“Let’s talk about trains”

 

Leo’s train obsession is so intense that I think it has officially eclipsed the ball obsession. (Don’t worry, Grandpa Ron, he still likes to talk about and play sports too.)

And speaking of Grandpa Ron, he’s the one who gave Leo this very grown-up book about trains that Leo is currently—hate using the same word again here—obsessed with. It’s a book about the history of trains and Leo makes us read it to him every day before nap and every night before bed.

Here he is with Frank, holding his “conductor” hat and making Frank read him this huge book:

He’s very particular about HOW we read the book. We have to start with the back cover and Leo says, “Let’s talk about it.” We are to read the back cover and then flip to the front. Then we “talk about” the pictures on the front. “Which is your favorite?” he likes to ask. Then Leo flips the pages and we stop only when he wants to. If I want to stop because I think a particular picture looks pretty or interesting, that is not allowed. He has all these catch phrases like, “That’s the MARTA train,” (it’s not) and “That’s the Dinosaur Train.” Sometimes he remembers things we’ve told him like, “That train is in Australia” or “That’s called the Super Train.” 

I was so amazed the other day when Leo pointed at one of the trains and said, “I rode that train when I was a baby.” It was the Durango-Silverton train which he did ride when we went to visit David, Laura and Ellie in Colorado for Christmas 2009. Leo was only 20 months old!

As it turns out, Frank had told him that when he read it to him on a previous night. Still, we were impressed that he remembered which picture it was. After all, he can’t read. (I don’t think.)

After we read the “Big Train” book, Leo gets to choose another book. Lately it’s always “Freight Trains” which is a regular kids’ book. The other night I said, “Maybe we could read a different kind of book” and he said, “Okay, Terrific Trains!”

And one more funny train anecdote: I was explaining to Leo that I have this running grocery list on the dry erase board in the pantry. I said, “If you think of something we need, tell mommy and I’ll put it on the list.” He said, “We need trains.”