Quirks

I assume that most kids have some goofy quirks. If this is not the case then please just lie to me. LB has a few that are quite amusing. I noticed around the time he turned one that he was obsessed with little pieces of lint or string he would find on the floor. He would always pick them up and either hand them to me or carry them around for a while. This progressed to LB purposefully asking for tissue paper and then wadding it up into a little ball and carrying it around. About a month ago, I thought that I discovered that he had come up with a little name for his paper treasures. I asked him if he wanted one and went and got him the piece of tissue. He nodded and smiled and said the word. He calls them his "badees." I have no idea where this word came from but little pieces of lint or tissue are "badees" to LB. Even writing about it makes me crack up laughing. I actually mentioned it to LB's Occupational Therapist and she said it is possible that he is seeking touch so having the "badee" to carry around satisfies that sensory need. Or he is doing it to keep that hand safe so he doesn't have to touch something he doesn't want to. Or it means nothing and he is just goofy. I can even tempt LB to do something he doesn't want to do with the offering of a "badee." It comes in pretty handy.

My other favorite quirk of his has to do with certain books that we read. LB gets stuck on a few books and only wants those few books read to him again and again. Then after a few weeks he will usually switch to other books and occasionally come back to his favorites. Currently, he loves a book that my sister got him. It is written by Vera Williams and is called, Lucky Song. It's a great book and we have a few other books by the same author. I highly recommend them. There is even one that has a brown baby and a white grandma as characters. When I read Lucky Song to LB I always have to make sure that I have his hat and blanket close by. The character in the book, Evie, wears a hat so when that part comes LB must have his. She also has a blanket so LB must have his. If I am reading the book downstairs and those items are upstairs he will point relentlessly until you go get them. There is no escaping. He is like this with a book his Aunt Carole got for him too. It is a book about Cookie Monster and at one point he kicks a soccer ball. Well, LB must get up and go kick his soccer ball like Cookie Monster. Trust me when I say he is very insistent. I have to think it is a good thing though that he is making these connections between himself and the characters in his books. It is easiest to play along and embrace his quirks. We all have them, right?

(Thanks to my friend, Nancy, for capturing LB's goofy grin.)