Happy Camper

We went on my belated birthday camping trip this weekend!

Last year I almost cancelled the whole thing because camping with a baby seemed insane. Benny loved camping--and we had no concerns when we headed out to the woods for labor day.

This year I almost cancelled the whole thing because camping with a toddler seemed impossible.

Then our plans for getting out early on Friday were thwarted by Thursday afternoon. But, we loaded the car, packed the cooler, and headed out to what turned out to be the best camp site ever.

Benny ran and played with the dogs, splashed in the little creek that ran through the camp, walked in the woods, and generally got good and dirty. He was so happy when he woke up on Sunday and realized he was still in the tent that he immediately started to laugh.

Cafe Lord of the Flies

Mosaic is a community coffee shop we like to hang out at because of their demitasse room--a big room full of toys and insane kids. It's a great place to meet up with a friend, but recently Benny and I have been going once a week because he can play while I get work done.

One of the things I worry about as a stay-at-home is that I am depriving Benny of important social development at daycare. But, at Mosaic he gets a chance to learn how to play with other kids, resolve conflicts, and navigate the world without me holding his hand.

Rainy days tend to be pure chaos, and last week Benny got overwhelmed and needed me to be right next to him. I didn't get much work done. Today's rainy day he spent a lot of time standing next to me and holding onto me while he watched the action. I was starting to worry, but I continued to support him and encourage him to go and play without coddling him. By the end of the morning he was mixing it up with the other kids and didn't want to leave!

He's usually sleeping by the time we get home, and last week fell asleep mid chew of his bagel!