Jacob and the Garbage Truck

Obsessions grow over time. We used to keep a paper bag by the door to throw recyclables in before taking them out to our larger bin. When Jacob was about 18 months old, he would remove the contents of the bag and spread it all over the floor. Eventually, he started to notice which items went in there and which went in the trash. By age 2, he was helping to rinse out cans and put things in the recycling bin. He started to notice other people's trash bins outside when we took walks. Last year for Christmas, he got a garbage truck. He has spent many hours making the imaginary rounds of trash collection in various rooms of our house, tearing up bits of paper or using smaller toys to represent the trash.

It mushroomed this summer. Every so often, when we were leaving the house for errands or an activity, we saw the garbage truck approaching our house. Usually, I rushed to back the van out of the driveway before we could get blocked in by the truck. One morning, we were playing in the backyard when the truck arrived. Jacob watched how it emptied our bins, and he was in awe. The next week, I made sure we were outside again, and this time I let him stand in the driveway to watch. After that, watching the truck was a can't-miss event, and our viewings started to involve lawn chairs. We stood in the garage on the rainy days, and one time Jacob ventured out with an umbrella because he couldn't bear to be so far away from the action.

He thinks about his week in terms of how many days until trash day. Holidays upset him because our collection sometimes gets delayed. He will start a conversation by asking someone what day the trash truck comes to their house. He knows the colors of the trash and recycling bins of some of our relatives. This boy is Obsessed*, with a capital O.

A couple of weeks ago, Jacob had the most exciting morning ever. He was out watching the truck and waving at the man, as usual, when he asked Jacob if he'd like to have his picture taken WITH THE TRUCK. It was all he could talk about for the next several days. We've joked that we might have to get the trash collector a nicer Christmas gift than any of our family members.

Now that you've heard the whole story, here are the pictures and video:

The happiest boy ever

Jacob wheeling the neightor's garbage can up their driveway. We help them out sometimes, but he would prefer that they never do any of it on their own!

*P.S. What? You thought race cars were his obsession? They are firmly in 2nd place, and if I could have come up with a tasteful way to do a garbage truck-themed birthday party, that race car cake would have had a very different look.