Obsessions del Shnitz

Ok, I don't know about the rest of you, but pre-motherhood, I assumed that toy stores were full of toys because that is what children wanted to play with. No one told me that kids are actually incredibly random in terms of what they find interesting and that it is RARELY what I as an adult would think they'd like! Now....it is also entirely possible that my perception has been skewed by having a sample size of only one. I do remember learning in my research classes that results should not be based on such. So, I will state for the record that I recongize the possibility that my child may just be a little "unique":-)

That being said, here are the objects that the schnitz has found to be entirely captivating over the past week, month and some of them even the past year. If you have a child or children that have developed similar fascinations, by all means share and set my mind at ease!:-)

The Musically Talented Lion

First on the list, we have an actual toy. Woohoo! This is a more recent obsession, but has certainly been an entertaining one. This lion has a button on his paw that, when pushed, starts a recording of "In the Jungle". Much like Ross' monkey Marcel on "Friends" the schnitz has taken to playing this song over and over and over and over......you get the point. The really entertaining part is that he will pick up the lion, put it on whatever surface he deems appropriate, hit the paw and then back up and start dancing and snapping his fingers. Should I ever manage to actually get this performance on tape, rest assured that I will post it here for the sheer entertainment value! I made the mistake the other night of letting him take the lion to bed with him and was awakened the next morning at 6 by the sounds of "a-weem-ba-wep, a-weem-ba-wep" coming through the monitor. Now THAT was an interesting way to wake up!

The Phone

This was perhaps the first of the obsessions. I'm afraid that I'm just the tiniest bit responsible for this one. I can remember driving back from Dallas after Christmas when he was about 6 months old and the only thing that stopped him from screaming as we were heading into Amarillo for the night was repeatedly flipping open my cell phone. Apparently, that was his "gateway experience". Since that time he has been of the opinion that all phones exist to be enjoyed by the schnitz. This ranges from all cell phones to hotel phones (that are immediately unplugged upon entry due to our desire to avoid racking up bills equivalent to the national debt) to a payphone located all the way in the back of a convenience station when we stopped for gas. This child has more phones, play and otherwise, than a person could ever possibly need. And if a phone isn't immediately available, things like high chair straps and remote controls are held up to the ear and used for the same purpose. I finally got smart and started locking the keys on my phone after I realized in the middle of a mom's group meeting that he had called my sister!

There are times that he really makes me wonder exactly who he's talking to and what kind of business he's conducting on these phones. A while back I watched for about 10 minutes while he would alternate between picking up the phone, letting out a stream of "blah, blah, blah", placing it on the coffee table, walking to the fireplace hearth to sit for about 30 seconds and then back to pick up the phone. He did this probably 12 times until the last time he was "on the phone" he ended it with "k bye", put it down and walked off into the kitchen. Apparently the discussion was over!:-)

Kitchen Appliances

Now, I will preface this by saying that while I would really like to think that this particular obsession is an indication that my child will one day be a famous chef (or a least a TOTAL catch of a husband), I hesitate to put all of my eggs in this basket since he shares an equal obsession for vacuums and brooms (as will be demonstrated momentarily). So, chef or janitor, who's to say?? I have found myself actively regretting that I replace the metal pantry doors (well, not entirely, as they were very ugly and loud) with curtains because curtains are a very inadequate barrier to a persistent toddler. On any given day, the request (doesn't that sound so much nicer than "demand"?) is made for my mixer, crockpot, rice cooker, blender, the list goes on. A person walking into my house would be at an absolute loss to figure out what kind of crazy people live in a house where every appliance in the pantry is strewn about their living room. I mean really, what could POSSIBLY explain such a situation (please read with the heavy sarcasm intended here;-)? His latest trick is to set up the cup to the shake maker and put the ONE remaining beater to my hand mixer (I'm sure the other beater will be found when we move one day) into the cup. He then walks around the living room/dining room making "mixer" sounds that get louder the further away he gets from his contraption. The only thing we can figure is that he feels the mixer needs to be able to hear him to remember its job. I sit and ponder whether or not we could find a quieter mixer:-) And finally the second picture is what I walked in on a month or so ago when he decided that the crockpot was his appliance of choice.

Vacuum...le piece de resistance!

And finally we come to the obsession object that is looked for almost immediately upon awakening each day and that allows us to make a graceful exit when dropping him off at the church nursery. We have NO idea where this particular one came from and it applies to both real and toy vacuums. I purchased the above toy with the (unrealized) hopes and dreams that he would like it so much that he would shun the REAL vacuum cleaner and I would no longer have that particular obstacle in the middle of my living room floor each day. No such luck. However, it serves a purpose for now as all we have to do is point out the vacuum in the nursery and we become absolutely unneccesary. And my hope is that if I can JUST allow this vacuum fascination to go on for a few more years, I may be able to parcel out a certain household chore! Ok, ok, stop the collective laughter. A person has to cling to a certain amount of optimism! To support this minimal level of optimism, I leave you with the following video. His grasp on the appropriate use of the vacuum may be minimal, but at least it's a start!:-)