Iain's Newest Developmental Milestone/Friend

The above is a cheap, plastic ring that someone at daycare put on birthday cupcakes for a kid I don't know. Iain brought it home 2 weeks ago. Since then, it has become his best friend forever. He tries to feed it (this morning he offered it waffle and then said, "Good job, Elmo!"), he carries it around, he says it wants things ("Elmo waffle brekkie!").

I checked a development chart today. For the last 6 months or so, I ignored all that stuff. I just didn't care that much, and since he was walking late. It's tiresome to watch and wait and hope that people are right when they say, "oh, a couple of weeks!" and "it's not a big deal until you get to 16 months!" Of course, when you get to 16 months, you start to feel it's a big deal.

But that's old news. These days, he walks, he toddly-runs, he's doing fine. So today I checked some not-scientific-composed-to-sell-moms-stuff websites and compared his development to the "norm."

Naturally, it was frustrating. He does some things they associated with 24 months, but not some things they say kids should all do at 19 months. Some things they linked to 23 months he's been doing since he was a year old. Gah!

But the point is, they said that this was an age when kids start talking to, feeding, and otherwise pampering their toys. As in, "tuck in baby" and "does teddie want some oatmeal?" Iain's attempts to feed Elmo, then, are totally age-appropriate and developmentally timely.

I can see why they get along, too. I mean: Elmo likes waffles, Iain likes waffles. Elmo drinks milk, Iain drinks milk. It's a match made in heaven.