Pomp and Circumstance

Today was a bittersweet day for me.  It was Connor's last day of his Early Intervention group.  This group has been so good for him, and I'm very sad to see it come to an end.  I wish EI went until the age of 4 so we didn't have a break in services for him, but we've started the process of getting a preschool evaluation, which is good.  Connor has made so many improvements since he's been in his group - not only with speech, but with his understanding, his attention span, and his social skills.  I arrived a few minutes before the graduation was scheduled, and I was able to watch Connor come back from outside play, wash up, eat lunch, and listen to a story.  He was so focused and attentive to the story.  It was a different side of him I don't get to see very often.  As a teacher, I was proud he was a being a good little student!

The EI graduations are short, sweet, and to the point, so there wasn't much time to get photos.  Today there were three kids graduating from his group, so I had to act fast.  His teachers and I were a little worried he wouldn't keep his cap on, but when he crossed the bridge he kept it on and even held up his certificate.  I seriously was teary-eyed.  I know, I've turned into a sap, but like I said - I'm a little sad about this day. 

After graduation I took Connor to Friendly's for lunch.  He's worked hard in group and deserved a celebration.  It was such a great lunch.  He was well behaved and he ate well!  I even asked him what kind of ice cream he wanted and he said "orange", so it was Sherbet all around (I was happy because it's better for us than regular ice cream!). 

In other news, this morning was our appointment with the orthopedic surgeon regarding Connor's funky ankle growth.  We were all smiles when they said there is just a slight abnormality, but nothing at all to be concerned about.  She said because he has Cleidocranial Dysplasia, she'd like to keep seeing him once a year just as a follow-up, but that he shouldn't have any restrictions on sports or any other activities (can you hear Daddy's big sigh of relief?).  We are very fortunate that his CCD diagnosis has pretty much been just that - a diagnosis; and that so far (knock on wood), there are no other problems associated with it.  He's a happy, healthy, VERY active little guy, and I am so thankful for that.  We can't wait to celebrate 3 years with this amazing kid.  Stay tuned!

 

Weekend Fun Part II

With yet another open house on Sunday, Connor, Bailey and I piled into the swaggerwagon and hit up Ward's Berry Farm in Sharon.  The temperature was much cooler than the day before, so Bailey could stay in the car while Connor and Mommy explored. 

Connor's first order of business was to touch every. single. pumpkin.  Once that task was complete, we made our way to the animals.  Connor likes to imitate the sounds for each animal, which is pretty funny.  The poor sheep were probably scared when my little 3-year-old yelled "BAAAAAA" at them.  I hope they forgive us.

After the animals we went on a hayride.  The tractor brought us to the pumpkin patch where you could pick your own pumpkin, but we opted to stay on the wagon for the ride back.  Carrying a pumpkin, my purse, and holding Connor's hand would have been a little much for one person.  Connor loved the tractor and was very quiet on the hayride, just taking it all in.  On the way back we had to squish next to everyone because there were a lot of people and pumpkins that needed a ride, and Connor kept rubbing the pumpkin of the kid sitting next to us.  He was just fascinated with pumpkins!

We had some lunch after the hayride, then went to get Bailey out of the car so he could explore.  He was quite the hit himself, with several pug owners coming up to greet him.  One lady just lost her pug, so she was all about getting her pug fix in.  Bailey was a very willing participant in all of this -he loves people! 

After a few jumps off the giant hay bales and a little swingset time, it was time to head back home to drop off Bailey so that Mommy and Connor could go hang out with our friends Jess, Layla, Quincy and Brady.  We played on the playground for a while.  Connor found a blue car and he sat there bouncing it for probably 45 minutes to an hour.  He didn't want to play with anything else.  When it was time to go enjoy the cupcakes Jess and Layla made for Connor, he was less than enthused to leave the car.  However, once he realized there were yummy cupcakes to eat, he was happier.  He was very sad when we packed them up.  He kept saying "Bye Bye Happy Day!".  Little did he know when we got back to the house he had presents to open up from the Curtis Crew.  He got a Mickey bath boat and a Disney viewfinder.  He LOVES them both!  Thank you, Jess, Layla, Quincy and Brady!

 

 

Weekend Fun Part I

Seeing as we had to be out of the house for two hours both Saturday and Sunday, we were determined to make the most of our time.  After running a few errands around town Saturday, we headed in the direction of C.N. Smith Farm in East Bridgewater.  The place was packed, which was not surprising since it was a VERY hot September day.  We did have the dog with us, and because we had to leave him in the car, our trip was very brief.  We quickly looked at the animals they had around, mostly goats, and realized that there was a little goat just wandering around.  Connor had no fear and walked right up to her and pet her.  She was very gentle and let all the kids pet her.  As we made our way toward the other animals, we noticed that they had horse rides for $5.  Connor loved it when we rode horses in July, so I jumped at the chance (AND there was no line, so I didn't have to worry about Bailey).  Connor was an old pro and didn't even need my help balancing on the horse.  He looks like a natural on a horse, so if anyone wants to get him the ultimate birthday present, a nice little pony would be great. 

After the pony we stopped by a table with a children's Halloween book for sale.  The author and the star of "There's a Moose on my Broomstick", Willie the Moose, were autographing the books, so I bought one for Connor.  We don't have very many Halloween-themed books around, so this was a good one to add to our collection.  Connor was not too enthused about meeting the life-sized moose, so we weren't able to get a picture.  Oh well!

