Ever-Changing Colors of Benji

Bad blogger, for letting so much time pass between posts. All I have to say to that is "bite me." And I mean that in the nicest, least hormonal way possible, really. Of course, no one was actually chiding me for neglecting my blogging but myself, so this is really just an internal argument with myself.

Ben and I are holed up for the weekend due to the wind chill advisory. Seriously, 30 degrees below zero is a little nuts. Chester, however, seems to enjoy running errands all by himself, and he's left the confines of our home three times already. More power to him.

My dear son is going through a phase right now. It's the best way I can describe it. This new phase involves a newly uncharted level of whining and mood swings. Thursday when we got to daycare to pick him up, we unhappily noticed a sign on the door saying "There have been three confirmed cases of pink eye." By Friday, Ben's right eye was glued shut and it was all tender and swollen. Chester stayed home with him.

Later that morning, Ben had a doctor's appointment for a check-up on his bronchitis. Our dear doctor confirmed that his bronchitis has gotten worse, but hey, the ear infection is gone. So now in addition to those hated eye drops three times a day, Ben gets to endure the fun of more antibiotics, AYR saline nose drops, Vicks Vapo-Rub and liquid Sudafed as soon as we can find a pharmacy that stocks it. So really, it's no wonder he's a cranky little guy.

For the most part, he's absolutely delightful. While Chester was out playing at the hardware store, Ben and I were up in his room, taping and painting. My little 13-month old managed to keep himself busy and content for three whole hours in a 12x19 room that contains no toys to speak of. We had a great time. Sure, some of his found-object-toys were less than ideal, he didn't get hurt. And I was able to get stuff done. Win-win.

This is such a fun age. Teaching him how to dance to the music, and hearing him sing along, is terrific. I'm always dancing and singing to the radio when it's on, and I was hoping that he would someday join in the fun. Looks like he's starting, and that makes me very happy. (Chester will do it when I'm not looking, and it's precious... the man can't find a note if it was glued to his nose, and I didn't marry him for his dancing ability.)

No offense to Packer fans out there, and I know you're there. But I had a minor (somewhat major) freakout last night as I was admiring my handiwork after painting a section of the second color in Ben's room. Mind you, the colors I picked were blue for the ceiling, yellow for the east and west walls, and green for the north and south walls. The yellow is already up, and yesterday I painted most of the green. Do you see where this is headed? I stood back and my heart fell.

I showed my color choices to at least eight people of different backgrounds and interests. No one noticed or if they did, mentioned to me, that the green and the yellow together would be the Packers colors. Yes, folks, my son's nursery is a Packers nursery. In soft yellow and green. And it's driving me crazy.

I'm hoping that once the blue is on the ceiling, it won't be quite so ... Green Bay ... but I'm not counting on it. I have a feeling I'll have to paint out one of the colors by the end of summer. I'll live with it for a while, but if it still bothers me by the end of summer, Chester says I can paint it again.

Oh well.