Ben Update at 20 months :)

September seems to be our Little Master's breakout month.  He's been learning to be more confident and independent.  Here are his milestones:

1. He's able to float on his own during swim class.  This was a victory for coach Angelo and I.  I'm proud of him for keeping up with his older classmates.  He's becoming more attentive to following instructions as well.  I'm sure his ability to understand when we tell him to stay put will come in handy outside the pool as well.

2. I'm able to stay outside the classroom during his classes.  I actually thought it would take a long time before we get to this point. But one day, his teachers, class yaya and I decided to give it a try.  He still cries a bit when I say goodbye but stops when I leave the room.  It's bittersweet but that's what school is for.  I'm glad he has learned to trust other adults.

3. He says "bye-bye" when he doesn't want to be disturbed from his current activity.  This is my favorite because it means he is starting to be able to articulate when he doesn't want something rather than cry.  I want to encourage him to express himself so it's hard not to respond accordingly even if he does it when he doesn't want to eat, bathe or sleep yet. Oh well, lets see how we progress in this area.

Oh and he can climb in and out of his playpen now ... Uh ... Oh.. Hehe

so there you have it :) a dose of Ben for family and friends who I know read this to see how he's doing.