Hex Bugs!!

Since we're spending Christmas in Indianapolis with David's family this year, my parents shipped Christmas presents out to our kids a bit early, and we let Joshua open them before we left for Indy.  (Which, I know, isn't exactly kosher, but it's become something of a family tradition, allowing him to open the gifts from the other set of grandparents before we travel...)

This year, my parents gave Joshua a starter set of Hex Bugs, a toy that had been highly recommended by some of my friends with kids around Joshua's age.  They're these little mechanized plastic bugs with rubber legs that vibrate when switched on, and then skitter around in these little hexagonal habitats.  The habitat pieces are designed for multiple add-ons, so you can add extra chutes and hexagons to create more elaborate setups.  We wanted to start small to see whether Joshua would even like these, so we just have the starter set -- which means that there are lots of openings, meant for future additions, through which these little skittery, jittery bugs can escape.  [Though now that I'm looking at the Amazon page again, it looks like it was supposed to come with pieces to block off these openings... Just my luck that the set we got didn't have those pieces!]

Those who know me and my EXTREME bug phobia can probably see the problem right away...

But Joshua really loves the bugs!  When I first turned them on and let him hold them to feel the vibrations, he found them fascinating, and loved putting them up to his cheeks to feel the little buggers go.  And when I showed him how to put them in the habitat to let them run around, he thought it was the most amazing thing ever.  And then when the little buggers escaped (as they did over and over and over again), he thought it was hilarious and shouted with glee as he tried to catch and corral them.

So I guess I'm resigned to them.  ;)  His uproarious laughs do make them worth all the minor freakouts I've already had in seeing the bugs escape and make a beeline for me.  (I have to keep telling myself they're just hunks of plastic, and they're certainly not actually gunning for me...)  I do supervise him closely when the bugs are on, though.  I can just imagine him losing the bugs while they're switched on, and then having a heart attack after seeing one skitter across my kitchen floor...

But just listen to his laughter in this video.  :)


And just a couple phone camera shots of the little dude playing with his new favorite toy!







Who would have guessed that this extremely bug-phobic girl would actually buy such skittery bug toys for her son...  The things I do to make Joshua laugh...  :)