Bananas

I'm sitting in the living room, on the phone. Baby E is in the kitchen. Doing heaven knows what. I can hear him and am physically less than 10ft away. I just can't actually see him.

I hear him drag a kitchen chair across the floor, from the table towards the kitchen counters. Lord knows what's up there. I can't get up and go in there because I need the computer for the convo I'm having and the stupid thing won't work unless plugged in continuously. I can't tell you what that convo was about. You know, because of whole SECRET thing.

Anyway, I hear him giggling and chattering away to himself. There's no telling what he's found. I hear his bare feet hit the wood floor. At least he's no longer in danger of falling 4ft from the top of the counter to the hard floor. Of course I assumed he had climbed on top of the counters. You know. Because that's what he does when left unattended.

The chair scrapes back across the floor to the table. Slap, slap, slap go his bare feet. Screeeeeeech goes the chair. I see him climb up into the chair and sit down nicely with his hands in his lap. He's put a banana on the table. Apparently he was hungry. I'm thrilled that's all he got off the counter. Well, I hope that's all he got off the counter.

He bows his head. Babbles a bunch. Then clearly says, "Aaaaaaaaamen". And eats his banana.

I feel all proud that my barely two year old was able to get his own snack and knew to take it to the table to eat. Really, that's better than the 6yo sometimes does. Also, I'm loving our sitter/dear friend for teaching him to say "amen" before eating. I'm reminded that he had to learn it there, because we've been horrible about praying before meals the last few months.

I finish up the phone call. Baby E has finished up his snack. Oh yes. He also wiped his hands and face with one of the cloth napkins on the table. Such a big boy.

I head in to the kitchen. He ate half the banana. I'm impressed he was able to peel it himself. But he sure did. I walk further in to the kitchen. And see a banana on the floor. And then another. I pick the first up. It has a bite mark. As in a piece of the peel is missing - and no where to be found. I sigh. Then pick up the other banana. It has 2 bites out of it.

I sit the bananas on the counter. There are 2 bananas there that also have bite marks. One is also half eaten. Apparently he did have a whole banana for his snack. That ought to hold him for quite a while.

E comes running in to the room, laughing hysterically about who knows what. He runs full force towards me with his arms flung wide open, his face holds the most joyous smile. I can do nothing but grin at him in return and open my arms to welcome him. He wriggles like a happy puppy. I call him puppy sometimes. It's like his body holds too much joy and just can't contain it all.

How I love this little creature. Banana smeared hands, hair, face and all.

And, this week, we shall have banana bread for breakfast. Lots of banana bread.


Today's Lesson: A toddler's digestive tract is not particularly equipped to digest banana peels. They'll look remarkably the same on the way out as they did on the way in. Apparently.