We went to the Visitor Interpretive Center today for the “Wildlife Festival” – this was pretty cool, very fun for the kids. Low-key. The best part was the musician who had a guitar, a banjo, 2 different dulcimers, a fiddle, AND taught us how to play the spoons. Both kids were thrilled. I learned that 2 spoons can occupy Carter for a long time.

Then afterwards, we were walking along Stanley Drive on a mission for more milkweed for our caterpillars (we got a chrysalis!!!!!!!!!) and two kids came running up the driveway of the camp 2 doors down, yelling “stop! We know you!!!” Turns out they saw us at the festival, and wanted to meet us, since they were also on a milkweed mission. We were invited down to their camp, and Ava had a great time with the 8-year old girl and her 5-year old brother. I was happy to meet our neighbors.

Though I was not thrilled at the slow and tortured dissection of a crayfish that the 2 older kids engaged in. Ava took it in reserved stride, and actually ended up finding some enthusiasm for it, so on the way home we had a little Buddhism-oriented chat about the principle of ahimsa, (non-harming). I was astonished that the kid’s mother was fine with it when she announced “and now we are going to KILL it!” I would have blown a gasket. Fine, it is a crayfish, and people kill them all the time, but not for the sheer pleasure of simply killing. This was a bit morbid, as far as I was concerned.

On to other topics: Ava is confirming her status as a ‘sensitive’ child. It just seems (and always has seemed) that everything is heightened for her. Loud noises are louder, hurts hurt more, tastes taste more, bright light is brighter, smells smell more. Lately, when she has hurt herself, she has essentially overreacted. But I think it is an overreaction relative to what we experience. She cut her hand the other day, and screamed for close to ½ hour. And I think it really did hurt her. I do not think she was blowing it out of proportion because she was tired or hungry or whatever. Several times she stopped to breath, and she said quite clearly, “mom, it REALLY hurts.” I guess this is what a low pain threshold is.

For someone who runs while looking over her shoulder, this is not good.

Carter had his lead levels tested (part of the standard 1-year old physical) and after much hand wringing on my part for no adequate reason other than fear, the letter came, and he was perfectly fine. So, all of that dirt eating he participated in was not damaging. Let’s hear it for clean dirt.

He spent the entire day laughing – and it is a new laugh. Very much like Ava’s hee hee hee hee, done with an intake of breath, not out. He just practiced and practiced at every opportunity. He’s getting better with the walking, though he sort of goes sideways. He is a bit lopsided anyway, with his right foot rotated almost 90 degrees when he walks, so it stands to reason that he would go in the direction it is pointing. Once he is stable on his feet, I will see if there really is an issue or if it is just a matter of developing the strength to straighten out.