Once again it appears that some time off from music class was good for my son. For the first time since we started, he was marching when he was supposed to march, spinning when he was supposed to spin, and jumping when he was supposed to jump. While none of the mommies actually said anything to me about it, I could tell by their looks that they were proud/ happy/ surprised to see his progress. Next month he'll actually be the minimum age for the group that he's in, so maybe we're just right on schedule.
We made a few stops after music class, the final one being the mall. I needed some oil for our snowblower, and my son needed to see some puppies. I haven't had a stroller in my car for a while because of hauling Christmas presents, so I either had to carry him or let him walk on his own. Being that he still doesn't take direction very well, we walked over the "Sears Bridge" nearly 8 times. After he finally tired of the bridge, we headed to the pet store.
He wasn't as excited to see the puppies as he usually is. Instead he chose to wander around the store, picking up random bags of sand, feed, and bedding along the way. When he was carrying around one of the bags with two hands, I noticed that no longer had his water. I found where the bag belonged, and sure enough, there was his water.
We watched his new favorite show, Jack's Big Music Show, after a late lunch, and then it was time for his nap. Nick Jr. always has some sort of educational lesson after each show as well as a music video from one of their other shows. Just as we were making our way up the steps, his Gabba friends came on the screen and got him all riled up. Though I was still able to get him to go upstairs, he refused to go to sleep on his own. Luckily I haven't forgotten how to rock him to sleep. I guess I will have to start that up again soon enough! I was surprised that he was able to fall asleep so easily because his head was hanging off of my shoulder and falling fast. It surely wasn't the most comfortable sleeping position, but we made it work.
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After a stop at Goodwill to drop off some old clothes, we went to the Animal Rescue League to donate some old towels and visit the animals. My son was surprisingly unfazed by the multitude of dogs barking loudly at him as we walked through the kennels. He thinks they are so funny. He shared a few cute moments with a poodle mix that reached out to him from its cage, but we are hardly in the market for another pet. I always look forward to going to places like that, but actually being there always makes me so sad.
After checking out the dogs and mostly ignoring the cats, our last stop was the small animal room. We spent a good deal of time talking about bunnies, hamsters, and chinchillas with the nice old lady volunteer that seemingly runs that part of the shelter. She was so sweet, and it was comforting to see someone who clearly cares so much about the animals. It's tough to tell, but I think my son will share Mommy's and my love for animals. I look forward to giving him "his" first pet!
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Uh oh. "Toes" and "nose" seem to be very confusing to my almost 18-month old son. I know we'll figure it out, but it certainly could result in some interesting situations in the future if he never learns the difference!
It looks like it's going to be warming up a little bit this weekend. It's a good thing, too, because we have to start training next week for a half marathon at the end of March. I can't wait to get back outside with my little training partner. It's going to get a lot tougher when I have to run with one of those ridiculous double strollers later this year!
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Day 38
We went to the Berkshire Mall to kill some time between storytime and lunch. We didn't need to buy anything; I just wanted to give him a chance to run around a little bit since it was kind of cold outside.
Our first stop was the pet store, where we checked out some puppies, bunnies, ferrets, and kittens. My son was quite interested in each, but he spent the most time checking out the ferrets. I wouldn't let him touch them for fear of him getting bitten, but he got as close as he could. Hmm. Daddy's never had any ferrets...
My son walked into a few different stores than usual. He took a little tour of the hair salon, but I told the woman at the front that I knew Mommy wouldn't be too happy if he got a haircut without her. He also stopped in Gymboree, and I was surprised that one of the girls working there recognized him. My wife told me about this girl and her affinity for our son, and sure enough she started gushing to her coworker about him as soon as we walked in. He didn't mind.
