my emergency "checkup"

We were reading a book about firefighters today, and he asked me to identify each piece of equipment that was in the picture of the truck. He disagreed with me that one item was a blanket--he didn't see why firemen would need a blanket. I told him it was for emergencies, to warm up people who were hurt and to help people in shock. He seemed to take it all in and then went on to take his nap. When we woke up, he came out of his room in full firefighter gear. He asked to go outside and play again (we spent time out there this morning). He pretended that his play structure was a fire station and climbed up the ladder. There he took off his jacket, helmet, and boots and arranged them very carefully. An imaginary fire bell rang and he suited up quickly and slid down the pole. He jumped in his jeep, and that's when we discovered that a THIRD car of ours had broken down. Unbelievable! Undaunted, he switched to the Cozy Coupe, but I don't think it moved fast enough for him. He ran around the yard, putting out 'fires', checking his equipment, yelling directions, and waving his stop sign to stop traffic and keep them from entering the fire area. We did this until sunset and then came in to eat in the firefighter kitchen and talk strategy.

I told him that I needed some "mommy time" and sent him to his room to play, and he gave me an hour! He appeared then, dressed again in his gear, carrying a tiger striped backpack and a blanket. He said "I have to make sure you're okay after the fire, Mommy." He covered me with the blanket and got out his stethoscope. "First," he said, "I have to check your heart. It's making a weird noise like this: eee eee eee. Now I have to check your tummy. It's making a vrum vrum noise." He put his stethoscope away and got out his blood pressure cuff, saying he was going to check my arm. He reported that my "arm was 20 inches". Is that normal blood pressure? He pulled out an otoscope and checked my ear and reported it "really stinky" and then said "now for the final test: A SHOT!!!" and gleefully poked me in the chest with his syringe. He put away his gear, took the blanket, and left the room.

As I was putting him in bed tonight, he complained that his head was feeling sick (the newest bedtime excuse). He seemed warm, so once I confirmed via thermometer under his arm that his temperature was normal, I pulled off his socks. I told him his toes needed to be happy in the fresh air, and he replied "my toes have a lot of friends!". He pointed to his big toes and named one Mommy and the other Daddy, named the next toes as their kids, and then identified his little toes, saying "and these are their babies." That's a big family of toes!