For months now, Jacob has exhibited a fierce love for laundry.

He loves to bathe in it (much like a cat).

He loves to unfold it (much like a cat).

And now he’s found a new way to connect with the hamper, to really be one with the laundry (also, much like a cat).

Exhibit A:  Note the location of the hamper next to his bed.  Would you have thought this was a silly place for a hamper?  I did not.  I thought it was cleverly hiding a wall outlet (that had those cover things, don’t worry) just behind the corner of the crib.

Turns out, when there aren’t clothes in there, it’s also a good post-nap (or rather-than-nap, as the case may be) toy.  Times like these, I really wish we had a video monitor.

Exhibit B:  John and I were hanging things on the walls in Jacob’s room this weekend, so the little man came in to join us.  He likes to be where the action is.  A few minutes later, I noticed he was tugging on the hamper.  Perhaps he was trying to knock it down?

Nope.  He was inside it, trying to crawl around in it, like one of those giant gerbil wheels on American Gladiators.

As I see it we can take these findings to mean one of three things:

1. Jacob is preparing to be cast as the new “Bear” on a revival of that pre-reality-TV game show (I wish!).
2. Jacob thinks he is a gerbil.  Or a cat.
3. Jacob loves laundry, and once he has the motor skills, will happily fold and put away all our family’s laundry until he goes to college.  And then, he’ll still come back and do it on breaks, because he just loves it so much.  This is my hope.

I guess there is a fourth option, too.

He might just be a goofball.  A laundry-hamper-loving goofball.

My favorite kind.