We walked the length of the mall and turned around. Soon after, I saw a little boy wandering around by himself calling out for his daddy. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. I immediately approached him and asked if he needed help, but he didn't seem to be interested in my assistance. I suppose talking to strangers trumps being lost in terms of a small child's concerns. Thankfully, a female worker from a nearby clothing store came over as I was trying to talk to him. It could have been the fact that she was a girl, or it could have been that she flashed her name badge, but he allowed her to help. I walked with them as they tried to find his daddy (who, it turns out, wasn't even at the mall). Just a few storefronts away, but millions of miles in the child's mind, his mommy scolded him to "never do that again" as they reunited. Way to share the blame, mom.
I was in need of some positive vibes after that experience, and my son provided them soon after we crossed center court. There's a kiosk that sells radio controlled helicopters, and it turns out my son is mesmerized by radio controlled helicopters. As soon as he saw one, he stood, watched, and pointed at the flying machine for several minutes. The guy controlling it let it land right at my son's feet, and naturally my son picked it up and swung it all over the place. The salesman assured me that it was practically indestructible, so I let him go. Just when I thought he lost interest, he turned back and stared at it again. We have one at home, but he's never seen it. I suppose that will have to change.
Our first stop was the pet store, where we checked out some puppies, bunnies, ferrets, and kittens. My son was quite interested in each, but he spent the most time checking out the ferrets. I wouldn't let him touch them for fear of him getting bitten, but he got as close as he could. Hmm. Daddy's never had any ferrets...
My son walked into a few different stores than usual. He took a little tour of the hair salon, but I told the woman at the front that I knew Mommy wouldn't be too happy if he got a haircut without her. He also stopped in Gymboree, and I was surprised that one of the girls working there recognized him. My wife told me about this girl and her affinity for our son, and sure enough she started gushing to her coworker about him as soon as we walked in. He didn't mind.
We walked the length of the mall and turned around. Soon after, I saw a little boy wandering around by himself calling out for his daddy. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. I immediately approached him and asked if he needed help, but he didn't seem to be interested in my assistance. I suppose talking to strangers trumps being lost in terms of a small child's concerns. Thankfully, a female worker from a nearby clothing store came over as I was trying to talk to him. It could have been the fact that she was a girl, or it could have been that she flashed her name badge, but he allowed her to help. I walked with them as they tried to find his daddy (who, it turns out, wasn't even at the mall). Just a few storefronts away, but millions of miles in the child's mind, his mommy scolded him to "never do that again" as they reunited. Way to share the blame, mom.
I was in need of some positive vibes after that experience, and my son provided them soon after we crossed center court. There's a kiosk that sells radio controlled helicopters, and it turns out my son is mesmerized by radio controlled helicopters. As soon as he saw one, he stood, watched, and pointed at the flying machine for several minutes. The guy controlling it let it land right at my son's feet, and naturally my son picked it up and swung it all over the place. The salesman assured me that it was practically indestructible, so I let him go. Just when I thought he lost interest, he turned back and stared at it again. We have one at home, but he's never seen it. I suppose that will have to change.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Day 16
After missing our first edition of Kindermusik last week, I made sure that I triple-checked the time before I set my alarm for this morning. I was up in plenty of time- my son, not so much. Regardless, we arrived just in time for class to begin. While this was not our normal class (we'll meet with them on Wednesday, my brain permitting), I got a pretty good idea of what to expect. Counting the teacher and children, our class had 13 people in it. Our class had one male over the age of 3 in it. It was fun learning the songs, playing the instruments, and being the only barritone in the room. It was fun dancing and chasing my son around the room. He was quite fond of a particular doorknob on one side of the room and kept returning to it during the songs. Rather than pulling him away from it and possibly turning this into a negative experience, I let him spend a little bit of time over there before bringing him back to our small circle. I was a little bit concerned about how he will handle being in this particular version of the class, as it is for 18 months to 3 years and he is only 14 months old. Then I remembered that he's 14 months old, and it doesn't really matter as long as he's not screaming most of the time.
Everyone in our house was feeling a little under the weather this past weekend, so I really wanted to take it easy the rest of the day. That meant there would be no adventure today. However, as I earlier posted on Facebook, it was an "obnoxiously gorgeous" day today. We made a quick stop at home to pick up my stroller before heading out again to pick up and eat lunch.
