Exploration

Toddlers can turn the most common object into a plaything. Eva takes the plastic placemats off the table and pushes them around on the carpet like a sled. I have to keep the caps tight on my water bottles around the house because Eva likes to try to drink out of them, drenching herself and the floor. She's started going after kleenex boxes to pull out all the tissues. She found my pre-pregnancy bras in a bottom drawer and decided to try them on for size. Food is as much of a discovery opportunity as anything else.

Eva loves to play with her food, dumping her bowl or plate, spreading it around her tray, picking out her favorite pieces. She'll chew on something, take it out of her mouth to look at it, and put it back. She'll try to feed herself with a toddler spoon or fork, then switch to the tried-and-true finger method. She'll notice that Mommy and Daddy's food looks different from what she's eating (hers is cut into tiny pieces), and instantly want our food instead of hers. When she's done, she'll start dropping food onto the floor and then sign for "more" to play with. Once when I was making dinner, Eva decided she didn't want to wait. I turned around to see her calmly munching on chocolate-covered pretzels. She had somehow managed to grab the box off the table and pry the lid off. Her hands, face and clothes were smeared in chocolate, but she was thoroughly enjoying her accomplishment.