We have a new favorite toy in our house. It's red and shiny and has a horn that goes "Beep! Beep!" It's Fionn's birthday gift from us, his new little Radio Flyer sports coupe!
Oh, our boy LOVES (L-O-V-E-S) his little car. He definitely feels like a Cool Kid driving around the house in it. We have even taken it for a neighborhood spin, and Fionn was ever-so-happy to show it off to everyone we encountered. There were quite a few unnecessary "beep! beep!" noises from his little horn, I will assure you.
Fionn is also engaging in a new bad habit, thanks to the sports coupe. Drinking and driving. That's right, folks. At the tender age of 1 year old, no less.
Actually, the sports coupe is slowly becoming part of our nightly routine with Fionn. Historically, it went like this: Dinner, bottle, bath, bed. Now it goes like this: Dinner, bottle while being pushed around in the sports coupe by Mommy or Daddy, bath, bed. See that? Our boy is no dummy. He figured, "Why sit in my high chair to drink this dang bottle if I could be pushed around the house in a miniature sports car whilst drinking it?" You can't argue with that logic, folks.
The best part about the sports coupe? It inspires moments like this.
This is probably a good opportunity to say that we are enjoying the heck out of our son these days. He is such a delightful little kiddo. Curious, funny, oh-so-very-active...and sweet. Lately our boy has been so sweet at times, it blows my mind. A big part of this is that he is in a sharing phase right now. Food, toys, dirty diapers...if he's got it, he's sharing it. I tell ya, there is nothing like watching your chubby baby toddle toward you with a big piece of mulch from the backyard, holding it out and offering it up as if it is a nugget of gold. And you know what? To his Mama and Dada...it is.
All sentimentality aside, I will tell you that I had to talk myself down from the ledge when I considered saving the first stick he "gave" me awhile back. Thankfully, I was able to flash forward a few years and imagine myself finding said stick among his other saved items. I could imagine myself picking it up and saying, "What the...?" and quickly tossing it into the trash. Sometimes foresight is better than hindsight.
The other cool new "toy" in our lives lately is the Cool Pool. The Cool Pool is the best thing that ever happened to our summer in DC. Seriously. It makes me love my life about 50% more. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.
The Cool Pool is a local members-only (and their guests) pool that is located about 1.5 miles away from our house. It's really called the PG Pool (it's in Prince George's County in Maryland), but it has been dubbed the Cool Pool because it is just that...cool. Besides having a great toddler pool and adult pool, the Cool Pool has all kinds of fun things for kids to do. There are sand boxes, complete with trucks and other sand toys that appear to have dropped from the sky because they belong to no one, a tether ball area, and a volleyball court.
But best of all, there is a virtual wasteland of plastic toys in one corner of the yard on which kids can climb and play. It looks a little junked-out when you first see it. I have to admit that I screwed my face up a bit when saw this area on my first visit to the pool because it looks a little...well, ghetto-fabulous, let's say. Now I understand that it is the best thing that ever happened to a parent who wishes to relax and enjoy an adult beverage or perhaps an uninterrupted conversation. Because the kids just LOVE it. Especially our Fionn. He has developed a particular affinity for many of the toys in this area. He especially likes the little playhouse which has a door that he can open and close (Fionn is very into opening and closing things right now). Check out these pictures of our little man having a ball with the plastic toys. Note especially the last picture where he is virtually surrounded by ladies who are at least 8 times his age. Coincidence? I think not. At one point, I caught our guy touching the tanned leg of one of the little girls with his chubby little hand. Caressing it, if you will. Oh geez. I am not looking forward to puberty with this kid.
Other things that rock about the Cool Pool. There is live music on the weekends. Unfortunately, it tends to occur from 6-9 pm which is Fionn's dinnertime and bedtime. But hopefully in a few years, we'll be able to enjoy it more.
Also, you might have noticed that I mentioned alcoholic beverages in the above paragraph. Ah, you sly reader, you! Yes, we are able to drink beers and wine while hanging out at the pool with our child -- excellent! They don't sell alcohol at the pool, mind you, but you are welcome to bring it in as long as it is not in a glass bottle (glass is strictly prohibited). We have not ventured to the pool with beer yet, but we can see our future. And it is good. It is very good. As one other Cool Pool member said to me, "It's not just a pool. It's a way of life."
Cheers to that!
Oh, and Happy (early) Father's Day to all! I will post again soon about the special day we have in store for our special guy. We love you, Conor D.!
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