When I Was In Your Tummy...

Every night I read a 3-5 books to Jakey before bed and we always read at least 1 about nature (planets, mountains, glaciers, etc) and one about the human body. Now these books are written for children, just not really for 4 year olds, but he loves them, so I figure what's the harm, right? I must admit, though, there are times when I'm reading about veins and arteries and platelets, etc. that I wonder "am I just really reading to myself here, is he getting any of this???"


Well, last week as I was reading to him about the heart and about how it pumps blood and about the job of white blood cells and platelets in fighting germs, he says "wait, mommy, the other page showed that purple cell eating a germ". Now, truth be told, I had NO IDEA what he was talking about...but I've learned better than to doubt him. So, we flipped through the pages of the book and just when I was sure it had to have been another book, or that maybe he read about that in school, wouldn't you know, there it was!!!!! A purplish cell eating a germ...just like he said!!!! We hadn't read that book in at least 4 months, and it just blew my mind that he remembered that page and the color of that cell and the fact that it WAS eating a germ!!!!!!! I could not have recalled that if my life depended on it... NO way, No how. Left me wondering, if I shouldn't be less worried about what HE'S getting out of these books and more concerned about what I'M getting out of them...LOL


Lately, he's been very much into talking about what it was like when he was in my tummy. He knows about the umbilical cord and I've shown him the ultrasound pictures that I have (and with the high risk pregnancy, I was fortunate enough to have some almost every other week, so I have a lot) and he just loves the idea that he was somehow inside my tummy.


So, a couple of weeks ago, after having this never ending debate about how he doesn't eat meat, I decided to invoke one of the stash of mommy white lies that you're given when your child is born. I said "wow, you know what I just thought about? When you were in my tummy, you used to LOVE hamburgers!!!" This just blew his little mind...he was stunned at that news. So, I continued (once you burn one of those little white lies, you might as well make the most of it...LOL), "yes, you loved them so much that when I would finish the first one you would say more, more, more mommy and kick and fuss until I had to give in and eat another one and Nanny would say you're not going to eat another hamburger are you? And I would tell her that I had to because you just loved hamburgers and you were asking for more." Well, he just LOVED this story and he was so intrigued with the whole deal that he asked for more and more details and I embellished the story further and further...just short of having moved into the local burger king...LOL


When we arrived at school that day (this conversation took place on the drive there), he proceeded to tell his teacher that maybe he just thinks he doesn't like meat, but maybe he really does like it because when he was in his mommy's tummy he used to love hamburgers and kick and fuss until I ate more and more of them. Needless to say, she saw me wink at her and played right along. Then we saw Aunt Bear that night at gymnastics and he asked her about it and luckily she was filled in on the whole deal and she played right along.


Now, before anyone gets excited about this, we still haven't gotten any closer to trying a hamburger yet...but maybe the door just inched open a tiny, tiny bit?!?!? I know, I know, some day he's going to be 6' 3" and be sitting across from me at McDonalds eating 2 Big Macs and a double cheeseburger while I eat my salad and I'm going to laugh at myself for ever worrying about this...but I've come to realize, that's what mommy's do, they worry!!!