Wawa has been good to us in the lunch department so far. It has everything my son enjoys, and there always seems to be one nearby when we need it. Today's menu was pretty standard: turkey hoagie, apple slices, and fruit punch. However, after burning nearly 3000 calories running 20 miles on Saturday, I felt I (we) deserved a cheese-stuffed soft pretzel. He didn't complain. I drove us to the Reading Public Museum, found a bench near the ducks, and we ate our lunch in no hurry whatsoever.
He's very aware of every animal around him. He sees dogs across the creek, and he begins to wave at them. I've tried to teach him to wave and say, "Hi puppy!" There is a clear difference between the way he addresses dogs and other animals. For example, the ducks were "duh", and dogs were definitely "puh". Of course, many other things around the house could be a "duh" or "puh", but I like to think he's learning something. After pushing him in the stroller for a while, I put his shoes on him and let him walk around. He took this opportunity to go leaf hunting- at one point he was holding 8 of them that he had picked up 1 at a time. That seemed to be the limit, as he would drop more than he could pick up after that. He was very proud of his collection and even brought one over for me to hold. Then he pulled it away.
As we continued on our circuitous route back to our car, we came across a man and a woman walking a dog (off leash). My son walked right up to the dog and began waving. The dog soon sneezed, and the sneeze, of course, is easily in my son's top three bodily functions. He giggled wildly and chased the dog around the couple's legs for a moment. He soon lost interest in the dog, as he discovered the steps near the exit of the planetarium. In a dramatic show of determination, he ascended the steps and triumphantly raised his arms over his head. Though I promised not to tell, this was actually his signal that he didn't know how to get down. Please don't hate me, kid.
We explored the park a little longer before returning home for an abbreviated naptime. He must have known Mommy was on her way.
Everyone in our house was feeling a little under the weather this past weekend, so I really wanted to take it easy the rest of the day. That meant there would be no adventure today. However, as I earlier posted on Facebook, it was an "obnoxiously gorgeous" day today. We made a quick stop at home to pick up my stroller before heading out again to pick up and eat lunch.
Wawa has been good to us in the lunch department so far. It has everything my son enjoys, and there always seems to be one nearby when we need it. Today's menu was pretty standard: turkey hoagie, apple slices, and fruit punch. However, after burning nearly 3000 calories running 20 miles on Saturday, I felt I (we) deserved a cheese-stuffed soft pretzel. He didn't complain. I drove us to the Reading Public Museum, found a bench near the ducks, and we ate our lunch in no hurry whatsoever.
He's very aware of every animal around him. He sees dogs across the creek, and he begins to wave at them. I've tried to teach him to wave and say, "Hi puppy!" There is a clear difference between the way he addresses dogs and other animals. For example, the ducks were "duh", and dogs were definitely "puh". Of course, many other things around the house could be a "duh" or "puh", but I like to think he's learning something. After pushing him in the stroller for a while, I put his shoes on him and let him walk around. He took this opportunity to go leaf hunting- at one point he was holding 8 of them that he had picked up 1 at a time. That seemed to be the limit, as he would drop more than he could pick up after that. He was very proud of his collection and even brought one over for me to hold. Then he pulled it away.
As we continued on our circuitous route back to our car, we came across a man and a woman walking a dog (off leash). My son walked right up to the dog and began waving. The dog soon sneezed, and the sneeze, of course, is easily in my son's top three bodily functions. He giggled wildly and chased the dog around the couple's legs for a moment. He soon lost interest in the dog, as he discovered the steps near the exit of the planetarium. In a dramatic show of determination, he ascended the steps and triumphantly raised his arms over his head. Though I promised not to tell, this was actually his signal that he didn't know how to get down. Please don't hate me, kid.
We explored the park a little longer before returning home for an abbreviated naptime. He must have known Mommy was on her way.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Day 11
This is the first full week of school. It's also about as busy as a week a fourteen month old could expect to have. After a weekend that included swimming class, minor league playoff baseball, and a baby triathlon (running around the house, riding in a bike trailer, and the aforementioned swimming), it will be interesting to see how he reacts to all we have planned.
