Imaginative Play

Wilson makes us smile every day with how much he is learning. He can often be heard around the house reciting a song or a book (even Dr. Suess books, for goodness sake!). He'll get a big smile on his face if you pick up where he leaves off and he realizes you've been listening and know what he's talking about.

He is also showing more and more imagination.

He likes to say, "Knock, knock. Who's there? Hi! Can I help you?" To which, we presumed the first time we heard it that we were supposed to order something. So you say, "Yes, can I have a hamburger please?" He then prepares it and gives it to you. After the appropriate eating motions he says, "Have a nice day!" Now, we know this can't be imitating real life. After all, when's the last time you actually had this pleasant of a drive-through experience?

We got a helium balloon when baby Evelyn arrived and it was his favorite toy for a week. He would let it go to our ceiling and say, "Oh no! My balloon! I can't reach it!" I decided to see how much he would go along with a pretend story and he took right to it. It went something like this: Wilson says, "It's way up high with the clouds and birds and airplanes!" He would pretend to jump here to show he couldn't reach it. Then would say, "I'd better chase it!" and then run all around the house. Finally, he would run back to the balloon, jump high and catch it. We played this game about 400 times per day.

He loves playing with his cars and tractors. He likes to get his big tractor or combine and load his smaller cars in it. He can be heard telling the cars, "Get in, we gotta go!" and then makes up some story from there. His cars also tell each other, "hi" and exchange other niceties.

This week he's been assigning personalities to his stuffed animals. This morning when he woke up I heard him talking to his stuffed dog about the owie on its tail. He informed me today his sleeping companions (remember? the bunny, bear and glow worm) were his family.

Yesterday we were playing together in the basement and he got out his toy toolbox. He has heard about and watched his dad "working" i.e gutting and remodeling in the basement bathroom for weeks. So it's no surprise that he took the toolbox and told me he was going to work and went to the bathroom.

Today during what has been a daily battle of wills at naptime I finally grabbed the door knob to prevent his exit from the room for the 100th time (I know, parenting at its finest). To this, he got very upset and I heard him tell another stuffed bear, "Bear, I don't know how to open the door!"