Baby Banana

Mysteriously, Callum’s latest thing is to get a drink or piece of food, and just hold it for an hour or more without actually drinking or eating it, while steadfastly refusing to give up the item. His appetite has been very small lately compared to usual, because of colds and teething, but normally before now he would have just been uninterested in having anything. This magpie-like behaviour is perplexing and frustrating. I’ve gotten to the point where I am wary of giving him anything squishable, crumbly, or tip-out-able. While I am quite happy to clean up afterwards when he actually eats, this new habit of festooning our carpet and sofa with perishables for no purpose (he usually eventually abandons the item) just drives me crazy.

We have all been gradually getting well after a week of snuffling and coughing, so I took it as a positive sign last night that after eating some pasta, Callum asked for a banana. Like a fool, I actually gave him a piece. You guessed it: he then clutched it, wandered back and forth, clambered over my legs and into my lap and out again, all the while applying just enough pressure to the banana to render the surface slimy. Eventually, it popped out of his hand on to the carpet.

It didn’t rest there for long, because Callum spotted a washcloth on our side table, so he picked up the banana, placed it on the table, and draped the washcloth over it. Next he patted it, and said, “Baby.” This went on for a little while longer, and then he picked up the banana again, this time with the cloth around it, and continued climbing over my legs and lap. He even gave the banana an experimental nibble, so that I teased him that he was eating his baby, but he never did eat it.

But at least I got an amusing blog-able moment out of it…