Every Tuesday, Esme and I head over to the local branch of the library for Infant & Toddler Hour. They start the hour off with a little sing-a-long and possibly some stories, then we get about 40 minutes of open playtime. The younger kids (those who are not yet walking) play on two blankets spread out in one part of the room while the older kids wander around playing with balls, wheeled toys, shakers & other noisemakers, and a really neat tube they can crawl through. (I'm really excited for Esme to grow to the stage that she can enjoy the rest of the room, though that will mean I won't be sitting behind her and relaxing most of the hour.)
Esme has several new friends that she sees every week, and I'm thrilled to be able to offer her the chance to see and interact with other kids her age. She is enthralled by them. I'm also happy to be able to interact with other adults during the day, comparing notes about new foods, milestones of growth and learning, and activities in the area that are good for small children.
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| Hey Dad, what am I supposed to do with this ball? |
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| I love that she gets to see other, slightly older kids crawling and walking around. She's mesmerized by them and studies them to see what she can learn about this whole locomotion thing. |
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| She's also learning about sharing toys. |
One exciting thing about the area of town in which we live is the multiculturalism. While in the room, I've heard conversations in Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Spanish, Korean, and even a little French one day. Perhaps I'll try to join in with the Chinese conversation one day, but I can tell just by listening that I've forgotten more Chinese than I remember.
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| And she's constantly looking around and watching her new playmates. |
I'm just so excited to be able to offer her this experience. One funny thing, though, is that I now know lots of new kids names, but I don't remember their parents names. (Hi McKenna's mom, how are you today? And how is Max doing today, Max's nanny? Wow, Amaya's mom, it's great that Amaya and Esme are within a week of each other's ages.)
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| She found herself at the front of a train of kids at one point. |
Every Tuesday, Esme and I head over to the local branch of the library for Infant & Toddler Hour. They start the hour off with a little sing-a-long and possibly some stories, then we get about 40 minutes of open playtime. The younger kids (those who are not yet walking) play on two blankets spread out in one part of the room while the older kids wander around playing with balls, wheeled toys, shakers & other noisemakers, and a really neat tube they can crawl through. (I'm really excited for Esme to grow to the stage that she can enjoy the rest of the room, though that will mean I won't be sitting behind her and relaxing most of the hour.)
Esme has several new friends that she sees every week, and I'm thrilled to be able to offer her the chance to see and interact with other kids her age. She is enthralled by them. I'm also happy to be able to interact with other adults during the day, comparing notes about new foods, milestones of growth and learning, and activities in the area that are good for small children.
I totally have that same problem with the names of kids' parents. Everyone is "Stevie's dad" or "Eleanor's mom". Glad it's not just me!
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