Please behold the train table, tracks, and land of magical wonders that Jordan's grandparents gave him for Christmas.Nick started putting it together when we got home from our annual Christmas Eve festivities with dear family friends. I waited up being all supportive as long as I could, and then pregnancy exhaustion took over, and right around 10 pm I had to go to sleep.
So when I got up in the morning, it was seriously like Christmas fairy dust for both Jordan and me.
While all the adults were still all, "Ooh, look! The tracks go up in the air!" and "Hey! A gas pump!" Jordan discovered The Drawer.
This table, it has a large drawer underneath, in which to stash the multitude of toys that would otherwise be strewn about the room. We were excited about the drawer.
Not half as excited as Jordan.
He promptly climbed in, looked at Nick, and said, "Close me!"
The kid loves to be closed in the drawer. And then he says, "Where are me?"
To which we respond, "I don't know! Where's Jordan? Is he in the bathroom?"
Jordan pipes up with a soft little, "No!"
"Is he behind the radiator?"
You can see a blue eye peering through the gap between table and drawer, Jordan barely able to contain his glee. "No!"
"Is he under the kitchen table?" And we go through places in the house, each time with Jordan's delighted and unsuppressed "No!"
Finally, finally one of us says, "Maybe he's in the drawer! OH! HERE HE IS!"
And then he climbs out, runs around, then climbs back in and says, "Close me!"He could do this all day. We don't even necessarily have to play the Where Are Me? game. Sometimes we just close the drawer and then wait until he says, "Open me!"
Where's your child? Oh, he's just hanging out in the drawer.
The nice thing is, we know where he is and what he's up to and he's not banging, climbing on, or breaking anything. On the downside, um, our kid likes to lie quietly in a closed drawer.
Also, we're pretty sure Closing Your Kid in a Drawer is a no-no on the Social Services checklist.
I need a drawer like that.
ReplyDeleteMy sister's wedding reception was held in a Victorian mansion that had been renovated as an event space. Her husband's nephew (who was maybe 11 or 12 at the time) fell asleep on the floor, in front of the fireplace. Noticing this, and thinking it odd, I mentioned it to his dad, who said:
"Is he hurt?"
"No."
"Is he breaking anything?"
"No."
"Is he annoying anyone?"
"No."
"Okay."
I'd say you're doing just fine.
Give them the biggest toy from the store and guaranteed they'll play in the box it came in.
ReplyDeleteAnd anyway, I think you only get in trouble with social services when you LOCK the drawer!
Jessica - Now that you mention it, maybe we ALL need a drawer like that...
ReplyDeleteAnd that's funny - you'd think he might want to move him somewhere more nap-friendly. And yet, I can see where he's coming from.
cla517 - Such a good point! No lock on the drawer. And I suppose if he pushed up on the table, which is in two panels, he could bust out if he needed to. (Which, I assure you, he will not. Unless he really misbehaves. No! I kid! I kid!)
My kids like to sit on the floor in the hall closet so that both of them can fit in there. I'm not sure what the fun is in doing this but the least amount of space they have to make a mess in the happier I am. Plus the door is shut so I can't see it. Once upon a time these were punishments, now it's play... go figure... I wonder if they're going to start whooping each other with a belt or wooden spoon next too...
ReplyDeleteLove the train table Christmas magic and the drawer game! Where are me....adorable. I'm w Jessica, I'd love a drawer of my own
ReplyDeleteWe do this with our almost two-year-old, who likes to hide in our closet. It's great, because I can clean up the bedroom or get ready for work, and he's totally entertained, so long as I yell "Is he under the bed? ... Noooooo" intermittently.
ReplyDeleteBtw, impressive train set up!
Moomser - I remember liking to squeeze into small places, and I imagine a hall closet has a bunch of interesting stuff in it!
ReplyDeleteHK - Yes, once she said it, I realized how appealing it could be! :)
Melissa - That sounds very convenient. I would love it if he were in the closet, actually - the back room is not terribly convenient, plus, it's COLD! But it does keep him entertained.
And thanks, it is cool, isn't it?
It's a very cool train table and the drawer well I am with the others, It would be nice to have somewhere dark and quiet and secret to hide. We should all have a secret hiding drawer.
ReplyDeleteIf there's no duct tape, I'd say you're doing great!
ReplyDeleteHilarious! And you will remember this forever. I still remember how Chloe liked to stand in front of the mirrored closet doors when she cried. The drama!
ReplyDeleteThat train table rocks.