The little angel is scared of loud noises. She has been for several months. Unfortunately for her, we live right in the middle of Kansas City, two blocks from two very busy, four-lane streets and one block from a fire station. I can see the firefighters playing basketball during the day from my home office.  They are called into action frequently.  I used to not really mind, because I thought HEY! if our house catches on fire, THEY WILL SMELL IT AND SAVE US.  But now...the noises.

We also live in Kansas City: Transportation Hub, home of lots of planes, trains and automobiles.  We are on the flight path for the downtown airport. We are close enough to the urban core to get a lot of searchlight visits from the Ghetto Bird.  Our teenage pirate neighbor just got his license.  The pot-smokers next door have pizza delivery at all hours of the day and night and listen to the Grateful Dead at top volume (this oxymoron I don't understand).  In other words, it's a really shitty place to live if you are twenty-one months old and afraid of loud,  unexplained sounds.

Last night we were eating our dinner when we heard a train whistle.  The little angel developed an intense love of Thomas the Tank Engine after a party with the crowd from Waddler B, so we thought maybe we'd use him as a bridge to the conversation about Unexplained Noises.

Little Angel:  "What?  WHAT?"

Me:  "That's just a train, honey.  You know?  Choo choo?"

Beloved:  "Toot TOOT!" (stuffs food in mouth, finished with the conversation)

Me:  "You know, THOMAS is a train. You love Thomas!"

LA: "Thomas?"  (looks warily around kitchen for Thomas)

Me:  "The train is outside, though. Far, far away. He's not Thomas, but he's like, you know, Thomas' roommate's cousin.  He knows Thomas sort of socially."

LA:  "Thomas - TOOT?"  (looks frightened)

I pause to think this maybe wasn't good. Is she going to be afraid of Thomas now?  DRAT.

Me:  "Sometimes everyone goes TOOT.  Eat your yogurt."