodness sake, I took a friggin picture!

Unfortunately things went downhill from there. Clara has been struggling to get rid of an ear infection for the last week and Ben, sweet Ben, may possibly the most mischievous three year old in history. Far more mischievous at least, than Brandon and Allison were at this age. I think he was going for some kind of record for consequences today. I really had to get creative. He was punished twice just because he can't seem to stop himself from putting things in the DVD player. He also ran the coffeemaker. With no pot underneath it.

And apparently he decided that this wheat toast from this morning was enough nourishment for the day, because after that he stopped eating again.

By this evening I was sitting on the kitchen floor, wedged in the corner between cabinets with my hands wrapped around my knees, trying to gather the strength for the battle I knew was inevitable to get Ben to eat a couple jars of babyfood for dinner. Ben came in the kitchen and found me that way and was delighted. 'This must be some kind of game.' I could see him thinking.

"I'll get my stool!", he said, and off he ran to the bathroom. He pushed his plastic stool down the hall and into the kitchen, in front of me. He sat down on it and looked at me eye-to-eye. I couldn't help but smile. It's sometimes impossible to be in a bad mood around Ben. Even when he's being a pill, he's such a happy little guy. I forced a serious expression back on my face.

"Ben, you have two choices. You can either eat your green beans and blueberries or you can go to bed."

"Ummm", he said. "Ummm" A long pause. I waited, watching him struggle with his options...."Ummm....I want....Ummm..."

"Yes, Ben?"

"I want a nover choice"

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. "Another choice, huh? Well don't we all."

He did eventually chose to eat his green beans and blueberries and we followed that with reading the new books we purchased today at the used bookstore. Including Curious George, his favorite. It's no surprise that he finds a kindred spirit in that cute, good-natured monkey, who can't stay out of trouble.