This past weekend was my annual sojourn to Clearwater, Florida for Phillies Spring Training. My initial plan this year was to take my son down with me and stay for as long as I liked, but my wife wasn't too thrilled about not having me around for an extended period of time (it may have had a little to do with missing our son, as well, but who can really say?), so I settled on just a couple of days away. It was a great trip with great weather, but ultimately I missed my son more than I could have imagined. I saw a lot of families complete with toddlers and infants when I was there, but they didn't look like they were having all that much fun. I can't wait until my boys (!) are old enough to enjoy it (and we are able to afford it!) so we can all head down together. Some day...
We started the day with a nice little run, but it was all wind in our faces on the way back. That slowed me down considerably and didn't make my son too comfortable, so we ended up walking the last half-mile or so. My GPS tracing app didn't get the memo that we had stopped, and somehow kept timing us which killed my splits. Oh well.
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The time change has really done a number on my son, as I had to go upstairs and wake him up in order to make it to music class on time today. As I expected, he was back on his game today after an off week last time. He's getting good at walking with (but not necessarily in) the class circles and stopping when we stop, but he still doesn't have any interest in holding hands.
We made a short stop at home to make lunch before heading to Red Bridge, a nearby park, to eat and enjoy the weather. Because the trail is so close to the water in many spots, he stayed in the stroller until it was time to go. He started protesting as I tried to put him in the car, so I let him run around a little bit. That little bit turned into a roughly 30 minute tour of the recreational area.
His favorite spot seemed to be the stone foundation of an old log house. I am pretty sure I was also partial to playing in there anytime I got to go there as a kid, so I wasn't surprised. A woman sitting nearby told me there used to be play equipment inside, but I don't remember that. I remember wanting to playing the dirt.
We stopped at Gram and Pop Pop's house before band practice. Pop Pop was very excited to see his grandson, as he hadn't been able to hang out with him recently. We hung around for a few minutes- long enough for my son to make a nice pile of picture frames and wooden boxes.
This was our final band practice before our big gig on the weekend, so it was very important that we made it. We were working without a nap, so it was a big risk. He was his normal self for all of the songs in the first set, but started getting a little sleepy in the second. I knew it was time to go when he walked over to me and stood on my right foot so I couldn't play the bass drum. Smart, smart kid.
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Today's adventure was a trip to the grocery store. I had my coupons, my list, and the reusable shopping bags. We got to the store, and I grabbed a cart. I immediately realized that I had left the cart cover in the car, so I dragged the cart back to the car and strapped it on. An older gentleman pulled up next to me and struck up a conversation about our cars (he also drives a Prius) as well as the cars of just about every member of his family. Throughout all of this, my son didn't make a single noise or attempt to get out of the cart.
I was able to find a suitable moment to cut off our conversation and head inside. We made our way up each and every aisle, picking up the necessities and a little extra. Everything was going great. I was singing songs about all the different things we were picking up. My son was laughing and pointing at the babies and dogs on the packages. If heaven was a grocery store, well, I don't know how to end that sentence. Anyway, it was good. Then, about halfway through the store- I realized I forgot my Bonus Card.
I decided to finish shopping and worry about it later. Surely I wasn't the first person to forget his card, but I didn't want to miss out on the immediate savings OR the gas points I would accumulate. When I was done, I parked the cart near the entrance, picked up my son, and jogged out to my car. In the process, I had to take away the many items he was holding for me- including, but not limited to: peanut butter, puffed grain snacks, goldfish, and yogurt. I knew this was risky and gave me a short window before a complete breakdown. I gritted my teeth, supported his head, and made a break for it. Just as we approached fullon meltdown mode, I placed a container of goldfish (the snack, not the aquatic animal) in his hands and all was once again back to normal. Save for a half-dozen issues at checkout, the rest of the trip was uneventful. Can't wait to do it again next week!
My plan upon returning home was to put away the groceries. My son's plan was to take a walk around the block. As usual, his choice won. The great weather we've been having has really given him a chance to show off his wheels (read: feet). Unfortunately for him, he hasn't yet figured out how to fall gracefully. Just as his previous bump on the head had all but been forgotten, he tripped and was able to catch himself with his hands but was unable to control the velocity of his relatively gigantic head. Once again, in seemingly slow motion, he scraped his head on the sidewalk. This time there was no blood, but there was plenty of crying. I'm fairly certain the crying was more as a result of me picking him up and carrying him the rest of the way than any actual pain. Regardless, Daddy doesn't like to be the cause of his upsetedness.