Apparently my son was up a little earlier than I realized. When I got into his room this morning, I discovered several articles of clothing that had been laying next to his crib had been pulled into it, and the two stuffed animals that normally keep him company were thrown out of it. I kept everything just the way it was, knowing my wife would certainly appreciate his redecorating.
Today's adventure was lunch in the park. It was a beautiful day, so I figured we should spend it outside. We made a quick stop at Wawa for sandwiches and found a park bench on the edge of a small reflecting pool. I fed my son small pieces of turkey sandwich and apple slices as we watched people and wildlife around the pool. It was a very serene scene until a small dog wandered away from its human companion. My son pointed at the dog, several hundred feet away, as it induced a slow speed chase nearly all the way around the pool. Finally, the dog tired of being in complete control of its supposed master and relented. Good thing, too, as my son had lost interest. We cleaned up, packed up, and eased on down the park trail.
My son alerted me of the presence of each animal we saw along our way. We saw squirrels, various birds, ducks, geese, and dogs. He pointed at each, alternating between calling them "doog" and "puh". Amazingly, he was correct in each instance. He was overwhelmed as we reached the Reading Public Museum, the centerpiece of the park, and we came across a group of roughly 20 ducks resting in the shade. We stopped, sat and watched them for several minutes. He seemed quite concerned as a cocker spaniel slowly and menacingly approached the raft (apparently that's what a group of ducks is called). The dog was feeling merciful, and lead its human behind our bench and around the ducks. Having been deprived of a god deal of excitement, we decided to move on. On our way back to the car, I found that a fourteen month old does not fit in 8-12 month old shoes. Actually, he fits in one of them, but not both. He humored me and trotted around in them for a while anyway, taking time to pose for a few photo opportunities. What a guy.
Tomorrow we have band practice at school and get to venture into the big city. Depending on the length and timing of his nap, he might even get to watch some high school field hockey. Life in the fast lane...
Apparently my son was up a little earlier than I realized. When I got into his room this morning, I discovered several articles of clothing that had been laying next to his crib had been pulled into it, and the two stuffed animals that normally keep him company were thrown out of it. I kept everything just the way it was, knowing my wife would certainly appreciate his redecorating.
Today's adventure was lunch in the park. It was a beautiful day, so I figured we should spend it outside. We made a quick stop at Wawa for sandwiches and found a park bench on the edge of a small reflecting pool. I fed my son small pieces of turkey sandwich and apple slices as we watched people and wildlife around the pool. It was a very serene scene until a small dog wandered away from its human companion. My son pointed at the dog, several hundred feet away, as it induced a slow speed chase nearly all the way around the pool. Finally, the dog tired of being in complete control of its supposed master and relented. Good thing, too, as my son had lost interest. We cleaned up, packed up, and eased on down the park trail.
My son alerted me of the presence of each animal we saw along our way. We saw squirrels, various birds, ducks, geese, and dogs. He pointed at each, alternating between calling them "doog" and "puh". Amazingly, he was correct in each instance. He was overwhelmed as we reached the Reading Public Museum, the centerpiece of the park, and we came across a group of roughly 20 ducks resting in the shade. We stopped, sat and watched them for several minutes. He seemed quite concerned as a cocker spaniel slowly and menacingly approached the raft (apparently that's what a group of ducks is called). The dog was feeling merciful, and lead its human behind our bench and around the ducks. Having been deprived of a god deal of excitement, we decided to move on. On our way back to the car, I found that a fourteen month old does not fit in 8-12 month old shoes. Actually, he fits in one of them, but not both. He humored me and trotted around in them for a while anyway, taking time to pose for a few photo opportunities. What a guy.
Tomorrow we have band practice at school and get to venture into the big city. Depending on the length and timing of his nap, he might even get to watch some high school field hockey. Life in the fast lane...
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