Tonight Cody almost gingerly flipped through the pages of my Wicked paperback for a good 10 minutes. He had no interest in stopping, either, when I hinted at him lying down to sleep. It was pretty extraordinary, considering how recently he has been destroying Dr. Seuss baby board books and the like, either by chewing or attempting a reversal of the binding. I was wondering if his respectful page turning has something to do with observing the way I handle the book when I am reading it both aloud to him and silently. People do remark on his observational bent, although they don’t always interpret it as such. It can come across to some as a somber, slightly aloof affect. But if you spend enough time with him, you see that he displays that gaze when there’s something worthy of study.
He seemed to appreciate having a TV dinner-esque meal fed to him tonight. When he would tire of one item, I luckily (from some bit of experience) had other options ready at the offing. He ate samplings of Khwan’s fried rice with salmon and egg; her couscous with tomato, ground pork, onions, cilantro, and other savories; some apple blueberry sauce; and Liberte strawberry yogurt. This was all washed down with intermittent sips of water, which he kindly doesn’t spit out boxer-style anymore, and of course his favorite propranolol dose. His eating preferences are an interesting moving target, changing as he grows. Of course he is also a moving target since we’ve stopped bothering with his high chair now with his recent deep hatred of confinement of any sort.

originally published on 7/30/11