The Airplane Obsession Evolves

K. is all little boy, through and through.  We always tell people that although we never deliberately steered him to cars, trucks, and other stereotypically "boy things," K. was from a very early age very interested with all of those "things that go."  He can entertain himself for long stretches of time with any of his little cars, running them along the sofa, the edge of the Oriental rug, the bathtub, etc.  It's pretty amusing.  My mother in law tells me that my husband was exactly the same way, playing with cars, trucks, airplanes, you name it - usually all by himself in his own little world.  I do see a similar pattern with K.

Well, his latest obsession is airplanes.  He's been on quite a few in his short lifespan (more than I'd ever been on by far, considering the first time I ever flew was in college!) and they seem to have made an impression on him.

Which leads me to this morning.  My husband had left for work early and I was still in bed, listening to K. wake up in the room next to mine.  It was absolutely precious: I heard an entire narrative of an airplane going on a flight.  

It went like this:

[Rustling of blankets]

"Airplane?"

"Airplane!"

"Turn ... on... engine" (Yes, that's right!  a 3-word phrase!  That is goin' in the baby book pronto)

"Take off!"

"Runway"

"Airplane!"

"Whoooooooooooosh"

[More shuffling around]

"Mama?"

"Wake up!"

That was my cue to enter, so I did, with a big smile on my face.  I congratulated him for using so many good words and entertaining his mama.  He looked surprised, but then a smile crept onto his face and he beamed with pride.  

My little air traffic controller!

Don't They Grow on Trees?

Very cute story from dinnertime today: K. finished with his "main course" and I was trying to think of something sweet and healthy to serve as dessert.  I thought, Voila!  Grapes.  We had just purchased some at the store the day before, so I got 'em out, plucked a bunch from the bag, washed them, and took them off, one by one, from their stems, proceeding to quarter them (lest they serve as yet another choking hazard!) and place them on K.'s high chair tray.

He gobbled them up, and I silently rejoiced at the fact that he was eating something so good for him with such gusto.  (Lately we've been having some, um, struggles with eating, but that's another story).   He finished the pile, and exclaimed, "More!" 

I had no more to give him from my little cluster.  So, I left the grapeless branches (not sure what else to call them but I'm sure you know what I mean: the stems from the bunch) on my plate and went into the kitchen to go get him some more.  He said, "No, no!" and then proceeded to say something that sounded like "On tees!" over and over again, pointing to my plate.

What did he want?  The grapes that I had been pulling from the "trees" - the little stems that looked like tree branches!  I had to smile to myself at the cuteness of it all.  

I told him I'd be happy to pluck him some more grapes from some "new trees" that I could pull, amazingly enough, out of my plastic bag in the refrigerator.  He was stunned.  

Sometimes, yes, it is that easy!

We Interrupt This Blog for a Public Service Announcement...

Today's WaPo offers a new website dedicated to food safety issues.  

If you, like me, are not exactly sure just how long you can keep those turkey leftovers in the refrigerator, this site is for you!  You can also sign up on the site to receive recall alerts and other safety tips.  

A smart idea, in my book.

By the way, this morning we finished the last of our wonderful Thanksgiving pies (prepared by K.'s Aunt E.). Our favorite?  Sweet potato!  So good, and good for you, too.  Thanks, Auntie!

Chalk This Up as Another One of Those 'Simple Pleasures'

K. has really gotten into CD's.  The funny thing is, the music associated with them seems to be the last thing he's interested in -- it's really the mechanics of the disks themselves: how you can put them in a CD player, keep the lid up, and watch them spin around and around.  

I have weighed the benefits and risks of letting him play around with our CD player (benefit = at least several minutes of quiet play; risk = destruction of equipment) and for now have chosen to let him play around, being watched by either me or his dad, in the interest of building his engineering and observation skills.  

I recently observed him in action and will replay the scene, action by action, for you here.  We now embark on some variation of this adventure at least once a day:

Equipment:

2-3 CD's of kids' music

1 small CD boombox

1) K. picks up CD #1.

2) Opens the lid of the boombox.

3) Spins the CD around with his hands in the boombox (keeping the lid up so he can watch it spin).

4) Picks up CD #2, removes CD #1 from boombox.

5) Repeats steps 2-4, now picking up CD #3.

6) Opens up the case for CD #1.

7) Places one of the CDs (take your pick) into CD #1's case.

8) Before closing the case, takes a second CD and tries to squoosh it also inside the case.

9) I point out to him that he might scratch the CDs this way.

10) I show him the little raised bubble that helps anchor the CD in place inside the case.

11) He picks at the bubble, saying "Off, off!" and trying to get it off.  I tell him it can't come off.

12) He takes both CDs and attempts to put them in the CD boombox at the same time.

13) I tell him we can't do this lest we scratch the CD (see step 9).

14) He removes one of the CDs, keeps the other in the CD boombox, and spins the CD with his hand, like an old fashioned vinyl record, repetitively.

15) Repeat any of the above steps in random order, depending on K.'s mood.

I'm either grooming a future DJ, or a repairman!  Or both.