Big Brother Ben (week 184)

My first pet! When we got back from New York, mama said that it was time that I got my first fish...a Betta that I named "USC". He got his name because he is colored Cardinal, like the Trojans and because he loves to watch USC Football games. He lives on the nightstand in the living room where he can see the television and because I was afraid to have him by my bed. Each day, I give him (5) pellets--the size of coffee grounds--which he likes to eat (3) in the morning and (2) in the evening about the time that we have dinner.

This week, USC also kicked-off the football season against Hawaii. I had a big party with all my buddies over for the game on Thursday night and ate Hawaiian food. The good part was that the game didn't start until 8:00 PM, so we got to run around the backyard in the dark while the parents watched the game and talked. USC won the game and everyone seemed happy. Later in the week, a guy came around on his bike to paint address numbers on our curbs and painted us a USC Trojans logo. Dada says he is happy that football season is back. Mama says it is going to be a long couple of months.

This weekend was packed-full because of the Labor Day holiday. Dada cut my hair and we went bowling where I knocked down a (75); in the afternoon we golfed. Sunday morning, we went to church and I tried the new, sugar doughnut. It was Christopher's first time in the nursery (where I used to go) and he had a blast. Dada said the my behavior changed significantly for the worse thereafter, but blamed the sugar and not the sermon.

We also went to the Greek Festival this week for the first time. I didn't actually work-up the nerve to go on the big rides but I got to eat french fries for dinner and play the carnival games with Zak and Tim Bowers. There was also dancing in circles to loud crazy music which I thoroughly enjoyed. Later the O'Dowds brought the bean bag game--Cornhole--down to our place and I got to play bean bags with dada on Monday. I ate my first hamburger and tried my first Shirley Temple on Labor Day; shortly after running my bike through the side fence and breaking the gate latch.

Project Little Brother (week 39)
Christopher is a very accomplished stander now. He spends very little time on all fours, now that he can pull himself up and hold onto things (e.g. the couch, the baby fence, his piano). The only problem is that he gets himself stuck and his feet and legs begin to ache which prompts frustrated crying. In fact, since he has learned the value of crying he has begun to throw many more tantrums and uses crabbing as a way to get attention and get what he wants which just makes mama and dada laugh.