Despite the morning's tribulations, he got a good nap before we had to get up and go to a meeting at my school. I am part of the technology committee in my district, and because of the subject that I teach, I like to be aware of what it is both in the pipeline and coming down the pike. Since I've been out all year, I feel so out of touch with not only my job but also the the new technology with which I'm expected to work. The meeting ended up going much longer than I anticipated, but my son, ever the good little soldier, made exactly one peep. The rest of the time he sat on my lap and flirted with other committee members or stood under the table and organized the diaper bag. I felt awful putting him through that, but I think the seemingly endless supply of snacks helped him forgive me.
Believe it or not, that was not the end of our day, oh no! I still had a drum lesson to give. Luckily my son still had some snacks left to keep him busy. When we got to my student's house, his mom gave my son a few toys to keep him busy during the lesson. He sat on the couch and played with them for approximately three minutes before grabbing his drumsticks and playing along. While this didn't help my student, it made me feel fantastic. I remember being so excited when he could simply hold the sticks. Now he's actually attempting to do something with them. It's not just random banging, ether. Something is definitely going on in his head. Watch this space...
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Pop Pop came over today to continue work on renovating our sun room. It's an interesting dynamic when we're working. My son more or less has free range of the lower level of the house and backyard. He's become quite fond of our side porch and adjacent step. At least four different times today, he moseyed over to that side of the house and waited for me to spot him. When I got near him, he let out an excited shriek and induced a toddler-speed chase around our patio furniture. It's a fun game, but I fear eventually it's going to end with another bump on the head.
We also had some swing time while we were in the backyard. I don't quite fit in his swing, so it was all him. When he's in a swing, he transforms into a character I like to call "Swing Bunny". He bends his hands downward (like any good anthropomorphic rabbit does) and sticks his upper teeth over his bottom lip. Swing Bunny. Anyway, it's cute. Really cute. He especially loves when I hold him for an extended moment in front of me at the apex of his swing and quickly let go. That causes Swing Bunny to let out a Swing Bunny Squeal. OK, I'm sickening myself with all this adorableness. Post over.
Showing posts with label drums. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drums. Show all posts
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Days 44 and 45
Today was a lazy day at home. My son hasn't been feeling all that great, so it was best to just relax. The consensus opinion at home was that this was the correct decision.
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Today was our first day of "baby" storytime. We missed the first few classes for a few different reasons. The first was because I didn't sign up ahead of time and didn't want to just show up. Another was because I never put it on my calendar and therefore forgot. The final missed date was the day after the marathon, and I wasn't exactly in any shape to chase my son around the library all morning. Regular storytime ended last week, so it was a good time to finally show up.
Baby storytime is similar to regular storytime in exactly two ways: it has shares the word "storytime" in its name and it takes place at the library. Other than that, there isn't much actual story involved; it's mostly music. I'm not complaining. I wasn't really sure how babies were supposed to stay focused on a story anyway. We started off with a new "hello" song to go along with the hello song we already know for music class. Then we sang about some farm animals and different parts of our body (metatarsals are fantastic, etc.). After that, the leader of storytime, Miss Pat, read a couple board books aloud while the babies drooled and the toddlers walked around. The grand finale had two crowd-pleasing highlights: bubbles and shakers! Who doesn't like that?!?
I can't believe we missed three weeks of this! Next week was scheduled to be the final week of this session, but Miss Pat announced that we would be meeting again for additional weeks. Yay!!! Even after all of that excitement, it got better. There was no snack, but Miss Pat gave us a reusable bag with a couple of books in it. I could get used to baby storytime.
When we got home, I remembered that I had recorded "Poison - Live, Raw & Uncut" early in the morning. I love so many Poison songs, even though they were wildly age-inappropriate (and equally over my head) when they were actually popular. They're such stupid fun that I couldn't resist seeing what they look and sound like these days. My son danced to some of the songs, and I picked him up and sang while we bounced around to classics like "Fallen Angel" and "Unskinny Bop". After he appeared to tire of dancing, I put him down and sat down. What happened next is another one of those moments that sounds completely meaningless, but it meant the world to me. He walked over to my (new) diaper bag, pulled out his drumsticks, and started clicking them together and hitting them on the floor. You can say it was unrelated, but I'm certain he knew what he was doing. Soon after that, it got a little difficult to see in the room. I think some dust got in my eye or something...
