A Gift for Baby

This morning, Jack and I set out around 6:30 for Meijer (local store with everything you can imagine: groceries, pet supplies, home goods, furniture, toys, electronics, clothing, etc.) as we needed a few things and I figured I wouldn't have to worry about Jack waking other family members if he was out of the house.

I had told Jack I needed to get a few things for Mummy & Daddy and that it would be a quick trip. As I pulled into the parking space, Jack piped up from the back "Get toy for baby, too." This threw me off guard a bit as we haven't talked at all about getting anything for little Chickpea, though I was planning to take him shopping for a baby gift a week or so before the baby's arrival. Anyway, I thought I'd humor him (because I figured he'd forget) and told him we'd look for something.

We didn't spend long in the store and, as we were walking out, Jack exclaimed "Wait! Have to get something for baby!" I was surprised that he'd remembered his request and, of course, there was no way I could say "no," given that he'd come up with this special gesture completely unprompted. We walked back to the baby department and I told Jack he could pick one item for the baby. He seemed to examine everything closely & critically. First, he asked for a gift set that included an elephant stuffed animal and some teething rings. I put this in our cart. Next, he asked for a set of infant towels that had fish on them. I put these, too, in the cart, reminding him that he'd have to pick one item when we were all done. In our last aisle, he selected a clear plastic ball/rattle with beads inside and tubes around the outside, also filled with little beads. I thought this should be the winner, but I let him choose. He examined his three choices carefully, eventually settling on the ball. I was excited because this toy was 20% off.

However, on the way out of the aisle, he suddenly gasped (and I wish I could demonstrate this because it was so funny) "Oh, mummy! Look what I see! THAT!!!!" He was pointing to a big ladybug toy that has different fabrics and textures on it and that plays music when you press its back. Of course, this item cost twice as much as the plastic ball and was not on sale (go figure) but he was so enamored with it that the sucker in me had to get it. He kept telling me the baby would love it; how could I possibly resist?

Here's the picture I snapped of him, giddy about our impending purchase, moments after the decision was made:
I was so surprised that a kid his age (27 months) would think about asking for a gift for someone else (who hasn't even been born yet) when we haven't yet had any discussion with him about buying Christmas gifts or baby gifts!

In unrelated shopping news, Jack quite literally rang in the season on Tuesday when we made a quick run to the grocery store and Jack made our first Salvation Army donation of the season. (Hearing those bell ringers is always the first real sign to me that the holidays are upon us.) The bell ringer was so impressed with Jack's persistence at trying to stuff a rolled-up dollar bill into the coin slot in her bucket that she let him ring the bell for a few minutes. He loved it!
Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Jack's Definition of Bliss

As most parents probably (hopefully!) know, you don't have to spend a lot of money to keep little ones entertained. Examples:

Last year, I discovered that the local home improvement store is a fantastic place for Jack to run, explore, and be generally thrilled by the things he sees there (tractors, lumber, tools, tile samples, etc.). While visiting my parents last week, we went twice to Menards (DIY store) simply to look at all of the Christmas decorations. He was completely enamored, repeatedly gasping "WOW! How pretty! Beautiful!" He probably could have spent all day there, as the pictures below show:



Every week, following our trip to the library for preschool storytime, Jack and I stop outside to watch all of the construction equipment working on the below-ground parking garage that is being built next to the library. The construction has been going since spring and will last until at least next summer, so it provides us with ample opportunity to just stop and watch all of the work. Every once in a while, the librarian is even nice enough to take all of the kids up to the top floor of the library and let them look down out of the conference-room windows to see the seemingly miniature backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, and cement mixers nine stories below. (Side note: I never, in my life, noticed how many diggers are at work all over the city, the roads, the parks, etc. until Jack came into my life and became obsessed with them. Now, from time to time, I find myself alone in the car pointing and shouting "look, digger!" only to realize no one is with me. It seems construction vehicles are EVERYWHERE!)



Yesterday, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to attempt some gardening in the front of our house. I didn't get very far as a) it's getting hard to bend over and b) the ground was too hard for me to do proper digging & bulb planting, but Jack had an absolutely fantastic time helping me gather up weeds and then carrying them over to the garbage bag. On every trip back to me, he'd puff up his chest, smile, and say to me "I'm a big, big helper!"


Here's to hoping that the simple things in life will keep Jack entertained well into his teenage (read: expensive) years!

Lonely Goatherd

Jack has enjoyed spending the last week up north with Grammy & Papa, not only because they're great company for him, but also because he's been able to observe the five goats that have taken up residence next door. These goats seem to be free-range, taking a leisurely stroll every day from their home through my parents' yard and over to the church next to my parents' place. On Tuesday, Jack was in a particularly challenging mood so I took him on a walk outside for a good ol' goat hunt; I mean, who hasn't "hunted" goats in their backyard?

Our adventure in pictures (and some priceless video):

Jack, deciding in which direction we should go to find the goats

He kept his eyes peeled for them...

...and repeatedly shouted "GOATS? GOATS? Where are you, goats?"

And then, we spotted them... at church!

We walked toward them (despite my warning that they'd run) and they scurried to the back of the church (near the satellite dish... go figure)

Once we had a good viewing platform, I started singing "Lonely Goatherd" from the Sound of Music (couldn't think of any other goat songs). Jack loved it and started pointing at the goats, in rhythm with the music - as if he were conducting:

Because Jack loved "Lonely Goatherd" so much (but clearly was longing for a better rendition than mine), I splurged on the $0.99 version from iTunes and played it for him when we arrived back in the house. He then entertained us with his dance to the song, which follows below. I laugh every time I watch it.