52 Pick Up

Why do babies have to drop everything on the floor? Is it the noise it makes when it hits the ground? Is it getting a rise out of Mama & Dada? Do they know what they are doing? Is it actually a fun game for them?

I remember going out to eat with a dear friend of mine last year (before baby) and her one year old was throwing everything she gave him on the floor. It was driving me nuts, and everyone around us for that matter, but she acted calm and would bend over and pick it up and give it back to him. I just remember thinking that I would be so annoyed if my kid ever did that.

how could you be mad at this face???

And here I am today, in an ongoing game of 52 (more like 1,000,000) pick up with Baby M. I sit her in her high chair and put something in front of her to entertain her for a few seconds while I prepare her meal, and within 10 seconds it is on the ground. I put more than one thing...bam! Bam! Bam! And I stop what I am doing and look over at her and she has the biggest grin ever on her face. Of course I can't get mad, because I love her and it isn't like she knows what she is doing, does she?

I am constantly picking toys up off the floor, running them under water and giving them back to her. Because our dog sheds (and I am forever sweeping the hair up off the hardwood) there is bound to be dog hair on whatever she drops, so I can't just give it back to her. Not that she has a way of of knowing this of course.

And food - if I give her the teething food bag with something in it...5 seconds, it is on the floor face down. So much for those peaches! And puffs - forget about it! I wish my dog liked to eat those, but she is too good for them - the snobby dog that she is.

Is this just a phase? I know that all kids do this, but does it ever stop?