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Today was our first day of "baby" storytime. We missed the first few classes for a few different reasons. The first was because I didn't sign up ahead of time and didn't want to just show up. Another was because I never put it on my calendar and therefore forgot. The final missed date was the day after the marathon, and I wasn't exactly in any shape to chase my son around the library all morning. Regular storytime ended last week, so it was a good time to finally show up.
Baby storytime is similar to regular storytime in exactly two ways: it has shares the word "storytime" in its name and it takes place at the library. Other than that, there isn't much actual story involved; it's mostly music. I'm not complaining. I wasn't really sure how babies were supposed to stay focused on a story anyway. We started off with a new "hello" song to go along with the hello song we already know for music class. Then we sang about some farm animals and different parts of our body (metatarsals are fantastic, etc.). After that, the leader of storytime, Miss Pat, read a couple board books aloud while the babies drooled and the toddlers walked around. The grand finale had two crowd-pleasing highlights: bubbles and shakers! Who doesn't like that?!?
I can't believe we missed three weeks of this! Next week was scheduled to be the final week of this session, but Miss Pat announced that we would be meeting again for additional weeks. Yay!!! Even after all of that excitement, it got better. There was no snack, but Miss Pat gave us a reusable bag with a couple of books in it. I could get used to baby storytime.
When we got home, I remembered that I had recorded "Poison - Live, Raw & Uncut" early in the morning. I love so many Poison songs, even though they were wildly age-inappropriate (and equally over my head) when they were actually popular. They're such stupid fun that I couldn't resist seeing what they look and sound like these days. My son danced to some of the songs, and I picked him up and sang while we bounced around to classics like "Fallen Angel" and "Unskinny Bop". After he appeared to tire of dancing, I put him down and sat down. What happened next is another one of those moments that sounds completely meaningless, but it meant the world to me. He walked over to my (new) diaper bag, pulled out his drumsticks, and started clicking them together and hitting them on the floor. You can say it was unrelated, but I'm certain he knew what he was doing. Soon after that, it got a little difficult to see in the room. I think some dust got in my eye or something...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Days 27 and 28
My son continued honing a skill he began demonstrating for Gram, Mommy, and I last night: standing his animal toys upright and clapping for himself. He grabs a zebra or giraffe, stands it up on a piece of furniture, turns to one of us and claps for himself. He's so proud of himself and wants everyone to know it.
We didn't do much today because Daddy needed to stay home and follow the iPhone 4S announcement online after our run and lunch. This gave him plenty of playtime.
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After music class we went to the post office. I've been pawning, eBaying, and/ or freecycling a lot of stuff recently, and surprisingly people have wanted it. I'm always amazed when people want my garbage, let alone when they want to pay for it. Anyway, within a few hours of listing some old electronics on eBay, they were sold- hence the trip to the post office. It's just a couple of blocks from where we have music class, and it's also on the same road where we had crepes a few weeks ago. Because the weather was so nice today, I decided we needed to have lunch outside again. After a failed attempt to do so at my first choice, we settled for Chef Alan's. I knew Mommy wouldn't be happy because she likes it so much, but I figured we'd be OK as long as we didn't have the crab dip.
We also made another stop at Earth Rhythms, and much like last time, I couldn't help but buy my son a few things. The pattern is this: he plays with it or shows any interest in it whatsoever, and it's his. I should probably learn to show a little restraint at some point. I mean, it's not like I have a whole basement full of musical instruments already.
We returned to Cash Converters to eliminate some old VHS cassettes. I was happy to get any money at all for them. I was surprised to receive more money than what I was quoted on our previous visit. The college fund grows by leaps and bounds. Or dollars. Mostly dollars.
The Animal Rescue League is very close to Cash Converters, so that was our next stop. Unfortunately, Wednesday is the one day of the week they aren't open during the day. It wasn't a total loss because we discovered a pig in their outdoor pen. She was very friendly and came right up to the fence when we stood there. As expected, my son referred to her as "Dup". He laughed and laughed as she rubbed her back on and pressed her snout against the fence. We'll be back.
We had a few more boring shopping stops before he fell asleep in the car a few miles from our house. I parked the car in our driveway, rolled down the windows, and took the opportunity to get some work done in the garage and on the front porch. He woke up after an hour, and we cooled off inside while we waited for Mommy.
We didn't do much today because Daddy needed to stay home and follow the iPhone 4S announcement online after our run and lunch. This gave him plenty of playtime.
