Exploring

I'm pretty certain Eli is going to be a curious fellow and a determined one at that. He's definitely in an exploratory mood lately which includes getting his paws on anything and everything, especially if it's new to him.

Last weekend we were at Alan's boss' house for a BBQ and Julie, his boss' wife, pulled out some great Fisher Price toys from back in the day (why don't they make cool toys like this anymore...so simple but so much fun!) which she found at an estate sale in South Africa where they are from. Eli, who had been getting a bit cranky, took great interest in the toys and was equally interested in her wooden spoon.



However, surprisingly he took absolutely no notice of their two huge dogs. I guess maybe they were too big for him to play with? Not quite sure. And to our relief, they didn't take much notice of him either.




All this exploration means it's getting harder and harder to keep Eli interested. His Ghanaian basket full of toys, which we thought would keep him entertained for weeks, is now old news for him and he is constantly on the look out for new and interesting objects to play with.


Like our bronze Benin tiger for instance...or maybe some travel books (which now have been moved to a higher shelf!).


He's even recently started to realize that the wheels on his stroller are great fun. But when I think of what grit and grim must be on them, I cringe and quickly distract him with something else.

As much fun as it is to watch him explore, I suppose we're just getting used to that nervous feeling that all parents must feel when you can foresee danger around every corner. I'm trying to resist the urge to follow him around and instead am developing that mom skill where I can be doing something but constantly have an eye on the boy too.