This morning when I went into get JDaniel out of his crib I found him laying down with his blanket over his head. Yes, he was laying there clasping a blanket over his face and head.
I was frantic and shouted, “JDaniel get that blanket off your head!” What are you doing?”
“Oh! I am camouflaged, “he said calmly taking the blanket off his head.
“You can’t be camouflaged. Your blanket is green and the sheet is white,” I told him.
“Then I am in a cocoon,” he replied.
“You could have trouble breathing with a blanket over your face. It doesn’t matter what you were pretending to be,” I answered.
“No, look I can breathe,” he responded holding the blanket over his mouth.
Why did he have a blanket on over his face? There are three reasons for this my trying to sneak more sleep, JDaniel’s learning to make a bed, and the Cat in the Hat.
Trying to Sneak More Sleep
One morning I was exhausted and I snuck back into after getting JDaniel’s breakfast. I was sure that if I pulled the covers over my head he wouldn’t find me. Apparently large lump in the bed was very noticeable to him. He came charging in laughing and soon pulling at the covers.
“What are you doing Mom?” he asked.
“I am a caterpillar in a cocoon. If you give me a few minutes, I will burst out of the covers as a butterfly, “I said sleepily.
He waited patiently beside the bed for me to hatch out of the cocoon. I was hoping he would run back and finish breakfast or get tired of waiting for me to hatch or check out what my husband was up to. No, he waited. He wanted to see me fly out of bed and he wanted to jump in bed and pretend he was now it a cocoon. He has been pretending to change from a caterpillar to a butterfly ever since.
Learning to Make a Bed
I am trying to teach JDaniel how to do simple household chores. While helping me make my bed one morning he noticed that a flat sheet, pillows, and blanket were on the bed. He asked me about why they were there and why he didn’t have them in his bed. His crib contains only a fitted sheet. JDaniel has enough trouble finding his pacies as it is at night. I decided to not add pillows, blankets or toys that would impede his finding them. He was insistent that he needed them right away. I convinced him that starting with a blanket would be a good first step. If he liked it and it wasn’t a problem, we could add a pillow. He has used the blanket for a few weeks and loves to have it draped over him at night.
The Cat in the Hat
The need for extra sleep and learning to make a bed has been covered. What is left? Oh! The Cat in the Hat hasn’t been explained. Last night before bedtime we watched the Cat in the Hat on T.V. There were two stories in the episode. One featured a silk worn who built a cocoon. The second story was about a gecko and how he could hide well using his camouflage. I guess JDaniel must have been thinking about the show when he woke up this morning and decided to surprise me.
He decided to let the blanket hang on the side of his bed at nap time and not have it draped over him. Maybe he was afraid of scaring me again.