Toys, Tissues and Toilet Paper Rolls

In the last three months Noah has been visited by an aunt, 2 sets of grandparents, and Santa. He also travelled back to Australia and celebrated his birthday and Christmas, before returning home to New York, to celebrate his birthday and Christmas. In short, Noah has received many, many new toys. He has literally hundreds of hours of entertainment within the 3 small rooms of our apartment.

Trucks and cars. Balls and books. Puzzles and pianos. Maracas and tambourines. Xylophones, shakers, blocks, sorting shapes and pull toys. It goes on and on. But you get the idea. He has a lot of toys.

And yet what is it that entertains him for hours? That has him quietly playing by himself for a few precious minutes. Toilet paper. Tissues. A cardboard box. I know - it is clique'd, but it still fascinates me. This afternoon, for almost an hour a single box of tissues entertained Noah. He took each tissue out of the box, one at a time. Not rushed, not by sticking his entire hand into the box to grab a fistful. But delicately extracting each tissue, with his well practiced "pincer grip", bring it to his nose for a quick sniff or blow - depending what tickled his fancy at the time,, and then he shredded it. Sometimes he shredded the tissue with his mouth. Sometimes with his fingers. Sometimes he brought the tissue to me, so I could blow my nose, or later he held the up to the computer so Pop, Nan and Aunty Shann could blow their noses.

Toilet paper holds more alluring qualities for Noah. He has mastered the art of spinning the roll as he walks past, unravelling it with maximum efficiency. If he didn't giggle so much at his achievement, I might hardly notice for hours, he has the movement so mastered. Then when I started to move the roll away so that he could no longer reach it, he found an alternative. He discovered where the spare rolls of toilet paper are kept, and has mastered placing them on the holder to unravel them instead - these are a lot more fun given that its an entire roll, andnot just the remnants of a used roll like previously. Or he simply launches these unused rolls into the bathtub - only when full of course!

His squeals of delight during theses activities are matched only when his Dad is tickling him or chasing him around the lounge room. It is pure joy - and from such an inexpensive household item.