Obsessive. Compulsive. Toddler.

Jessica's new nickname for Jonathan is "Mr. Monk". Keep reading and you'll understand why.

This evening Gabe and I were finishing dinner, and Jonathan was running from one end of the house to another, burning off some excess energy. He ran into the entryway, skidded to a stop, stared and the wall, and cried "ants! ants! ants! ants!" until Gabe came over to save the day. (Ants are a big "uh oh" around here, because usually they are invading the kitchen.) But there weren't any ants. Gabe showed Jonathan that it was just a little black smudge on the wall. "It's just a black spot, Jonathan, not an ant - it's ok." Jonathan's response: "clean it up!?!"

While I was writing this post, Gabe wanted to see if Jonathan would say it again if the spot was pointed out to him. "Jonathan, what should we do about this spot?"

"Get a washcloth!"

They're now scrubbing away at the wall. :)

This is just one example of Jonathan's penchant for cleanliness. He just doesn't like being dirty. He asks for wipes to clean off his hands, gets worried when he falls down outside and gets bits of leaves stuck to his pants, and says "uh oh!!" until we clean up the food the falls on his bib during meals. If he hasn't had a bath for a few days, he requests "bubbles - bubbles on head!" Earlier this evening he pulled the broom out of the closet and proceeded to "sweep" the kitchen and bathroom floors.

I've involved him in daily chores since he was very small, but I have to admit, I didn't expect quite this result!