One more stop, no really, just one more...

Today was a busy one for CR and me. After having my car serviced out in Newton (I actually enjoyed a solo run while I waited for our family truckster to finish up), my husband (I will refer to him as B) dropped CR off at the dealership. After a quick carseat swap, CR and I made our way out to my OB for my now monthly check-up. As we all know, appointment times are often a mere formality - you might as well make the appointment for a window of time like the cable company, especially if the slot falls later in the morning...so, I had to keep CR busy while waiting to be called. First, he tried out all of the hand sanitizer pumps in the waiting room

Once we were called in, he insisted on being weighed - yep, all 26 pounds of him...with clothes and shoes on...let's just say that Mommy weighed in at a little bit more than that...

After finally leaving the doctor, we made a quick stop at the Atrium Mall so CR could run around a bit, and play at a toystore...with all of the toys there, you would think he would find something more entertaining than leaning over a display wall. And yes, he succeeded in climbing over the gate and into the carseat/holiday display...it was no treat getting him out of there...

After dragging him out of the store in true two-year-old screaming fashion (I think I am becoming numb to this, but I am sure others around me without kids were horrified), we got in the car and headed back down Rt. 9. As we drove, CR said to me, "Mommy, I smell something." Logically, I asked "what do you smell?" He replied, "I smell a house." Not knowing where this was going, I responded, "What does a house smell like?" Matter-of-factly, he said "Like the letter W." Oh, silly me, how could I not have known...anyway, we planned on heading straight home...when I drove by a Supercuts. At the stoplight, I glanced back at CR's Fraggle Rock style hair, and decided a trip to the barber was just what he needed, so in we went

The finished product is quite handsome, and he was surprisingly agreeable throughout the whole process. After the haircut, I knew I was pushing my luck, but stopped briefly at REI for a quick exchange, and then it was back home, for real this time. The only thing I failed to do on our outing was stop off at the drycleaner, but that is what tomorrow is for, right?

(Practically) free fun - what's better than that?

I had a free morning today without scheduled hours to work, so I definitely wanted to get out with CR and do something fun. Last year, we had an annual membership for the NE Aquarium. It was great, and we went a number of times, but after the tenth time seeing the penguins and the touch and explore exhibit, we decided that we best hold off on annual memberships until the little guy got a bit older. So without a membership to anywhere, I phoned a number of our local public library branches, and scored free admission to the Museum of Science. Aside from the parking fee ($9.75 for 2 1/2 hours), and the $3 must-have small bag of colored rocks from the gift shop (he had to have them), I didn't have to take out my wallet.
After handing our free pass to the attendant, we had to get our hand stamped by the automated stamp machine...let me tell you, that thing is an exhibit in and of itself. CR tried out every one of them...repeatedly...every time we passed through the lobby on our way to another part of the museum...

After finally prying him away from the stamp machine, we made our way downstairs to the lower level. Right away he was mesmerized by the Audiokinetic Sculpture - a series of wires, chimes, wheels and chains that moved pool balls around from floor to ceiling, and back again.

From there, we traveled upstairs to the scented animal exhibit...yes, scented. You walk around to each display, and while viewing the poor stuffed animals behind glass, you have the option to not only listen to a recording describing the habitat of said animals, but also the ability to push a button, releasing a scent that helped add olfaction to the list of senses you experience while viewing the display. CR took to the recordings right away...

From there, it was off to the cafeteria (by way of the hand stamping "exhibit"). We sat at a window seat, and enjoyed our packed lunch - the biggest hit was watching the Redline T travel across the Harvard Bridge in the distance.

Across from the lunchroom was a discovery room for little ones - CR put pegs into a giant lite brite type board, took some quiet time to do a shape puzzle...

...and stuck his head out through various portals in a raised playhouse

All in all it was a great outing. My only real downfall was running to the car to keep from getting too cold, driving down four floors of the parking garage, only to realize I hadn't paid my parking fee at the kiosk on the way out of the Museum...grrrr...I had to turn around, park illegally, grab CR, and go back into the museum to pay...eh, what can you do...

It's never too late, right?

I guess I should start off with the disclosure that I wish I started to document important parts of my child's life long ago. I am the mother of a 2 1/2 year old boy, and we are expecting our second child at the end of May of this year. I failed to document the first years of my son's life in a chronological manner (I will refer to him as CR in my posts) - he does have a baby book, but he has resorted to using it as a coloring pad. Between the scribbles, I suppose you can decipher my assorted notes and anecdotes, summarizing some of his milestones and the like, but I seriously have failed myself as a mother in this regard. You are expected to fall off the documentation wagon with the second, not the first. So here is my effort to begin a (b)log for CR, and for baby number two (who I shall refer to as B2 in my posts). So cheers to a new year, and to the start of what should have been done from the beginning.