March Madness!

Ben the Master Dunker!

Up and In - the "No-Look" basket

Waiting for Dad to in-bound the ball

Driving towards the basket for the shot!

It's Tournament Time in the Kollasch Household and even Ben is getting the fever. Dad brought his basketball hoop up from the basement playroom (not sure if it was for Ben or Dad...). Ben has become a master dunker and will spend hours putting everything that fits through the hoop!

Pregnant mommy

5 weeks to go!

Mr. Independent

Although we had a great day at the zoo, I think Ben's favorite part was just walking around some of the paths at the park complex. He's getting better at holding hands when walking but still likes to "do his own thing".

First weekend of spring

Dad and Ben in the African Hoofed Animals Barn

A zebra

Ben waiting for a turn to look at the giraffes

The baby giraffe taking a peek at all the on-lookers

Mom and Ben outside the lion exhibit

We spent part of Saturday afternoon at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, MN. Not all the exhibits are open yet, but it was so nice to be outside in March in MN. It was about 60 degrees and sunny. Ben wasn't too fond of the gorilla exhibit as the large gorillas were chasing each other around the enclosure and one banged on the glass right in front of Ben. I think he was startled by the noise and all the action!

Who needs a highchair?!?

We were having some meal-time difficulty recently as Ben started getting restless in his highchair after only a few minutes. We decided to try out the booster seat and let him sit with us at the table during mealtime. He has handled this well in restuarants in the past so we thought it would also work at home. For the most part, it has with the exception that now he has easier access to feed Bella half his food. She, of course, also likes this new arrrangement and there is a mad dash between the two of them when I put the placemat out for Ben to get ready for dinner!

Sick Boy :(

Ben did not have a good weekend last week. He woke up early Saturday morning with a fever that lingered into Sunday evening. We believe that he is working on two molars but I did do the "over-reactive mother" thing and call the nurse line Saturday night. It's so hard to watch the little guy be so sad! We took a cool bath Saturday night and then dressed him in what we believe to be cool, comfortable clothing for the rest of the evening. I'm sure he will look back on this and think we were crazy for putting this outfit together! The boxers were too big in the waist (common problem for Ben) so hence the suspenders. His feet were also cold and I found the thickest pair of socks he had to try and keep them warm!

Getting up on the couch - watch out animals!!

Here I come Mommy...

Ben's sense of humor is beginning to emerge although we are never quite sure what he finds so amusing at times!

Going from funny to serious - maybe a future in acting???

Now we are singing and clapping - an entertainment genius!

The boy has learned to crawl up on the couch all by himself. The animals santuary in now gone - Gaby used to get away by sitting on top of the couch and Bella would curl up and try to sleep peacefully on the couch. Now Ben has full access to them and although disgruntled at times, the furry ones seem to be tolerating this new attention well!

Playing with Dad

Ben is learning so much each day - he is very interested right now in playing with his shape sorter. He actually gets a few right each time and is so happy when they go in!