something new

Jonah and I tried something new today. Playtime at an indoor playground, really a gym chalk full of toys for toddlers and preschoolers. Great option on a rainy day for a little thunder bolt of a boy.

I had never seen so many wheelie toys in one place: foot-powered plastic cars, pretend shopping carts, and mini tricycles. That's what I call a little boys' heaven. Jonah didn't know what to try first. He ran from toy to toy, sampling each along the way. The rag doll, the foam blocks, the crawl-through tunnels. Watching him in this new and exciting territory, I learned that Jonah can't quite navigate a baby-sized car yet, but he did manage to make one go - uh... backwards. His face was sheer bewilderment mixed with fear. This frantic foot dance went on for what seemed like five minutes until Jonah managed to get sucked down in through the opening meant for his feet. In reality, the backwards speeding car incident happened so fast that I didn't have a chance to prevent it. It was as if he had started sprinting and suddenly, without a warning melted like the Wicked Witch of the West or slipped down into a drain with the bath water. Not completely. Just half-way. Surprisingly Jonah didn't cry, only grimaced. I helped him out and he was on to a new adventure.

In the shopping cart that he grabbed next were some peculiar objects. At first I thought the non-discript brownish plastic mass the size of an adult fist was a partially melted dinosaur. But no. The mangled animal turned out to be a barbecued chicken leg. Someone must have gone shopping. Next to the chicken leg we found a single pile of sliced carrots, the kind with ridges found in the frozen food section of the supermarket. Very realistic too, shellac and all, unlike the chicken. Jonah grabbed the chicken leg, walked over to an older boy in a mini car, and gave it to him. What a generous guy. The boy took one look at the strange plastic object, stuck it in the car's trunk, and continued on his merry way without a single word. Such are little children. Never ceasing to amuse.

A half-hour in a palace full of magical toys and speedy children was enough for little Jonah. When we got home, it was snack time then nap time. I think we'll go again soon.