A Is for Bapple

Michael has a sweet tooth. He loves baked goods and candy. And he can't figure out why his mother won't let him have lollipops for breakfast.

He also loves his fruit--especially watermelon, grapes, apples, and Mandarin oranges.

The other day when I took Michael to the grocery store, he asked for one treat.

 He wanted a "bapple."
 

I don't believe in giving in to every one of our children's whims. But he was asking for an inexpensive, healthy treat.

And I dare you to say no to this face.

He carried the apple through the whole store. He dropped it on the parking lot. He dropped it again outside our house.

Still, it survived. We scrubbed it down and instead of slicing it for him, I gave him the whole apple.

He was pretty pleased with himself--and he tried to eat it with one hand. How did that little hand get so big so fast?

 

He's growing so quickly. He doesn't even like us calling him "little brother" anymore. When I talk about the boys, I call them the "big brother" and the "bigger brother." Michael doesn't know superlatives the way his brother does. But he sure knows that "little" doesn't describe his independent 2-year-old self. And Louis likes being called "bigger."

I can't believe we met this easy-going yet determined boy nine months ago. It seems like longer--and shorter too. And he has grown and matured in so many ways.

He has even overcome his fear of carousels and rode his first one a few weeks ago--and enjoyed it.

But he's still not sure of the Penny Pony at one of our local grocery stores. Here he stands, penny in hand, watching his brother ride.

Personality-wise, he's the same little guy we first started getting to know last August. He loves his big brother, "Oo-oo," and has loads of opinions on everything. He sings along with songs and knows the words for a lot of things--though I still don't always know what he means--and he is so affectionate and sweet.

Is he a train guy like his Baba and bigger brother? I'm not sure. I think he's more into motorcycles, car carriers, ambulances, fire engines, airplanes, and helicopters.



But time will tell. And meanwhile, he'll keep putting in his plug for lollipops for breakfast.