i pretend i...

(A compilation of a handful of the things that Garrett, using his active imagination, has recently pretended to be and the props he uses to support his fantasies.)

• Batman - Superheroes are all the rage in his little world right now, and Batman tops the list. To get more fully into character, he dons "gloves" made by inserting his hands into the open ends of his rolled and crumped up sheets of paper.
• Captain Hook - Not a superhero, but who can resist a bit of swashbuckling play bouncing around on the couch cushions while wielding a paper sword and hook?
• Knight - The time a couch cushion becomes his shield; the sword is still made of paper.
  
• Train master - After getting off the school bus the other day, he announced that he was a train master and that he'd be using the key ring built into his backpack to punch our tickets (which had been fashioned out of leaves).
• N Train - One day at the playground he kept circling the perimeter of the black play mats making train noises and shouting for people to climb aboard the N train, which was heading into New York City.
• Doctor - Whenever I feel crummy (which is most of the time these days), he pulls out the toy measuring tape, tells me he's my doctor, and measures the baby in my belly.
• Dentist - Periodically inspects the mouths of others.
  
• Ratatouille - Or, more accurately, Remy. He does this by gathering leaves from the bushes near our stoop, standing on the curb, and tossing them into his pot of soup (also known as the street) with a few carefree twirls thrown in for good measure.
• Cat - Walking on all fours up our [filthy] stairwell, meowing as he goes.
• Dog - While I sit on the stoop, he brings me sticks and begs me to throw them so he can play fetch, barking as he does. When he's pretending to be a dog, he also likes to lick my face.
• Squirrel - Curls his hands under his chin while making high-pitched clicking noises.
• Crab - Only grabs things using two fingers.
• Ant - Holds two sticks over his head for antennae.
• Reindeer - Holds two sticks over his head for antlers
  
• Caillou - This one requires no props or really even an overuse of that obnoxious baby voice, but it is still somehow just as annoying as the cartoon he is imitating.
  

Other propless things he frequently announces he's pretending to be:

• Chicken
• Sheep
  
• Robot
• Airplane
• Rocket
• Fireman