Long weekends with Dad

Dad has to use up his vacation by the end of the year, so he has been spending some extra time with us on some Fridays. This was our second long weekend in a row, and he has next Friday off too. It has made life easier for Mom and lots of fun for all of us.

This weekend we checked out a gymnastics and dance class we thought I might take, but it was too serious for me. The other kids in the class were a little older than me and liked quietly sitting still more than I do.

The trip to the Northwest Rec Center worked out anyway though. On our way out to the car after bailing on the gymnastics/dance class, we noticed kids around my age hitting balls with hockey sticks. Mom, who played field hockey (very poorly but enthusiastically) for four years in high school, was really excited so we stopped to watch and find out more about the class. It's called Sportball, and they do all kinds of things with different kinds of balls. It involves a lot of running around, so it's more my speed. We will probably sign up for the next session.

After we left the Rec Center, we stopped at a playground behind an elementary school. We met another kid my age, and although there were two nice playscapes, I had a lot of fun running up and down the school stairs and wheelchair ramps. It was a nice morning and a good chance to blow off some steam.

Hazel has been having a lot of fun too. She has been hanging out in my old Jumperoo and we picked up an activity station for her. She likes pushing buttons that play music and chewing on a bird on the toy. I tried helping her push the musical buttons and she grabbed on to me and pushed me away! She's not very good at sharing, but she's still little so it's okay. I play with it while she's napping because I really like it too.

We've had a nice change of pace lately with the weather. We've had a few cool days and even some rain! It's been a good opportunity to wear my nice new jacket. Mom and Dad said I look like a cool dude.

Since I am still not talking, Mom and Dad started teaching me sign language the last few weeks. I started with "more" and "all done," which have helped me to stop throwing food on the floor. Before I knew how to tell Mom and Dad I was done eating with my signs, the only way I could tell them I was finished was to throw my food, so everyone is happier and less frustrated this way. This past week, I have also learned to sign "apple," "banana," "help," and "book." Hopefully this will encourage me to talk soon. So far, so good. In the meantime, I have been saying "ooo, ooo, ah, ah," to tell them when I'm thinking about monkeys.

Here are a few pictures of Hazel playing in her new toys, me in my rain jacket, and some pictures from Rosh Hashanah.