We May-ed it!

Yay, we made it through another May! It was a tough month for us in a lot of ways, but it was also very educational month for me, as Jack's mommy. Some of the lessons I really took to heart were:

• Jack is easily overwhelmed in crowds
• Jack really needs to have his personal space respected
• Jack often feels uncomfortable around strangers

I don't know why this should seem so unusual to me. I think a lot of people feel these same feelings; I know that I do. The main thing we are working on is having him express his discomfort and anxiety in more acceptable ways than screaming and shoving.

However, I am also working on getting past my own embarrassment and being a better advocate for my child. If I am supposed to be understanding of other people's children invading my child's personal space, they can be just as understanding that my child doesn't yet know how to effectively communicate how uncomfortable it makes him. It doesn't mean that I'll let him get away with aggressive behavior, but at the same time, he's not completely at fault for being upset. As adults, we certainly don't tolerate other people getting in our face, sidling up against us, or otherwise disrespecting our boundaries. I'm trying to remember that just because Jack is a toddler doesn't mean that he should find this sort of thing somehow more acceptable than an adult would. Toddlers are people too.

Tough month or not, we were able to keep busy with friends and lots of fun activities. We celebrated a bunch of May birthdays; had several fun playdates; went to the Science Center, the Santee Spraygrounds, the Birch Aquarium, the beach, the Zoo, Sea World, and Legoland. We even went strawberry-picking. It's a rough life! :)

Here's a brief look at our month in pictures:

At the Zoo's new Elephant Odyssey

This is Jack's favorite "exhibit" in the Zoo.
I asked him, "Do you want to see the elephants?" He said, "I want to see the ele...vator!"

Elmo has been recently supplanted by Winnie-the-Pooh for top spot in Jack's affections, but he still had a lot of fun at Sea World's Breakfast with Elmo.

Balloon Elmo at a birthday party featuring the world's best balloon guy

Mini Washington DC at Legoland