Linus—oh, I mean, Carter—has attached himself to a blue blanket that Nana originally made for Helena, Ava’s doll. This has caused some issues with Ava, who rightfully claims ownership, but who has been remarkably tolerant because she knows just how much the color blue means to Carter. I was in the basement rooting around the other day, and was so relieved to find the super soft fuzzy blue receiving blankets that Grandma sent us when Carter was itty bitty. So now we have 3 blue blankets, which Carter is completely obsessed with. He lays them out on the floor and says “night night,” he drags them around outside, he even insisted on having Helena’s blanket in the car with him today. It was 86 degrees out and he carefully draped it over his lap, tucking it in and bundling himself up. He was drenched in sweat, but had a blissful smile on his face. Every time he goes to sleep he must have them, and they have to be draped wrinkle free on his pillow. When he cannot find one, he will run up to me, saying “bue bue bue bue? Bue…” and if I do not immediately respond, say if I am on the floor tying Ava’s shoe, he will bend over so that he is looking up at my downturned face, put his hands on my cheeks and turn my head to his and look me square in the eye and say “Bue. Bue. BUE!” I usually tell him where I think it is, and sometimes he returns triumphant, “BUE!!!!” and sometimes he returns with hands upturned and head shaking no..”bue…uh uh.”
The security blanket thing is new to me—Ava never had anything that resembled a “transitional object.” I guess she figured Mom was there, why transition? I can understand it of course—tons of children have them, but it is so endearing. And yet so time consuming. But more significant is the absolute obsession with the color blue. It has been going on for a while now, and he really is completely totally obsessed. He will walk up to perfect strangers, point to his blue shirt, blue pants and blue shoes and tell the listened that they are blue, each one. Ava loved red, and now pink, and I loved green, one of her friends loved purple at 18 months, still does, another yellow…I find it interesting the color preferences that are established so early and so vehemently. Why? Is there something about these colors that the individual children respond to? And Carter’s obsession is pretty unique. There are favorite colors, and then there is Carter’s love for blue. I am fairly certain that at least 2/3 of the day is spent thinking about blue. He will even stop a very interesting activity (ie nursing) to point to the sky and say “bue,” even if there is only a teeny tiny patch.
The other third of the day is spent trying to Be Just Like Ava. Everytime he does something the way she does it, even if it is sticking his tush in the air after going potty so mommy can clean him up, he will say “Ava ava ava ava” until I say, “that’s right Carter, now you are just like Ava!” – Everything she does, he wants to do. He wants to eat at the little table, not the big one. He wants to swim like her. He wants to dance like her. He totally adores her.
And of course, he still adores rocks. Really adores them. He will notice rocks smack dab off the bat, where I probably would never have even registered that there were decorative pebbles lining a path. He stops dead in his tracks to point out a big rock, and likes to carry them around. I suppose if kids have a favorite color, perhaps they also have a favorite element (in an ancient sense, not in a periodic table sort of a way). I am trying to remember Ava’s. Water was not always a favorite, though it is now. Rocks never did much for her, and fire also was interesting, but eh. Air? Seems a little tough to quantify, and if it were so, one would think she would like the windows open in the car. Noooooo. I guess it would have to be water. But not the way Carter loves rocks. Funny how their preferences seem almost completely innate.