26 Months - Little Helper Guy

Dear Teo,
Every morning you wake up at the crack of dawn and tell me with cheerful enthusiasm - "Mama, it's play time!"  While I am still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, you are gently nudging me out of the bed, "Mama, get down, please.  You on my sweeper truck."  Sometimes it is a garbage truck or a fire truck.  You set up a cab and driver's seat with the pillows, and off we go, sweeping streets, collecting trash, saving people, making the world a better place.

Another pretend play theme that has really inspired you is gift giving.  You like to wrap up your toys in one of your baby blankets or in one of my scarves and give them to me and Papa to unwrap.  One night you had a great idea.  You wrapped yourself up as a gift.  I opened my gift.  What could it be!?!  It has a fuzzy head.  It has elbows.  It has a soft belly.  Oh!  It's a little boy!  I've always wanted one of these!  This is the best gift ever!  Then you and I wrapped ourselves up as a gift for Papa.  The three of us went on like this - being gifts for each other - for a good 20 minutes one evening.

So much of your pretend play is about helping / cleaning / working / fixing.  Sometimes I see boys your age doing violent pretend play ("This my Tommy gun.  I shoot you."), and I try to imagine how a child would come to that theme at such a young age.  Television, I'm sure.  I am glad you are growing up with the awareness that there is strength and power in being kind. 

One other thing you pretended was . . . MOMMY BROCCOLI.  I swear you came up with this on your own.  You told me your bee pillow pet was Mommy Broccoli, and she wanted to wear one of my shirts.  You picked out a green one, and I dressed Ms. Broccoli.  She took a bath in a "steamer basket," and then gave a piggyback ride to baby squirrel.  I think with a creative mind like that, you'll probably grow up to be a novelist or something. 

Here you are playing with Oceana and Miles on Thanksgiving. I can't believe I didn't take any more photos on this wonderful evening.  Papa made Thanksgiving dinner this year, and we invited Grammy, Auntie Sarah, Oceana, Miles and his parents (Bill and Paula), and our friends Mark and Karen to join us.  The food was fabulous, and we all had a great time.  I got to play a few piano duets with Mark and Paula, and you and Miles played a little, too.  We played hide-and-seek, jumped on the bed, and had a wild and happy time.  

 A little prince - exploring Mommy's jewelry box. 

A happy day at Mt. Pisgah.

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place
With my own two hands.

-Jack Johnson