I cannot wait to be able to go to the park any day of the week. Wow, does it make Henry a happier boy! He could go and go all day and never want to go home. It's also nice for me, who doesn't have to do much but watch. :) My friends and I have talked a lot about how with each new stage of childhood, there are better things and worse things you have to deal with. Definitely, one of the better things at Henry's age is that I can pretty much trust his safety at the playground. It used to be constant vigilance and minor heart attacks at any slight movement in the wrong direction...but no longer. I still stand pretty close to wherever he is - he is only 2 1/2 after all - but it's so much more enjoyable to watch him explore and run and play without worrying over his every step. There is still a little overprotective watching, as Henry's height (okay, and weight) makes him so big on the play sets made for the 2 - 5 age group and he prefers the age 5 - 12 sets. I am therefore watching for the bigger kids to NOT trample my little guy. Luckily, the times we go to the park are usually school times for bigger kids. So far, no casualties! At the playground this week, there was a kid who was probably 4 or 5 swinging and jumping onto things that were way beyond Henry's wildest imagination of motor skills. Still, Henry leans forward as if he's going to jump right off the platform and copy the other little boy. I, with thoughts of emergency rooms in my head, caught his little tummy with my hand and told him he wasn't big enough to do that yet. At precisely that moment, the other kid had swung back onto the platform and was standing right next to Henry...the very same height. Henry looks him right in the eye...down to his toes...back up again. Sigh. I'm sure Henry is utterly confused. I need to say "old enough."
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There is really nothing like the pure joy Henry has written all over his face when we arrive at a playground. He can't unfasten his car seat fast enough! I know this will be a treat for me as well, when I'm too ginormous to do anything else before Wyatt's arrival and too tired afterwards. :) God bless the man who invented the playground!
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We were lucky to get out to the park twice this week before the rain blessed us once again (this morning). Here's one of the days where I actually remembered my camera:
You gotta love the self portrait attempts with kids! Either someone's not looking or someone's head is cut off!
1 comment:
Yeah for sunshine--even if it is fleeting! I can totally picture Henry looking at that kid and sizing him up, thinking "Hmmm...I wonder if 'bigger' doesn't mean what I think it means." Ha! He's growing up so fast.
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