Once the book was purchased, we quickly went inside and picked up some beat up apples (for applesauce), cider, and of course, cider donuts.  Connor's lunch was his cider donut, which he gobbled right down on the way home.  I don't blame him - they were good!

Bailey was a trooper and was a very patient dog for the 15 minutes we were at the farm.  For a reward, he got his very own bite of a cider donut. 

Stay tuned for Sunday's activities!

Shaggy Has Left the Building

Connor finally got a much needed haircut this weekend when Mimi came down for a visit.  He was not enthused by it at all, and the whole neighborhood probably heard him screaming, but he looks so much better.  You can use the picture at the top of the blog for a comparison.  I apologize for the blurriness, but my child does not stay still.  Ever.  So it's impossible to get a picture of him that isn't even a little blurry.  But you get the idea!

Champlain Valley Fair

This past weekend we took a whirlwind trip to Vermont for a wedding, which meant that Connor got to spend the day at the Champlain Valley Fair with Grammy, Grampy and Uncle Nate.  Word has it he had a fantastic time petting and feeding the animals, riding the rides and spending time with his Vermont family.  Both Uncle Nate and Grammy volunteered to go on the kiddie rides with him, and he loved it!  He carried around this helicopter that we keep at Grammy's house the ENTIRE time.  You'll see it in his hand in most pictures. 

We head back up to Vermont this coming weekend for Brett and Erin's wedding, so our friend Sarah gets to babysit.  Both she and Connor are looking forward to it!

Day Out with Thomas

For the past year I've wanted to take Connor to the "Day out with Thomas" festival at Edaville.  The problem is, Edaville does not offer this activity everyday.  I started off the day thinking we'd just play in the yard and in the kiddie pool, but something told me to check the Edaville schedule.  Thank God I did - it was now or never.  The only other weekend they were offering it was next weekend, and we'll be away for a wedding, so we packed up our things, bought the tickets online, and hit the road!

Connor was very quiet for the first hour.  He was taking everything in.  He asked for a lollipop when we first got there, and I figured it was a special day so why not.  We bought 3 Dum Dums at 25 cents a pop, so we weren't breaking the bank.  He held onto that lollipop for an hour and a half and wouldn't let go. He finally ate it on the train, but wanted another. I gave him one and he held onto that one until he fell asleep in the car. It was so strange, so in all of the pictures you'll be able to spot the lollipop!


When Connor saw Thomas he lit up. He pointed and kept saying "THOMAS! THOMAS!". It was very cute. We had an hour and a half before our train ride, so we went inside where they had the ball pit, the train sets and a viewing of Thomas. He wasn't that interested in the ball pit because he had to relinquish his lollipop to get in. That didn't last very long. He did, however, like the Cranberry museum where they had the tractors set up. Boys + tractors = fun.

Before our ride we had some lunch. Connor had a very healthy lunch of potato chips and juice (and don't forget the lollipop), but he was an angel in the massive food line, so I let it pass. Actually, he was pretty much an angel all day. The only incident we had was getting him to stop playing with the train set in the gift shop, but once he realized I bought him a Thomas Pez dispenser, he left with no problems.

Our train ride was hot, but fun. I was a bit worried that Connor wouldn't like it. After all, a train from afar is very different than actually being on one, and in December he screamed so much we had to get off the train before we even sat down. Thankfully, he was great. He was sure to remain seated, and every time I stood him up to see something outside, he looked quickly, but would sit down immediately. He loved pointing at the different wooden characters and telling me what they were (a dog, a puppy, etc). He liked the train whistle, too, which was loud and could have been an issue. He really seemed to enjoy his trip, but by 3:00 we were roasting, sweaty and exhausted so we called it a day.


    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Roger Williams Zoo

Our second adventure of the week was hitting up the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.  We'd never been before, so both Mommy and Connor were eager to check it out.  The day started off relatively mild, but by the time we got there it had warmed up quite a bit.  That didn't stop Connor!  He was ready to visit the zoo and all the animals.  One of the first exhibits are the elephants.  Connor used to be afraid of elephants, but lately has been requesting the elephant sound Mommy makes, so I think his fear has lapsed.  He loved to watch the elephant spray himself with mud.  Mr. Elephant was pretty close to us as well, so that made it easier to see.  On the way out one came right over to our part of the fence and was eating hay from a raised net.  We could see right into the elephants mouth!  Pretty cool for an almost three-year-old (ok, and for the 34-year-old, too). 

After the elephants we saw the giraffes, including the month-old baby giraffe.  We were able to get a very close-up view by the fence.  One of the giraffes was right next to us grazing.  I tried to get a decent picture of Connor looking at the giraffe, but this lady refused to move so I could get a picture.  She was in her own little world.  Anyway, off we went to see some other animals - the seal, cow, chickens, sheep and goats.  Then my little man started to get grumpy and hungry, so we sat and had some lunch. 

After lunch we went into the Austrasia building.  Yes, that's Austrasia.  Animals who could be found in Australia and/or Asia.  Connor gravitated right toward the snake-necked turtles and camped out.  He was in love.  They would swim by his face, which he loved, and he just watched them, totally engrossed.  Out of an entire zoo of exotic animals, my kid chooses the turtle as his favorite.  Go figure. 

After prodding Connor away from the turtles, we walked around the rest of the zoo, seeing camels, a red panda, a leopard, an anteater, and lots of other animals.  Connor had just about lost his steam when we started to make the trek back to the car and had to be carried the rest of the way.  I don't blame him, I was tired, too, but we had a great time!  We wish summertime could last a little longer so we could do things like this more often, but we'll take what we can get.