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After music class we went to the post office. I've been pawning, eBaying, and/ or freecycling a lot of stuff recently, and surprisingly people have wanted it. I'm always amazed when people want my garbage, let alone when they want to pay for it. Anyway, within a few hours of listing some old electronics on eBay, they were sold- hence the trip to the post office. It's just a couple of blocks from where we have music class, and it's also on the same road where we had crepes a few weeks ago. Because the weather was so nice today, I decided we needed to have lunch outside again. After a failed attempt to do so at my first choice, we settled for Chef Alan's. I knew Mommy wouldn't be happy because she likes it so much, but I figured we'd be OK as long as we didn't have the crab dip.
We also made another stop at Earth Rhythms, and much like last time, I couldn't help but buy my son a few things. The pattern is this: he plays with it or shows any interest in it whatsoever, and it's his. I should probably learn to show a little restraint at some point. I mean, it's not like I have a whole basement full of musical instruments already.
We returned to Cash Converters to eliminate some old VHS cassettes. I was happy to get any money at all for them. I was surprised to receive more money than what I was quoted on our previous visit. The college fund grows by leaps and bounds. Or dollars. Mostly dollars.
The Animal Rescue League is very close to Cash Converters, so that was our next stop. Unfortunately, Wednesday is the one day of the week they aren't open during the day. It wasn't a total loss because we discovered a pig in their outdoor pen. She was very friendly and came right up to the fence when we stood there. As expected, my son referred to her as "Dup". He laughed and laughed as she rubbed her back on and pressed her snout against the fence. We'll be back.
We had a few more boring shopping stops before he fell asleep in the car a few miles from our house. I parked the car in our driveway, rolled down the windows, and took the opportunity to get some work done in the garage and on the front porch. He woke up after an hour, and we cooled off inside while we waited for Mommy.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Day 10
We had an "appointment" between 9:30 and 10:30 for a free breakfast item at Chick-Fil-A, so (you guessed it) I had to wake up my son early in order to get there on time. We barely made it. After I downed my Spicy Chicken Biscuit and he his cereal bar, we headed into the play area. As far as I know, he had never experienced one of these germ havens before. Ignoring the signs directing us to remove our shoes before playing (I purposely put them on him right before we went in, thinking it would be safer for him), we entered the cramped wonderland. His first stop was the large window, on which he proceeded to pound. He quickly tired of this, and moved on to the nearby fake plastic tree. He had no interest in climbing into it; he instead chose to walk around it. Several times. Eventually I got him on, and later down, the short slide on one side of the tree. After putting on a short show for another family, my son decided it was time to go.
As I actually remembered to fully pack "my"diaper bag in the morning, we immediately got on the road. Today's destination- the Lehigh Valley Mall. We stopped in some of his favorite places: The Disney Store, The Apple Store, and Baby GAP, but the real excitement didn't come until we left the mall proper. More on that later. Lunch once again took some improvisation, as I did not pack any food (other than a few snacks), a bib, or washcloth. We ate at The Pita Pit, a new option in the mall. So new, in fact that they did not have some menu items (such as soup- listed as an option for combo meals) or a working ice machine. I ordered us a turkey pita and still felt hungry after finishing it, likely because I had to give most of the turkey to my son.
I noticed on our way in that there was a Guitar Center across the street from the mall. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am a drummer. I can also fake my way through playing a few other instruments, and I have a small recording studio in my house, but mostly I'm just a drummer. I have done my best to expose my son to as many different instruments as possible in the short time we've known each other. Though it sounds silly, this, our first trip to Guitar Center, was a pretty significant moment in our relationship.
Realizing soon after entering the store that it was not stroller-friendly, I allowed my son to roam free in the store, taking care to not let him mess with anything he could damage (or I couldn't afford). He enjoyed listening to a man play bass along to Van Morrison's Wild Night, but his attention quickly turned to the drum room. Thank goodness. He discovered a couple of doumbeks located right on his level and gave them a good bit of tapping. He found some cymbals to splash. He picked up a tambourine and smacked it on the ground. He programmed some beats on an electronic drum pad (seriously- I don't know what he did, but it changed a bunch of settings). He performed open stroke rolls on numerous snare drums. It was beautiful. I took some video to show to Mommy (and to a lesser extent, Facebook), figuring he would soon tire. Then he discovered the maracas! Davy Jones ain't got nuthin' on my son!
