Ethan loves his train set.

Earlier this year, Ethan’s grandpa and uncle teamed up to make play tables for the grandkids. Next, I protected Ethan’s table with non-toxic Clear Coat from The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. And finally, today, the train set arrived. We set it up while he was napping. When he saw it, our often wild monkey was surprisingly quiet, studying the trains and tracks. As he carefully guided the trains, he seemed more like a child playing with a new chess board than the kid in a candy store I was expecting.

There is a product called SureTrack that locks the tracks together. We’d read reviews that said it was a must have for this type of train set. It doesn’t look like Ethan will have a use for it. The SureTrack packaging says it’s for ages 3 and up; after seeing Ethan playing today, it’s hard to imagine a child that age needing it.

After the three of us played together for about a half hour, the toy held his attention for I don’t know how long before it was time for dinner, a walk outside, and sleepy-sleepy-now. For a moment, it looked like pulling himself away would be too great a challenge, but the promise of playing more later changed his mind, making the experience enjoyable from end to end.

Update: When Ethan woke up the next morning, the first words out of his mouth were, “Downstairs. Choo choo train.” He played trains for hour before coming up for breakfast.

Another Ethan first: He saved up.

Tonight for dinner, grapes were the bargaining chips (in exchange for spaghetti squash, mostly). Ethan decided he wanted two grapes. I told him that to get two, he needed to earn one (a bite of squash), not eat it, and then earn another. It took a few tries, since the grapes are so tempting, but he figured it out. After enjoying the fruits of his labor, he decided he wanted three grapes. He saved up for that, too.

Another Ethan first: He played the piano like Daddy.

From upstairs Beth heard the sound of piano playing – not a song, just playing around: some glissandos and simple notes. She had to go downstairs to look. Was it Daddy just toying around, or was it Ethan? She found it was Ethan, who has now discovered a more delicate form of expression on piano.

Another Ethan first: He ran to Mommy’s rescue.

Ethan belly slid down the stairs and came running to me: “Ouey! Ouey! Boo bun!” I got the rabbit-wrapped ice pack from the freezer and asked where it hurt. Instead of answering, Ethan just ran back up the stairs. It was Mommy who was hurt. Ethan had accidentally poked her near the eye with a corner of a book.

I was surprised, since Ethan’s tone and intensity were exactly as if he had been hurt. I was also proud and quite thankful for a boy who cares so much for his mother.

“Two bunnies home”

Ethan’s favorite stuffed animal, Big Blanky Bun, has a twin. We bought two so that we’d have a backup in case one gets lost. Neither one is set aside; they’re both in active service. Ethan knows this, and if he doesn’t have both at bed time, he usually asks for “two bunnies”. If they’re readily locatable, then fine, but if not, we let Ethan know “just one bunny tonight” (otherwise, the whole backup plan goes right out the window).

Tonight Ethan wanted some reassurance. He wanted to know that both bunnies were safely at home, even if not with him for bedtime. Fortunately, he took my word when I confirmed his timid assertion, “Two bunnies home.”

“Big jump Blanky Bun”

Ethan likes to climb onto the ottoman, then jump off so that I can catch him while lying on the floor. He calls this “Bug jump Daddy”. Today, Ethan told me it was Big Blanky Bun’s turn to do the jumping. Of course, Ethan took plenty of turns, too.

Another Ethan first: He asked for more toys.

Ethan’s favorite toys are probably the little wooden vehicles we bought from a local craftsman. We only have a few, and now Ethan has a request: “More tractor.”