Well, slowly and with the help of others, we are starting to get our boys out into the world a little more. Our days of just waking up and figuring out what to play with and when to take our neighborhood walk are pretty much over. Connor has school two days a week, and that means his brothers and I have to get up in time to get us all ready and fed, take him in (with brothers in tow), and then be back in time to get him in the afternoon (also with brothers in tow). The logistics are slightly maddening. The double stroller is a must, and there is still screaming from the little guys while we wait in the hallway for entrance and dismissal. But I digress . . .
Today we added another element. We all got ready and fed, dropped Connor off at school, and then headed downtown to meet Miss April, our developmental therapist, at the local children's museum downtown. It's focus is math and science, but it's basically like a big indoor playground where you also happen to learn a little bit, too. The boys cried, as they often do, in the new situation. They cried when we parked on the street and got into the stroller. They cried as we walked through downtown. They cried when we went inside, while Mommy paid the admission, and when we started on the visit.
Finally, after about twenty minutes of crying (only about 5 or 10 inside), it stopped. Xander became fascinated with a display of shiny colored rocks. He and April stayed for quite some time, and he even found his way back a time or two later on. Sawyer cried longer than his brother, but that's to be expected. New situations often cause trouble for him. He eventually calmed down and walked with me around the corner. There was a huge walled mirror, which he fell in love with for a while. There were also hula hoops, and we rolled those around a bit, too.
Eventually, Xander and April found us and we all headed over to an area especially for preschoolers (it has a gate, to keep them contained in a large, viewable space). And here we stayed for the duration. There was a water table, which Sawyer immediately fell in love with and only left for moments at a time (and even then, not very often). He liked moving the toys from one section to the next, all at a time - organizing, yet again. Xander found several things to interest him, the first and most frequent being a large table with wires and beads (similar to those found in most doctor's offices). He also found puzzles, stacking blocks, wooden puzzle games and wooden push toys. He especially enjoyed getting these into the water table, which I'm pretty sure is not what the museum has in mind. But all went well. They, of course, also cried when it was time to leave.
But, it was such a good time for them (once we got in and settled) and an enjoyable and manageable outing for me, that I signed us up for an annual pass. If you visit three times a year, it's the same price as having an annual pass, and I figure we can at least do that much. Besides, we never even made it to the other half of the first floor, much less the second story. And I think Connor would like it too, sometime when Daddy or someone else is free to help.
Lots of new things going on with the boys these days. I sometimes worry that we've gone from nothing to way too much way too soon, but they're handling it as well as could be expected. Sawyer, of course, has the most trouble. But he's coping in his way. And in the long run, I think getting them out into the world a bit more is going to be good for all of us! Happy exploring . . .
Sawyer and his mirror image (Xander's reflection also comes in at the top right).
My little engineer, Xander, having fun with the bead table.