jack and his thumb

I have commented before how attached Jack is to his thumb (aside from the obvious fact that it is attached to his body). Those of us who regularly put Jack down for naps (Sean, my mom, and I) have noticed how his eyes roll back and close as soon as you place his blanket next to his right cheek, and he automatically puts his left thumb in his mouth.

We have also discovered that his thumb is to Jack as salt is to Sean. For Sean, salt makes every bite taste better. (Okay, maybe not every bite. I don't recall seeing him salt his ice cream.) For Jack, his thumb makes every bite taste better. We place a bite of food in Jack's mouth, and he immediately follows it with his thumb. Then, when that bite is sufficiently enjoyed, Jack will pull his thumb out, open his mouth expectantly and wait for the next bite. And, you cannot convince him to take another bite any sooner than he's ready. A spoonful of food hovering in front of his face will do nothing to motivate him to remove his thumb any sooner than he would have otherwise. In fact it is kind of funny, because at the beginning of a meal, he will look at that bite with wide and excited eyes and rock back and forth. Then, after sufficiently milking his thumb of the last bite, he will pull himself away to accept it. You can tell when he's satisfied when he just starts absent-mindedly chewing on his fingers.