Eventually, I gave the clerk a break and we checked out some of the other departments. My son also loves banging on piano keys; in fact, it was one of the first independent physical movements he ever did. Many of the electronic keyboards were within his reach, so he tested them out. And I turned down their volume controls. I really hope he actually enjoys playing the piano someday, as resisting piano lessons is one of the only regrets I have about my own childhood. I'm fairly certain I won't have to convince him to to take up the drums.
I'm pretty sure we spent more time in Guitar Center than we did in the mall. After a quick trip to Hobbytown USA (if that's not the name of the store, it should be) for a velcro dartboard (it was close to impossible to find one when I actually wanted one for his birthday party), we got back on the road, he took a well-deserved nap, and Mommy's weekend would soon begin.
As I actually remembered to fully pack "my"diaper bag in the morning, we immediately got on the road. Today's destination- the Lehigh Valley Mall. We stopped in some of his favorite places: The Disney Store, The Apple Store, and Baby GAP, but the real excitement didn't come until we left the mall proper. More on that later. Lunch once again took some improvisation, as I did not pack any food (other than a few snacks), a bib, or washcloth. We ate at The Pita Pit, a new option in the mall. So new, in fact that they did not have some menu items (such as soup- listed as an option for combo meals) or a working ice machine. I ordered us a turkey pita and still felt hungry after finishing it, likely because I had to give most of the turkey to my son.
I noticed on our way in that there was a Guitar Center across the street from the mall. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am a drummer. I can also fake my way through playing a few other instruments, and I have a small recording studio in my house, but mostly I'm just a drummer. I have done my best to expose my son to as many different instruments as possible in the short time we've known each other. Though it sounds silly, this, our first trip to Guitar Center, was a pretty significant moment in our relationship.
Realizing soon after entering the store that it was not stroller-friendly, I allowed my son to roam free in the store, taking care to not let him mess with anything he could damage (or I couldn't afford). He enjoyed listening to a man play bass along to Van Morrison's Wild Night, but his attention quickly turned to the drum room. Thank goodness. He discovered a couple of doumbeks located right on his level and gave them a good bit of tapping. He found some cymbals to splash. He picked up a tambourine and smacked it on the ground. He programmed some beats on an electronic drum pad (seriously- I don't know what he did, but it changed a bunch of settings). He performed open stroke rolls on numerous snare drums. It was beautiful. I took some video to show to Mommy (and to a lesser extent, Facebook), figuring he would soon tire. Then he discovered the maracas! Davy Jones ain't got nuthin' on my son!
Eventually, I gave the clerk a break and we checked out some of the other departments. My son also loves banging on piano keys; in fact, it was one of the first independent physical movements he ever did. Many of the electronic keyboards were within his reach, so he tested them out. And I turned down their volume controls. I really hope he actually enjoys playing the piano someday, as resisting piano lessons is one of the only regrets I have about my own childhood. I'm fairly certain I won't have to convince him to to take up the drums.
I'm pretty sure we spent more time in Guitar Center than we did in the mall. After a quick trip to Hobbytown USA (if that's not the name of the store, it should be) for a velcro dartboard (it was close to impossible to find one when I actually wanted one for his birthday party), we got back on the road, he took a well-deserved nap, and Mommy's weekend would soon begin.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Day 2
My son woke up around 9:15, so I quickly went downstairs to brush my teeth, fill his bottle, and otherwise get ready for the day (our upstairs bathroom has been under construction for roughly a month- that's another story for another blog). By the time I got back upstairs, he was asleep again. I took this opportunity to take a shower and get dressed. He was up soon after that. For the second day in a row, I got him dressed before lunch.
It was raining heavily as my wife left for work in the morning, but it stopped soon after. A combination of the uncertainty of the weather, the late wakeup, and my recent foot pain caused me to forgo my 5-mile training run. Instead I chose to watch episode 28 of Deadwood and thought a little about running while my son had his breakfast. I'm trying to watch shows with questionable content before he starts talking. If you've ever seen a few minutes of Deadwood, you know why.
By the time he finished his cereal bar, it was more or less time for lunch. We played for a little bit (to work off the calories, of course), and I prepared a bag of distractions for the day's adventure: band practice.
A few years ago, some of my coworkers and I started a band at school. We played at the school talent show and on the last day of school for a couple years, but our goal was always to put on our own concert. Last spring, we did. We got a lot of kids to perform with us (that's a 7th grader playing drums in the video), charged admission, and used the proceeds to buy our auditorium some much-needed stage lights. The night was a success, and we have since been asked to play at a couple of other events. One of these events is taking place later this year at a local bar. Our principals take part in an U.G.L.Y. Bartender event each year, and this year we will be providing the entertainment. Because the band usually practices after school and my wife is still working when practice begins, my son will occasionally be accompanying me.
