Another cup of tea?

As part of his generally helpful nature, Simon likes to help me make myself a cup of coffee in the morning. It's my "congratulations for getting up hours before you would like to be up" treat and therefore has milk and sugar in it. Simon spoons in the sugar, usually asking if he can put a little bit more in after I say enough, then I pour a little milk into a cup, which he then pours into my mug. He stirs it all together and starts tasting it. We judge when a perfect coffee-sugar-milk ratio has been achieved and then he sneaks about five (admittedly tiny) spoonfuls more, then we move on to another early morning activity, thusly fortified by our coffee.

Ratio perfection has been achieved.

I wasn't surprised that Simon enjoys the coffee ritual, since it’s something we do every day (since Sam and I both really like good, strong coffee) and Simon can help out with it by spooning coffee grounds into the filter with me, telling me what step to do next, etc.

But tea is not exactly as popular of a guest in our house. I have started drinking a lot more of it now, since it's cold and wintry (for Lima, anyway) and I don’t drink coffee after breakfast. At a coffee shop a couple of weeks ago, I ordered rooibos tea and Simon asked to try some. I figured a sip couldn’t hurt, so I let him have one. Then he drank two cupfuls!

Several evenings later he saw me make myself a cup of mint tea, and he asked for some too. Now I get a kick that he appears to have mostly forgotten about helping with the coffee (which definitely makes making the coffee go that much quicker) and he requests tea when I start making coffee.

He likes to drink his tea with his breakfast. I think it is especially funny when he gives it a two-thumbs-up designation, which he learned several weeks ago when a man on the bus really liked that Simon recognized the Peru brand on his shirt. He was very animated, giving Simon two thumbs up and saying, ¡Muy bien! ¡Muy bien! repeatedly. Since then Simon has been busting out two thumbs up when he hears us say ¡Muy bien! or when he really likes something.

Simon's current favorite breakfast drinks: tea, jugo, and yogurt.

Two thumbs up!

Sam, worried that perhaps tea was not the best thing for Simon to drink, did some quick research and ensured that unsweetened mint tea was just fine for him. I think it is quite funny that every other toddler in the world is probably asking for more juice or soda, but this one is begging for another cup of tea.