A Dream Come True & A Bloody Lip

Today was finally nice enough that we got outside for a walk! I wasn't thinking that G would make it very far, but I figured that we'd walk towards the park.

Not long ago, a playground was built by my house. I was so excited that "G's park" would be finished soon after he came home. And then excited that it was finished before he came home. All last year I drove by that park and watched zillions of children playing, and dreamed of the day that G would play there.

Today was the day!

We don't have sidewalks in my neighborhood, so we had to walk in the street the whole way there. Every time a car approached, G would scream scream scream and cling on to my legs. The screams didn't sound fearful; it was almost like he was trying to scare the cars away. Then, as soon as the car would pass us, G would wave & say "Bye-Bye." Very weird.

He loved marching in the muddy gutter water and on the melting ice.

He wiped out 3 times. In the muddy gutter water and the melting ice. While wearing his dry-clean-only coat.

But we made it to the playground! G was pretty happy to be there. He walked up & around the little hills. He got on & off the rocker boat. He watched the other (Russian?) boys play. When the boys approached him, he pretty much ignored them. He never made a move to go on the big jungle gym thing. I didn't push him 'cause it was way past nap time. But I did put him on the swing before we left and he LOVED it. He screamed in delight as if he were cresting a roller coaster.

I've heard people say that when you adopt a toddler, you miss so many of their "firsts" - smiles, steps, etc. But there are so many other crazy firsts that I do get to enjoy. Today - the first swing experience - was one of those awesome firsts.

I was sad to have left my camera at home. So when we got up the driveway, I told G that I'd be right back and went to grab my camera. It took me under 2 seconds, but of course he freaked out, rushed the porch steps, stumbled, and banged his face down the concrete and onto the rocks. Screaming.. bloody mouth.. Looks like he scraped the outside of his lip and bit the inside of it. He's intrigued by the resulting fat lip. I'm just glad that this happened after the knot on his head has subsided.

I don't remember Joseph ever banging his head or fattening his lip. He never broke a bone or even had stiches. Somehow I think that G may provide a different experience.