A Message from Grandpa

When Grandpa learned about Dominic's fascination with his shadow, he sent me this poem. His Mom used to read it to him when he was a little boy and had the same interest. We'll be adding it to Dominic's bedtime reading....So, I guess in this case we can say, "like Grandfather, like Grandson."

MY SHADOW

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Robert Lewis Stevenson

A little piece of home...

I just could not resist putting this great shot that Vinny got of Dominic this morning up here. I'm in Boston for work and missing my two guys back home. Vinny sent me this photo and of course, I melted! My handsome little guy...

Changes...

Dear Dominic,
Starting tomorrow, things are going to be changing around here. Please know that I always have you in mind and in heart with everything that I do. I will miss you terribly when I am not with you and know that what seemed to be a terrible situation six months ago turned out to be a wonderful gift. I enjoyed being home with you very much. We made a lot of memories and had even more fun. You have become such an amazing little boy and I will cherish the fact that I was able to be right there for so much of it. I know that you will adjust to our new schedule much faster than Mommy and will go on growing and taking in everything that life has to offer you each day. I know that I'll never love being apart from you, but over time, I'm sure I will adjust too. I am lucky to be able to leave you with the best person of all, your Daddy. Together, you two will make great memories and have even more fun!

I love you as much as any Mommy can love their Son and am hopeful that this new adventure will make our family even better and stronger!
Mommy

Tucker Lake

Our last destination of the week was Benson, NC. Tucker Lake is a place that Vinny and I had passed numerous times, but never had the chance to visit. We originally thought about going to the beach yesterday, but since the drive was shorter and we thought Dominic might enjoy being in the water without the crashing waves, we decided to give Tucker Lake a shot. It was definitely a great decision. The water was warm and Dominic ran right in all by himself. There was plenty to do there for all three of us. Dominic had fun swimming and building sand castles with Daddy. Vinny and I got to try out the high jump over the water and Vinny also went on a very big water slide. There was even a mini polar bear slide for kids Dominic's size. We are definitely looking forward to going back again soon!

Play Nation!

Today, with the forecast of rain, we stayed local at an indoor playground called Play Nation. Dominic was able to get plenty of energy out playing, climbing and sliding. I had taken him here in February and it was so amazing to see the difference between now and then. He was able to do so much on his own and I will tell you that this little boy is FEARLESS! He definitely has no issues with heights of any kind. All three of us really enjoyed it and finished off the outing with some lunch and a little shopping before we all came home and took naps to recover. Another family fun day!

North Carolina Zoo

With this being my last week home before I start my new job, we decided to have a little "stay-cation" and do some day trips throughout the week. On Monday, we spent the day at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. It was a hot day, but with the shaded areas and indoor exhibits, we did just fine. It's a pretty big zoo, but we were able to do the whole thing in one day thanks to our trusty tour-guide, Daddy, who kept us on course. We saw plenty of animals from both North America and Africa. Dominic even got a special treat of a 3D adventure movie with Dora and Diego, two of his favorite TV characters. There was also a really neat playground that looked like you were visiting someone's vegetable garden and felt like a scene from "Honey, I shrunk the Kids." It made for a perfect break towards the end of the day. We were so glad that the zoo is only about an hour and half away so that we can continue to go back year after year.

A Trip to See the Turtles

Yesterday afternoon we had the chance to make a visit to Crowder Park which is about 10 minutes from our house. We started with a stop at the playground. This "jungle gym" was really great for Dominic as the "tots" section was an entire area that Dominic could really do all by himself with very minimal help from Mom or Dad. Most of the time, one of us has to really follow him closely when we go to the playground. But this one, was really designed perfectly for someone just his size. We are definitely going to have to make a habit out of coming back.

After he got some energy out from playing, Dominic hopped into the stroller for a quick walk around the lake. Once we got up to the bridge that crosses over the lake, we could see at least 15-20, if not more, turtles swimming right by the bridge. And of course, it was a perfect way to practice saying "Durdle." It was a great way to spend the afternoon and we can't wait to go back and see the turtles again soon!

Dominic's Shadow

I will work to try and get a photo to add to this, but in the meantime, I wanted to share one of Dominic's newest fascinations - his shadow. With the sun always blaring these days, Dominic often catches his shadow following him, or, depending on his direction will work to chase after it. Every time he does see it, he first bends down and touches it and says "Ominie" (his pronunciation of Dominic). It is just one of those little things that makes me melt as his proud Mommy and allows me to further appreciate how perceptive that little brain of his is!

Another new trick of Dominic's that I will be proud of myself for catching on film, if I can, is his habit of sitting on Max as if he were a couch whenever Max is lying down and chewing on a bone. Dominic really finds it quite funny. First off, he knows that he is testing Max by doing it, so he flashes a very proud and mischievous grin when he able to fully accomplish a sitting position. Then, he laughs hysterically when Max gets annoyed and jumps up, dumping Dominic onto the floor. Yesterday, Max must have tolerated this for a solid 2 minutes without getting up, the longest I've seen, but I knew if I stood up to go and get my camera the two of them would follow me and disrupt the pose...I'm thinking you're just going to have to take my word for it. As bad as I do feel for Max, I kind of think he likes the attention deep down and I have to admit that it is quite amusing to watch!

First Day at the Pool

In between thunderstorms yesterday, the sun came out and it was super hot. We decided to take Dominic for a quick dip in the pool before the next storm arrived. He kept claiming that the water was cold (see his pose in the second picture), even though it was like bathwater. Then once Daddy decided to take a seat in the shade of the umbrella, Dominic just HAD to get out of the water and go sit next to him like a big guy. Hopefully, there will be a lot less rain next weekend and we'll make it over to the big pool.

Got to be NC

We spent the afternoon and evening at the "Got to be NC" fair yesterday after Vinny finished up work. It was at the state fairgrounds and they had a little bit of everything there. Of course, Dominic's favorite part was getting to see all of the animals. We got to feed some baby goats and also saw camels, llamas, porcupines, ponies, a kangaroo and a calf. During a huge downpour, we went inside one of the buildings where Dominic got to ride on several tractors. Of course, there was also plenty of other "fair" type things like games, rides and food. We managed to have a great time walking around in between the rain drops!

Should we be worried?

Recently, Dominic has taken a liking to playing with my shoes in the closet while I am getting ready in the bathroom. Usually, he likes to match them up in pairs or line them up in one long row. Tonight, he decided to be brave and actually put the shoes on. He came traipsing out into the bedroom and put on a little fashion show for Vinny and I. Let's just hope that, ultimately, he decides to wear men's shoes! In the meantime, I couldn't resist capturing the moment.