slice of life: 3/2/09

I was challenged by a friend to join the Slice of Life Challenge and write a short "slice of life" entry on the blog each day. Here goes:

He must be awake. I hear bed springs squeaking rhythmically.
I open the door and the jumping stops, blue eyes watching me, waiting for a comment.
“Hi, ” I say.
“Hi.”
I move to the window to push aside the bright green and blue striped curtains to let the sun light the room. His eyes follow. I can tell he’s been up for some time, as there’s no sleep left in them and he doesn’t squint at the light coming through. I turn and walk cribside, reach down to pick him up and ask, as I give him a squeeze and lift at the same time, “Did you sleep good?”
“Yep.”
“Mommy’s eating breakfast. Do you want some breakfast?” I say as I carry him out from his room, kissing his head.
“Yep.”
We approach the kitchen and his perceptive ears hear the faucet on. He leans from my arms to peek around the wall.
“Da!”
“Good morning Ander.”
Ander responds with his own chatter, not quite having mastered “good morning.”
“Do you want some cereal?” I ask, heading through the kitchen to the pantry shelves.
“Yep.”
“Yes?”
“Yesh.” He squiggles out of my arms and drops to the floor to investigate his choices on the shelf at eye-level. I pull out the Cinnamon Life.
“No. No!” Ander says as he reaches for the Smart Start. This has been his choice the last few days. He even chose it for lunch the day before. He hugs the box to his chest and his under 2-foot frame carries it to the kitchen table. He places it on the table, reaching high, so his hands are free to help him pull and climb his way onto the chair.
I follow him through the kitchen, stopping at the cabinet with our dishes. “How about a green bowl? And a green spoon?”
“Yep.” Mental note to self: ask questions that aren’t yes or no answers.
He spots the orange Matchbox sportscar that I got him last night as a surprise. “Ca. Ca!” His version of car.
“Is that your new car?”
“Yep.” So much for mental notes…
I pour him a bowl of cereal and he asks for “Milk”.
Together we eat our cereal as he maneuvers the largest, most heaping spoonful of cereal that he can manage toward his mouth. It’s no use telling him small bites. One lesson at a time.