NO TRAINS

For Christmas Santa brought Ryder a train table. Santa was pretty excited about it.  It's not that Ryder had talked about trains a lot, or that he even had ever seen the TV show, Thomas The Train, it's just that Santa kinda wanted one.

Ryder loved playing at his friend's train tables and he had a couple of "Thomas trains" he carried around occasionally.  So Santa figured this table would be a big hit!!  Santa set the table and track up so that when Ryder came down the stairs he would see it and it would be ready to play with.  It was hard to tell who was more excited about it once Ryder finally saw it, Santa or Ryder!  The excitement and fascination lasted a couple of hours, before Ryder started asking for his trucks (which Santa's wife had put away downstairs to make room for all of the trains.)  By the end of the first week of having the Train Table fill our living room, there were more trucks on it than trains.  Pretty soon, frustration hit because Ryder had no where to drive his trucks with all that track and train on the table. He started driving his trucks on the stairs, on the window sills, on the island in the kitchen, on the couches...but always his play ended in frustration with his trucks falling off the surface he was using as a road.  

I couldn't see a connection at the time, but his temper tantrum frequency went way up and after this weekend, I am convinced that it was because of his trains...can I blame Thomas? Is that fair? LOL

You see, the other day, we took down the track, not just a piece of two of it (we had already tried that, but there still was not enough room for tucks.) We put all the track and the trains in the drawers of the train table and all of Ryder's trucks back upstairs and....that perma smile of his, the cute one that emphasizes his adorable chubby cheeks? It returned!!!  That little cutie who is happy to play all by himself for up to 20 minutes at a time? He returned!  Seriously, I have been able to do the dishes after supper and even make supper almost interrupted for the last two nights, thanks to the trucks!!!! :)  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE trucks????? :)

  He has pulled out a few of the train pieces to drive his trucks on, but for the most part, all trains are gone, only trucks and busses and vans cover our Train Table now.

I do love trucks now as they have given me 20 minute stretches of freedom back. Infact, I just made myself a cup of coffee and wrote half of this Blog while Ryder played by himself with his trucks, but I do love sleep more and that is something this pregnant uncomfortable Mamma is lacking!!  How can I be so much more uncomfortable this time around? Ugh!! I love lil Peanut and I cannot wait to meet the little cutie pie in three months, but I am ready to see my toes again!!!!!

Kiss your babies, count your blessings and if your kid loves trucks, let him love trucks! :)