Neanderthals Like Peanut Butter

I was extremely thankful when I found out we were being sent to a country that has peanut butter widely available. I'm a PB freak. The first few months I was in Chile studying were brutal because on a bad day there was no comforting, creamy, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth peanut butter to be had... anywhere. I was so grateful when Richard Smallridge came on business and brought with him TWO whole jars of the stuff. If I remember correctly, I ate an entire jar before he left to go back to Auburn! I think it's just one of those "comfort foods" I turn to when things are... well, when things go wrong.

There was nothing "wrong" about this morning. By 8am, I had both kids dressed, Em and Todd out the door ready for the day, Cooper playing and my entire kitchen cleaned and reorganized. It had been a good and productive morning, but I was tired. I didn't sleep well last night with the babe auditioning for the role of the next Karate Kid. So I threw in a slice of bread for me and one for Cooper. The kid may look just like his father, but he has my side's genes. If there is food, and he can see it, he wants to eat it. Period.

I didn't anticipate him wanting his bread EXACTLY like mine however. In the last two weeks, he's cut his molars (odd with only four other teeth to speak of but hey, whatever works I guess!), and has discovered that he can TASTE his food rather than just swallow the stuff whole. It's amazing what a difference a few teeth can make. So after much grunting, finger pointing and renegotiating on his part (me pulling my hair out trying to understand what he was saying without my Cooperese-fluent interpreter, Em) the idea to put peanut butter on Cooper's toast dawned on me. The relief on my 5-word-using son's face was obvious, so I figured I'd gotten it right. It was one of the many, many times throughout the day that I was reminded of how verbal Em is, and how Cooper is perfectly satisfied to be lazy and let her be verbal for him. Todd and I still get a kick out of him grunting the syllables of whatever it is he wants. He's very polite and consistent in saying "thank you," but it comes out "guuu duuu" without lips ever being moved.

So the mystery of the wantonous peanut butter was solved, and Cooper had his toast. I got mine and came to sit down, only to be greeted by this face. Who could resist NOT laughing hysterically at that one? It's like he knows exactly what face to put on to make you roll over in hysterics, and he uses it to his advantage every time!

It's as if you can actually hear him saying, "I make this look good, right? I know that's what you're thinking... it's going to be the new trend, and you know that I know who started it. Yeah, that's right."

I will leave you with one last glance at my grunting, gesturing goof-ball of a boy who LOVES his nut butters... because I couldn't resist!