Bug, On Food

Recently, Bug has decided that the kitchen is his favorite place to be.  Seriously.  He wakes up in the morning and is still all groggy and sleepy-eyed when he snuggles up and mumbles "Let's go in the kitchen".  When he gets upset about something and finally gets to the clingy, post-crying portion of his meltdown, he sniffles "Let's go in the kitchen".  I'd worry that he was developing an unhealthy relationship with food, but he usually doesn't actually ask for or want anything to eat (though the recent discovery of his ability to reach the hard-boiled eggs has led to eating more of those than normal).  He just likes *being* in there.  He likes helping.  Which I think is pretty cool.

If I may take on the role of the gosh-my-kid-is-so-stinkin'-cute parent for a moment, I'd like to share two food comments from yesterday that made me giggle.

We woke up waaaaaaay too early yesterday morning.  Like, around 5:30.  Which is an hour we don't often see around here.  Annoying as it has to be for Richard, Bug and I have settled in to our natural clocks and tend to end up getting up in the morning sometime closer to 9:30.  Or 11.  Whatever.  But, yesterday morning, the diaper gave up at 5:30.  Eek.

Bug and I got up, Richard slept.  When Richard got up a few hours later, Bug was still going strong, so I went to take a nap.  Then Bug came in later and crashed, and I got up and went to the grocery store.  It being a holiday weekend and me feeling celebratory because Richard was actually home, I bought a few things that we normally never, ever have in he house.  Like a can of Pringles and a cheese danish.

When Bug woke up, we were cuddling and playing in the bedroom and I asked him if he was hungry.  I got a non-answer.  I mentioned that I had gone to the store and picked up some Muenster cheese, his current favorite.  It peaked his interest, but he still wanted to lie there.  I mentioned that I'd bought some Pringles, which he loves, and it peaked his interest, but he still wanted to lie there.  I mentioned the danish and he gave me an inquisitive look.

Bug: "What's a danish?"
Me: "Well...it's kind of like a donut cake."
Bug's eyes got wide.  He looked at me like I might be kidding.  Then he sat up and crawled out of bed so fast that it was almost cartoonish.
Bug: "Let's go see!"

Then, just before bed, there was another giggle-worthy food moment.

My cousin, who is now living with us, had to put in a really long shift at work yesterday.  Bug asked about her repeatedly and followed her around like a puppy when she got home.  (Thank goodness she seems to think this is cute and not annoying.)  At one point, he followed her into the kitchen and pointed out the Pringles on the counter.  (He had been told that he couldn't have any more, at that point.)

Bug: "We got chips today."
Cousin: "Yeah?"
Bug: "Mhm.  They're not good for me." *pause* "But I can eat them."

At least he *knows* they're a special event food and not something we eat every day?