Over the break, we went to the Children's Museum twice. Lyla loved it so much the first day, that she asked to be back the next! She started out building towers with the tree blocks. I made a big one, but she knocked it over and did this one by herself.
She did great in the ant hill exhibit. She likes the different caves and tunnels and loves exploring. I was proud of her for climbing these stairs by herself, and could stop from beaming as she "ran" down the ramp leading from the top of the hill to the bottom without falling. I have never seen her move so fast!
Next up was the Ball-o-Rama visiting exhibit. She had fun trying out the different ramps with golf ball after golf ball. They also had a little track where kids could push big fitness balls around a course. She did it three times; Masud and I each did it once.
We made another stop at the earth world section to see the tadpoles. Lyla had a great time helping them swim up and down the little stream.
Her favorite is the water tables. The first day, she loved the bubble table and played there for a long time. The second time, she and I raced boats over and over again; she won every time despite my best efforts.
At the quite spot, Lyla put on a brief puppet show for me, then had fun looking for treasure through the telescopes. She likes to pretend we are pirate piggies. She is usually the captain and I am Benny; we rarely find gold.
In the Our World exhibit, she had fun delivering the mail the first and second days. She also tried her hand at being a chef and a fireman! It was lots of fun to see her dressed up in the costumes and taking on real life jobs. I love watching her explore the real world and figure out what she wants to be when she grows up!
And finally, we also painted our faces. Lyla had a few blue lines and looked like Braveheart. She wanted me to draw a mosquito on my face, but I drew a dinosaur instead, so she ran off and got pouty.
It's always fun to get out on the town. I wish we would have taken advantage of our annual pass to the Children's Museum more throughout the year. Maybe we'll have to renew! Lyla just loves adventures and can really hold her own in the busy rooms with other kids. She did have a little scuffle with a girl who was trying to take her maracas on day two, but she got over it quickly.
The best part of it is, she's really no different than all of the other kids at the museum. Despite needing a little help getting up stairs if there's no handrail, she fits right in and you wouldn't even know she has a disability. I had a rough encounter over the break when someone's pity reaction hit me really hard.
Just because my kid has a disability doesn't mean I'm any more tired, stressed or frazzled than any other mom. And it doesn't make her a harder kid to parent. In fact, I've got a great kid, who is well-behaved and really pretty easy compared to some. Do we talk about different things and cover topics some kids will never have to deal with (therapy, neuropathy, AFOs)? Yes. But we don't talk about a lot of other things that other people DO talk about (biting, hitting, sharing).
I love my kid. We have a great life now and I know she will have a wonderful life as an adult! Don't pity us for what makes our family different. Love us for who we are and empower us to be our best!
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