Housekeeping at 37 Months

Dear Milo:
This month your obsession shifted slightly from trains to Cars, the movie. Yesterday I came downstairs into the playroom to discovered you had managed to combine the two obsessions by sticking all your Cars characters on top of your trains. They were taking the train to California, you explained. A while later you had them all lined up waiting at the station. You are nothing if not consistent.

The other thing you've gotten into recently is your farm puzzle. It's a 40 piece puzzle that you are able to assemble all by yourself. I find myself watching in amazement every time you do this, and double checking the age specifications on the box (3 and up -- does that mean kids who have just turned three should be able to do the whole thing in ten minutes?).

You are also endlessly curious about how the baby will get out of my belly. Frankly, I barely understand it myself, and I did it once, so I'm right there with you. The other day you said, "Mama, are you just going to POP open your belly and take the baby out?" At which point I felt compelled to explain to you, in the vaguest of detail, how babies are born. You haven't asked again since then, so I guess that satisfied your curiosity.

As your grandfather recently pointed out, you are a child who knows his own mind. Whenever we go into a toy store you pick out one or two toys within a matter of minutes, then get back in the stroller and announce that you're done and ready to go. It's not that you don't like toys, it's just that you know what you want so there's no point in discussing it further. I'll take one of those, now let's go.

You've also gotten pretty good at entertaining yourself. You'll play with your cars, your Dinoco helicopter, and your trains endlessly, calling up the stairs only for occasional glasses of water or snacks. But you can also be touchingly thoughtful. The other day I asked you to put the placemats out on the table for dinner. When I turned around I saw that you had not only put out all the placemats, but were in the process of adding napkins to each setting, even though no one had asked you to do it.

"That's great," I said to you.

"In case anyone needs to wipe off their hands," you explained, in case I had never seen a napkin before.

So that's you in a nutshell: a little obsessive and single-minded, but also helpful and clean.

Love,
Mama

Misinterpreted Pixar Characters

"So how long do you think we'll be living with Lightning McQueen?"

"Lightning McQueens."

"Right, he insists its Lightning McQueens."

"Lightning McQueens sounds like a West Village floor show."