Trip to Stepping Stones

 Emma and I took trip to meet friends at a children's museum in Norwalk yesterday morning. I was a little nervous to be taking an hour long drive alone with Emma since she has been fighting restraints and struggling with being in the carseat for long periods of time. It's not a problem when Patrick is in the car because when she begins to get upset I can join her in the back and keep her happy. But what when we are alone? We've had some ugly scenes play out when it was just us two. I even stopped taking Emma for car trips unless Patrick was driving. This started getting better about a month ago after actually practicing riding in the car but an hour's drive would be the longest trip we have tackled. Thankfully Emma dozed off after 15 minutes in the car and I waited for her to wake after we arrived and parked at the museum. It couldn't have been a better drive!

 There was so much to do and see, all sorts of exhibits and brightly painted displays surrounding us. It was a totally new environment for Emma where she could move about and explore with other children of different ages. I think her favorite part of the museum was that she was free to go where she wanted to go. She was so pleased to be walking somewhere new that she passed by a lot of activities. Tot Town is a section of the museum designed with a toddler's size and development in mind and the activities there grabbed her attention. 

"Inspired by the latest research in early childhood development and play, our imaginative space sparks curiosity, fosters early learning and promotes literacy." From the Stepping Stones website. 

 One thing she couldn't resist was the set of stairs in Tot Town. I was surprised that she so confidently approached and scaled the stairs while standing and holding on to the handrail, rather than crawling as she typically does. It was the first time she has walked up stairs and she took on this task with no guidance from Mom. 

After lunch we played on an outdoor playground for a while. Emma almost- but did not follow me through a cage tunnel. Let me be clear that this tunnle was much to small for me to be climbing through. It is a perfect size for Emma and I think she'll get through it next time! It is also a nice frame and I got this picture of little Goo on the other end:

Rollin' through the 'ground in my dino. 

Thinking about going in... 

It was sweet watching Emma at the "Sprayground." Emma hates to get water in her face but it looked like she really wanted to give exploring this spraying structure a try. See how serious she is? When you think of a child at a sprayground you probably envision a big smile and a look of joy. Not yet the case with Emma. This was more of a study, a trial. She so seriously stomped through where the sprayers hardly reached with the lightest spray, looping in circles that always ended at my side. She looked accomplished after looping through half a dozen times. We continued our exploration of the playground, Emma followed a bee from flower to flower, we sat in the shade and caught our breath, then we headed back home. And guess who is a big cutie bug and slept the whole ride home?

             This girl.