I knew I couldn't just let my son run free in our rehearsal space (the school's band room), so I packed up a small play pen to keep him contained. In the interest of full disclosure, this device was originally purchased for the purpose of allowing a former rabbit of ours to frolic in our yard. It's also very clean and the perfect size for a toddler, so get over it. While it worked great to this end, he was also able to push it towards the very dangerous hi hat, so I had to use a combination of several other percussion instruments to hold him back. While he didn't like this at all, it saved his fingers from getting caught in between the cymbals.
I felt bad for forgetting his little drumsticks, so I gave him a drum to smack around while we played. As soon as I put it down, he started banging on it. He also "sang" a little bit when our singer began. Occasionally when the actual musicians (remember- I'm a drummer) had to stop and learn a chord progression, I would give him my sticks. He does this cute hybrid march/ walk thing when he gets a pair of drumsticks in his hands. We managed to get about 50 minutes of decent rehearsal time in before he decided it was time to go. Considering it was a little past his normal nap time, I was thrilled with his tolerance. I packed up all of his (and my) toys, and we were off. I turned the stereo in the car down and planned a route home that would give him plenty of time to take a nap.
The route took us over one of our local "mountains" (home of our Pagoda), through the rolling hills of Lower Heidelberg (home of another famous, yet far less interesting, local), and finally back home to the anticipating arms of Mommy. The daddy-only portion of Day 2 was complete, and we had a long weekend consisting of an R-Phils game, a trip to Hersheypark, a visit from Gram, and an impending hurricane to look forward to. See you on Monday...?
It was raining heavily as my wife left for work in the morning, but it stopped soon after. A combination of the uncertainty of the weather, the late wakeup, and my recent foot pain caused me to forgo my 5-mile training run. Instead I chose to watch episode 28 of Deadwood and thought a little about running while my son had his breakfast. I'm trying to watch shows with questionable content before he starts talking. If you've ever seen a few minutes of Deadwood, you know why.
By the time he finished his cereal bar, it was more or less time for lunch. We played for a little bit (to work off the calories, of course), and I prepared a bag of distractions for the day's adventure: band practice.
A few years ago, some of my coworkers and I started a band at school. We played at the school talent show and on the last day of school for a couple years, but our goal was always to put on our own concert. Last spring, we did. We got a lot of kids to perform with us (that's a 7th grader playing drums in the video), charged admission, and used the proceeds to buy our auditorium some much-needed stage lights. The night was a success, and we have since been asked to play at a couple of other events. One of these events is taking place later this year at a local bar. Our principals take part in an U.G.L.Y. Bartender event each year, and this year we will be providing the entertainment. Because the band usually practices after school and my wife is still working when practice begins, my son will occasionally be accompanying me.
I knew I couldn't just let my son run free in our rehearsal space (the school's band room), so I packed up a small play pen to keep him contained. In the interest of full disclosure, this device was originally purchased for the purpose of allowing a former rabbit of ours to frolic in our yard. It's also very clean and the perfect size for a toddler, so get over it. While it worked great to this end, he was also able to push it towards the very dangerous hi hat, so I had to use a combination of several other percussion instruments to hold him back. While he didn't like this at all, it saved his fingers from getting caught in between the cymbals.
I felt bad for forgetting his little drumsticks, so I gave him a drum to smack around while we played. As soon as I put it down, he started banging on it. He also "sang" a little bit when our singer began. Occasionally when the actual musicians (remember- I'm a drummer) had to stop and learn a chord progression, I would give him my sticks. He does this cute hybrid march/ walk thing when he gets a pair of drumsticks in his hands. We managed to get about 50 minutes of decent rehearsal time in before he decided it was time to go. Considering it was a little past his normal nap time, I was thrilled with his tolerance. I packed up all of his (and my) toys, and we were off. I turned the stereo in the car down and planned a route home that would give him plenty of time to take a nap.
The route took us over one of our local "mountains" (home of our Pagoda), through the rolling hills of Lower Heidelberg (home of another famous, yet far less interesting, local), and finally back home to the anticipating arms of Mommy. The daddy-only portion of Day 2 was complete, and we had a long weekend consisting of an R-Phils game, a trip to Hersheypark, a visit from Gram, and an impending hurricane to look forward to. See you on Monday...?
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