Samuel, Shira and I went to the Children's Discovery Museum. I didn't bring the camera, because really, how many pictures do I really need of the kids at the museum? And now that Samuel can easily walk from the car, and Shira will happily walk too (if I'm patient enough) all I need to do is carry a backpack with snacks, why bring the bulky camera?
I figured I wouldn't post about the museum, because really, how many posts am I going to write about the kids at the CDM? We go through periods where we're going at least once a week. Hence, no need to bring the camera.
Of course, after thinking all of that in my head before leaving, we get there, and there are like a million moments where I wish I could have taken a picture.
Well, not a million moments. But a few significant ones (at least to me), significant enough that I wish that I had brought that darn camera, and I'm going to post about it anyway, even absent the eye candy.
What was so cool about today? Well, for starters, Shira insisted on walking, all but leaping from my arms as we were crossing the street. Once on the ground, I asked her if she wanted to hold my had, which she willingly did. Samuel then asked if she wanted to hold his hand, at which point she sprinted over to him, holding both of her hands out with an enormous smile on her face. She refused to hold my hand as well, preferring to be tied only to her big brother. The sight of the two of them happily holding hands, proud loving important big brother and adoring little sister, words cannot describe...
Samuel engaged with one of the special exhibits which he had always ignored in the past. It was about how people with disabilities (missing legs, hands, etc.) are able to do everyday things. He was fascinated by the prosthetics, the bicycle that you pedal with your hands, asked thoughtful questions.
And when Shira expressed a desire to go one way, and Samuel wanted to go the other, we did Samuel's choice first, and when we were ready to move on, he specifically said we had to go play with the bubbles, as "that is where Shira wants to go next."
Samuel was able to complete the art project without any help from me, came up with his own design, and in the end created multiple stories for his puppets. So cool.
Shira was able to do the toddler art project all on her own, despite the confusing nature of the medium. The museum froze water mixed with water color paints on popsicle sticks and then encouraged the kids to paint with the popsicles. Umm, what were they thinking? Toddlers want to eat everything anyway. Give them paint that looks like food, and then think they aren't going to eat it? And what is Shira going to do the next time I hand her a popsicle? Try and paint the walls?
And our final triumph of the day, I have been hesitating writing about, since I don't want to jinx it. But here goes anyway. Shira has been diaper free for 4 days now. She even made the entire drive to the museum without a miss. She told me when we were almost there that she had to go potty, I pulled off the freeway and she went pee in the bushes of the Merrill Lynch parking lot. She told me every time she needed to go while we were at the museum. And she wore pants the whole time. I put her in a diaper for naptime, but that's it. Woohoo!
