15 Months Old (Usually, He LIKES Beans)

I don't even know what to title this entry. I usually just write and then look at what I've written and come up with a title. But I already know, ahead of time, that there are a lot of things I want to write about that, well, I'll just shoot and see if something develops.

Yesterday I gave my son a sort of random breakfast: banana, pinto beans/fresh corn. He didn't like it. It reminded me of Caribbean fare. I later gave him organic Teriyaki/sesame seed chicken, 1/2 an avocado, and a nectarine, which he instantly devoured. As for the pinto beans, I was picking up parts of banana from off the floor when I noticed my son taking out pinto beans, one by one, and lining them up on the table in a precise and decisive manner. He made one long line with the pinto beans horizontally and then started another line vertically, from the first line, at the corner. Then I noticed he had also used bits of banana, alternating one piece of banana for a bean, etc., until he was out of bananas. I have NO idea what he was doing, or why. I don't know if he was counting them out in his head (lately he likes playing with a toy with beads on a wire that you can move around) or if it was an artistic venture. Or, maybe he's just orderly? But then, he looked at me, held up a bean between his forefinger and thumb and with a serious expression, never taking his eyes from mine, released the bean to fall on the floor. That's a sign for "All done!" And he then scattered the beans on the table by smearing his hand across them, from side to side. Maybe it was a sign for, "This is what I think about the beans."

An hour later, we were at grandparents', and my grandmother took him for a walk. She commented on how interested he was in the flowers she pointed out. I've noticed this as well, that he likes flowers, handles them gently, and smells them. My grandmother said she's never noticed a child so interested in them before, just as the librarian told me she'd never seen another child so interested in their frog sculpture as my son was. He seems to be passionate about the things he likes. My grandmother also said she's never been much for babies but thinks there is a special sweetness and charm about this Little Bear. I've had complete strangers agree and say the same thing.

Two days ago, I think it was, during our shopping excursions, we went to one store where I was looking at shoes. There was a little Hispanic girl in a wheelchair with whatever that disorder is that leaves one with no control over their body and face, and she had her tongue out. My son saw her and began sticking his tongue out, in friendly imitation. I looked at this girl and she noticed! and laughed in her uncontrolled way, and I explained to her parents, who were also smiling, "My bebe noticia la lengue de tu nina y quieres imitacion--El gustan tu nina." I'm sure I don't even know how terrible my attempts at Spanish are, but I try to convey my meanings with my facial expressions and they smiled and understood. In fact, later they were pointing out my son to other relatives and smiling.

I found an example of my son's understanding of humor that I can write about. It comes from the book, Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner. This is a fun book about an imaginative kitten and it's published by Puffin, a division of Penguin. On the back, it says it's for ages 4 and up. My son loses interest, at this point, later in the book when it becomes very wordy, but he enjoys the first half. When it gets to the part about Skippyjon bouncing on his "big boy bed" and singing a song (after his mother sends him to his room) my son gets a big smile on his face. Then, he laughs out loud at the part where Skippyjon sees himself in the mirror and mistakes himself for a chihuahua. Basically, Skippyjon is bouncing on his bed, and with a bounce, sees himself in the mirror on his dresser:

""Holy GUACAMOLE!" exclaimed Skippyjon Jones. What was that?"
"So up he went again. And again it appeared. Then, using his very best Spanish accent, he said, "My ears are too beeg for my head. My head ees too beeg for my body. I am not a Siamese cat....I AM A CHIHUAHUA!"

And my son cracks up laughing. In the picture it shows the cat looking at the mirror which shows the reflection of the face of a dog. It's the weirdest thing, because I wouldn't think my son understands this is funny, but he does, and he understands things I say that are funny too. The whole bit about Alfredo Buzzito, the Bad Bumblebeeto Bandito and how he steals beans and strikes terror in the hearts of the little Mexican doggies who eat beans (and fear he'll eat them next, because they're full of the beans), escapes him at this point.

Well, more later, but this is all for now. Sleeping Bear is going to awake any minute.