The Library

Today was gorgeous, I decided to take advantage of it and take Erik to the library. This is an appropriate outing for my book obsessed child. I mean OBSESSED, he goes no where without books....even in the bath this child has a book. We are lucky enough to have a library about a 15 minute walk from our our house.

We loaded up into the stroller and off we went.

I haven't walked anywhere in a while........I should walk more.

We arrived at 4:30ish. The place was FULL of after school kids running a muck. Seriously, a muck. I haven't been in a library to find an actual book for pleasure in several years. All the research I did these last years in school consisted of online databases and text books. I was surprised at how high tech the library was...there was a cafe! In the library!!! There were tutors just out and about for the children to access. Pretty cool!

Erik and I quickly found our way to the baby books which were conveniently located in little baskets for babies to crawl around and pull out...SMART! I sat Erik next to a basket and he went to town pulling out book after book while I looked for some to check out for him. He was in book heaven I tell you. He didn't even care that I wasn't reading to him, he was just happy to leaf through books himself.

Erik had never been turned loose with so many books, he was enthralled.  I was happy to just sit back and watch him.



 When he started to pull those books off the shelf above him, the ones not meant for babies, I decided to intervene and put him in the middle of the rug, and allow him to roll to the basket of his choice.
I put him in the middle of the rug and turned around to clean up the pile we left on the floor.  When I turned back around this is what I saw.......

A little Hispanic girl rubbing Erik's bald head...as if he were a Buddha, or a good luck charm. She was trying to be sneaky about it and sit behind him, maybe she thought he wouldn't notice.  She couldn't stop herself...she rubbed and rubbed and rubbed.  Erik sat there, not knowing what to think of this strange child rubbing his head.  He tried to hand her books, she just rubbed his head.  He flapped his arms, he smiled, cooed, laughed....and she rubbed and rubbed.  I finally moved him to another spot so he could enjoy some books and not be "rubbed".  I turned around to put the rest of the books away and this time when I turned back she had multiplied!

I'm sure Erik is thinking..."Oh no!  TWO rubbers!"  These little girls never moved from his side (where was their mother??  who knows).  I don't think these children had ever had a book read to them, I began to read to Erik and they were glued to my side. 

We got up and moved to another part of the library and they followed us. 

I set Erik down again in another section by more baskets and the rubbing continued, but by now Erik was not going to be the only one rubbed......he was going to do some rubbing of his own!

But.....before we left, she got in a couple really good rubs for luck!