The Evolution of Caffine

Fuss has always liked the morning ritual of coffee making.
When he was tiny I had to hold him so he could watch the process of scooping the beans into the grinder and turning them into dust. At some point (my grasp on the timeline of his 5-6am Wakeup Era is understandably tenuous) he started wanting to push the button. He'd push it a few times, then settle into the crook of my arm while I finished the job.

Before long he was able to reach the counter with the help of a grubby white collapsible plastic stepstool mom stored under the sink. I had visions of a cool handmade wooden number like the one his cousin Fiend used around the same time, with her name carved into the top and painted bright hues. But Fuss adopted the homely plastic one, which he affectionately refers to as "my Little Stool!" and happily totes around the house for any activity requiring a little height.

With the help of his Little Stool he'd grind and grind and grind until he got tired of it, usually about halfway through. I'd take over and he'd watch on his tiptoes, gripping the edge of the counter with his pudgy mitts.

This status quo held until fairly recently, when he began taking an interest in the transfer of coffee beans from ceramic storage cannister to the hopper of the coffee grinder. Initially he'd just swirl the metal scoop around in the beans a few times, then settle back and let me carry on as before, but inevitably he started demanding to effect the transfer himself.

The process was not without hiccups (if I'm ever truly desperate for coffee I can scare up a quick 1/4lb by pulling out the stove and filling a dustpan), but as with everything else he eventually mastered it.

Now we're at the next phase, where scooping coffee into the grinder is mere prelude to the glorious opera of sitting on the kitchen floor with the scoop and the coffee beans, stirring and sifting them while periodically shouting "STOP, TOO LOUD! TOO LOUD!" at dada while he tries to complete the morning grind.

I pretend I don't hear him, then we laugh about it.