Mom Salon

Before we had Oscar, I thought I'd be pretty cool about having a gender-nuetral-looking kid -- you know, able to wear pink (who cares?) and have long hair.  I still feel that way, but it has started to get a little annoying when people tell us what a "pretty little girl" we have.  Intended or not, Oscar's clothes are pretty boyish, so we've concluded the bouncy curls must be the culprit.  When it happens we have to decide to either nod and smile as we move along, or correct their perception.  The former makes me feel sheepish, the latter makes the mistaken acquaintance feel the need to apologize.  Also, most of the curls are growing on the back and sides of his head, at times giving him a kind of Bozo the Clown look.  So yesterday, with mixed feelings (and somewhat impulsively, I'll admit), I turned on "Electric Company" (he can't look away when it's on), pulled out a pair of scissors, and started cutting.

Oscar a few weeks back with long locks that have only gotten longer...

The cut hair -- now saved in his baby book.

His new "big kid" do -- I admit, once mostly gone, I missed the curls.

Another view, and today I'm getting used to it.  We went to the park this morning and no one mistook him for a girl.  Not that I'm not okay with that...

West Philly (New) Parent Group

In case you missed the pics posted on facebook, here's a peek at our West Philly Parent Group (the "New" ought to be taken out by now).  We meet roughly every two weeks for a couple of hours.  John and I have really enjoyed getting to know other parents (and their babies) this way.  All kinds of moms (the stay-at-home and the working) and quite a few dads make the group.  The kids range in age, with at least 3 other "regulars" Oscar's age. 

We hosted last time, enjoying snacks by the sandbox out on a still-sunny evening.

Oscar and his sweet friend, Nora (whose birthday is just four days after his).

The "babies" are increasingly on the move--their newish moves are such fun to watch!

Oh, Smith Park, We Love You!

Well, Oscar clearly loves it there.  It is colorful and accessible and clean and playful and free and well, we just can't say enough good things about it.  Oh, except you can't eat there (which we found out by attempting to eat there).  Other than that, it is simply a great place to take a burgeoning toddler.

The train in the "under-five" area was definitely Oscar's favorite.

Peeking up through the sail on the boat.

Aargh--ahoy ye!

John and Oscar going down a huge old indoor wooden slide.

Practicing for the Beach

With the warm weather coming a little early this year (we deserved it, honestly, after such a snowy winter!), we decided to get Oscar a sandbox to put on the deck.  We checked out some fancier versions, but in the end went for the good ol' plastic turtle.  We also MacGyver'd a gate so O.K. is free to roam on the deck.

 He ate a pretty good amount of sand his first time in, but has since mostly figured out a sandy mouth is no fun.  Though this does seem to be one of those things that he will have to learn more than once--at least for now.

 Conventional baby gates are just too complicated.  A yard gate and a couple of bungee cords and--viola!--a toddler-proofed deck.

Anniversary Hike

Yesterday, we celebrated eight years of married life.  As we often are, we were casual about it--a delicious homemade breakfast made by an adoring husband, an equally tasty dinner out at Vietnam (a sweet Vietnamese restaurant in West Philly), and in between, a hike down Forbidden Drive and water ice at Rita's after.

Oscar couldn't have been happier to see the world from up there.

We stopped to play for a bit in the sand and water along the river.

It was a perfect day.

Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday, Oscar and I went to a candy-free Easter egg hunt at the Woodland Cemetery not too far from our house.  I didn't really expect him to find many eggs, but romping around in the grass and picking stuff up is one of his top five favorite things to do, so I figured it would be fun.  And it was.

Once the hunt began, Oscar walked maybe five feet out into the grass, found an egg, and flopped down to enjoy it.

Oscar and his friend, Daniel, were working on how to share.  I've been told this is the age when toddlers are just beginning to consider the whole world doesn't revolve solely around them.  It's a hard lesson to learn, and I'm realizing may take a while.

Soon Oscar came up with his own egg hunt game.  Step one: toss the egg.  Step two: find the egg.  Step three: pick up the egg.  Step four: repeat until your mother gets tired of following you around.

Oscar, Daniel, and their friend, Lucy, sat around sharing snacks while the parents chatted.  It was a gorgeous day, perfect for egg hunting and lazing in the warm sun with big and small friends.

Graduation!

That's right, at the young age of almost fourteen months, Oscar has "graduated" from ChildLink, the program that evaluated and organized his physical therapy for the past ten months.  We've come to really appreciate Gail, O.K.'s physical therapist.  Oscar really likes her--and what new parents wouldn't love to have someone come play with their child and explain what and how he's doing every week?  So, while we are so happy to know that Oscar's on-track developmentally and no longer needs this assistance, we are also a little sad to see Gail go.  We are grateful to her for the gentle way she worked with Oscar, and for the support and encouragement she gave us.

The Philadelphia Zoo

Spring break is the best.  In spite of being a little under the weather this week, I've managed to spend some quality time with Oscar and John, as well as a few friends.  Yesterday, John worked in the print shop while Oscar and I went with my friend, Christine, and her son, Cole to the Philadelphia Zoo.

Shortly, after we got there, we stopped to have a picnic lunch.  O.K. was fascinated by the geese and the sounds they made.  As we walked through the zoo, we checked out many of the big animals, but Oscar and Cole are still more interested in simpler things (like each other's strollers).

We went into the "Treehouse", where the boys climbed through a giant maze of frogs' eggs...

then into an enormous frog.

The kiddos playing around in a huge dino egg.

I'm pretty sure Oscar's favorite part were the goats at the petting zoo.  They are a lot slower than a cat, and didn't seem to mind being petted at all.

Smith Playhouse

John has taken Oscar a few times now to Smith Playhouse, but I have hardly had the opportunity since it is open primarily during the school day.  It is a beautiful old building with three different levels on which toddlers and young children can play.  During this spring break I was finally able to take Oscar to see it for myself.  Here are a few pics, though they don't do the place justice.  On the level filled with toys, I was too busy playing (and keeping up) with O.K. to remember to take any pics.  Honestly, that's fine with me.

 

The little house with the tiny kitchen was clearly O.K.'s favorite spot.  He likes opening and shutting all of the cupboards and turning the knobs on the stove.

On the lower level, Oscar explored this wooden train car.

He is not actually pushing this with his feet much yet.  He really liked it when I pulled him around on it, though.  Soon enough, he'll be making it go on his own.