One Smart Little Cookie

A few mornings ago, I relayed the day's plans to Rocky. We would go to the gym, then to lunch with dad and Grandpa Rick. Afterwards, we would go to Walmart to buy blank DVD's. He asked if we could get him a Bumblebee Transformer toy. (He has been asking for one since Uncle Daren bought some for our little bro's Brandon and Evan for Christmas). I reiterated that there would be no purchasing of toys, a daily reminder. Throughout the day's activities, he continued to talk about the Bumblebee toy he was going to get at Walmart, despite my rebuttals. After we had located the DVD's, we passed the toy aisles. "Can we just look at them?" he pleaded. " Why not? Harmless, right? I suggested that maybe when he had completed his preschool workbook (that should take a few months), we could return and purchase the toy as a reward. When he spotted it, he began to beg. He waited until the last moment, as I began to turn the cart away, to reach into his pocket and pull out a $20 bill! He thrust it at me and announced, "I'm going to buy it!" What?! When I asked him where he got the money, he told me it came from his piggy bank at home. Uncle Rob had added it to his bank months ago, and he had saved it for just this occasion. I was shocked. This is a 3 year old we're talking about! So he had ignored the dollar bills and change in his piggy and had stuffed the $20 in his pocket before leaving the house that morning. He had kept it tucked away secretly all morning, then waited until precisely the moment when he knew it was his only option. I was blown away! So he bought his Bumblebee Transformer. What was I supposed to do? Sure enough, when I got home I found his piggy bank with the remaining contents dumped out on my bed. Smart cookie.

I should also add that while Rocky has blown us away with his clever scheming, Jack has blown us away with the amount of food he eats. On a typical night, he now consumes an adult size bowl of barley cereal, half a can of baby food, a whole container of pureed fruit and an 8 oz. bottle. And he STILL wakes us between 4-5 AM wanting to be fed!?