Smells
Kael has definitely started noticing and caring about smells. Or at least, he's now sharing his feelings about smells with us. In Croatia (I may post about our vacation at some point), our hotel had a daycare. The daycare had several rooms, each with a distinct (presumably unintentional) smell. Some were obviously cleaning-related, but some were somewhat less savory, in my opinion. More like equipment that's been peed on and cleaned thoroughly. Anyway. As soon as we'd start down the stairs towards the daycare, Kael would immediately bury his nose in his hand. I thought it was odd the first time, but the second time I asked him if he didn't like the smell, and he said yes. Poor kid! Fortunately, all thoughts on bad smells typically went away upon discovering something fun going on inside.
Now Kael will unpromptedly report "I like that smell!". E.g., when we got Indian takeout, when we were by a fast-food place, and when we had just entered a grocery store whose entrance confusingly smelled of cinnamon. I know I cared a lot about smells when I was little (still do, really), and I think I caused a lot of headaches for my parents when I did not like the smell of wherever I was. Such as our family trip to Yellowstone. I'm much more tolerant of sulphur now, at least... Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this seemingly newly observed sense will impact Kael and us as a result.
Now Kael will unpromptedly report "I like that smell!". E.g., when we got Indian takeout, when we were by a fast-food place, and when we had just entered a grocery store whose entrance confusingly smelled of cinnamon. I know I cared a lot about smells when I was little (still do, really), and I think I caused a lot of headaches for my parents when I did not like the smell of wherever I was. Such as our family trip to Yellowstone. I'm much more tolerant of sulphur now, at least... Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this seemingly newly observed sense will impact Kael and us as a result.