Playground fun.

This morning we had to run an errand and Baby S was out by 12:15 p.m. We drove home, hoping to place her in her crib, allowing her an early nap and an early bedtime. I have been successful transferring a sleeping Baby S from the van to her crib, and P decided to give it a try. Alas, it was not to happen today. P put up a good fight, but the tiny toddler won, and they returned downstairs together to eat lunch. After lunch, we drove to a local park that we have not visited since September. It appeals to older kids as well, so I was concerned about Baby S's safety and ability to have fun there. We had a great time and Baby S impressed us by trying three slides, two of them longer than what she is used to. She also tried a kiddie suspension bridge on her own and gave the swing a short test run. We then walked for over twenty minutes, with Baby S walking the whole time. She really impressed us with her stamina, especially during the steep part of the walk.

Baby S points to the bunny's nose.

She liked looking through the tires, but was not interested in walking through.

This slide is taller and longer than mine. Can we take it home?

Baba, you jump in first, I'll spot you.

I asked P to hang on to Baby S because I did not think that she could maintain her balance. Baby S returned two more times and played on it by her very confident self, thank you very much. This is quite a feat for her, because when she is on solid, stable, flat ground, she continuously trips over her own feet. She only fell once and simply said up, got up, and kept playing. There is a video below of her antics.

Baby S did really well on this slide and returned many times.

Here I come!

She briefly tried the swing, but it involved P behind her and me in front of her, basically handing her to each other. This is another picture shot with my left hand, while catching her with my right hand. And it was taken with the D60, not my diaper bag camera. Told you I was getting better. :)

P took the camera away from me and made me show my face. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

During our walk we found a roller hockey skating ring. We had not idea it existed. Baby S enjoyed walking the length of the rink and playing with the goal posts.

Like brother, like sister. Baby S has been interested in nuts, bolts and screws ever since we met. In China, she spent her time in the bus looking for them and trying to figure out how to get them out. On the flight from Tokyo to San Francisco, she amused herself in the same manner. P and I were thankful that she was so small and had no tools to her disposal. When she gets her hands on a toy, the first thing she does is to look for the battery compartment, and then touches the screws. Like JJ, she is just determined to take things apart. We were hoping that it was a phase, but we realize that we have a hard road ahead, as she figures out how to dismantle everything in her path.

She spent so much time examining these bolts, that P and I had to walk away to get her to stop. Baby S did not fold quickly, she allowed us to walk quite a distance before she realized that we were serious. This is the first time we have done this, but we were desperate. It is important to us that Baby S trusts us to always be there for her. Next time we will just pick her up and deal with the public humiliation once she melts down.