Mr. Glass would love Henry*

A friend commented on how Henry might be the only toddler not afraid of Santa. And it's true. He's never really had that normal "stranger danger" fear. I attribute it to him being taken care of by so many people the first 2 weeks of his life when he was in the NICU. (And also I like to think I have exceptional parenting skills. But we all know that at best I'm an adequate mother.) Henry was neither afraid nor excited to see Santa. What he really wanted was to get at the giant "candies" and lighted Christmas trees at the mall's North Pole. He also wanted to check out the tripod the photo elf was using. And all of the cords surrounding the tripod. It is no wonder that he loves Curious George. They are kindred spirits. And I'm cool with that.

But the comment got me thinking. Is my kid odd? Peculiar? Quirky? Or is he just a weirdo? Maybe he just dances to the beat of his own drum. (But isn't that just a polite way of saying "a bit off"?)

I'll let you decide. Here are the latest things Henry does that are "unique".

• Most kids are afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Henry tries to ride it. As I use it. And when he eventually falls off, he pushes the canister around behind me.
• He kisses any pictures he sees of himself.
• He's not a big waver. But he nods at people when they wave to him--as if to say, " 'Sup?"
• He will not dance alone. You must dance with him. And he prefers to dance on the table. (College friends--yes, I know. Like mother, like son.)
• He is manipulative. (No--I know this is not unique to him. But isn't 19 months old a bit young?) Yesterday he didn't want to put on his pants. I said, "Time for pants." He said, "No." "Yes." "No." "You're putting on pants. It's December. Pay no attention to the fact that it's 70 degrees outside." Then he proceeded to start kissing me, saying "No" between each kiss. "Thanks for the kisses, Pickle. But you're still putting on your pants."
• He is an adventurous eater. He loves spicy foods--like the Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish grill. Last night he housed on a bowl of chili. He loves Kufta kabobs from the Mediterranean Deli. He loves salmon. And raw onion. And roast beef with horseradish sauce.
• And sometimes, I can never tell if he is saying "thank you" in sign language, blowing me a kiss, or telling me off. Contextually, it's a crap shoot.

*Mr. Glass is a character on Curious George. He's a millionaire who loves all things "unique".