Mariel's birthday
In early December, Riley attended his friend Mariel's 3rd birthday party. It was at a toddler gymnasium which is just about the greatest place ever for a party. Zero hazards, 100% fun! Here's the happy birthday girl.
We discovered two things about Riley at the party. First, he LOVES balloons. He was the first kid at the party to discover the balloons and would have snuck out of there with all of them if I'd let him. He played the balloons -- 3 and 4 at a time -- like they were marionettes. For two weeks after the party, well after the helium had dispersed, Riley dragged his little balloon around our house like it was his best friend in the world.
We also learned that day that our little guy is a first class nerd. Here he was in a kid's nirvana: every surface could be tumbled upon. And what did he want to do? Read books. Sure, he managed his fair share of belly flops on the big foam pads. But then he discovered the best kind of activity center: a tiny, corner book shelf, nearly obscured by shoes, jackets and purses. He ran over, plowed through the outerwear and sifted through books until he found one he fancied. I tried to convince him to rejoin the tumbling fun, but he just grabbed the book again and implored me to read it. I sat him down on the mat, facing all the other kids and fun activities, but he didn't bat an eyelash in their direction. He laser-focused on his new find, which we read together for a good 15 minutes before he rejoined the other kids.
Poor nerdy kid. He can't eat birthday cake (he ate turkey, broccoli and blueberries while the birthday girl nibbled fluorescent pink princess cake.) He'd rather read a book than learn to somersault or play with other kids. Reflecting on my own childhood, though, the apple may not fall far from the tree. My favorite hobby was reading, I spent countless hours in the library -- sometimes three or four a day! -- and loved reading so much I'd sneak books into bed at night to read with a flashlight. So Riley may have been born into a life of nerdiness. Welcome to the club, kid!
We discovered two things about Riley at the party. First, he LOVES balloons. He was the first kid at the party to discover the balloons and would have snuck out of there with all of them if I'd let him. He played the balloons -- 3 and 4 at a time -- like they were marionettes. For two weeks after the party, well after the helium had dispersed, Riley dragged his little balloon around our house like it was his best friend in the world.
We also learned that day that our little guy is a first class nerd. Here he was in a kid's nirvana: every surface could be tumbled upon. And what did he want to do? Read books. Sure, he managed his fair share of belly flops on the big foam pads. But then he discovered the best kind of activity center: a tiny, corner book shelf, nearly obscured by shoes, jackets and purses. He ran over, plowed through the outerwear and sifted through books until he found one he fancied. I tried to convince him to rejoin the tumbling fun, but he just grabbed the book again and implored me to read it. I sat him down on the mat, facing all the other kids and fun activities, but he didn't bat an eyelash in their direction. He laser-focused on his new find, which we read together for a good 15 minutes before he rejoined the other kids.
Poor nerdy kid. He can't eat birthday cake (he ate turkey, broccoli and blueberries while the birthday girl nibbled fluorescent pink princess cake.) He'd rather read a book than learn to somersault or play with other kids. Reflecting on my own childhood, though, the apple may not fall far from the tree. My favorite hobby was reading, I spent countless hours in the library -- sometimes three or four a day! -- and loved reading so much I'd sneak books into bed at night to read with a flashlight. So Riley may have been born into a life of nerdiness. Welcome to the club, kid!
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