Kompare.Us

Yesterday, Colleen went to her first Halloween Party.  It was at church and we made cupcakes for it.  It was a lot of fun.  She wore an orange outfit with a black cat on it.  We had some trouble finding a costume in her size.  She loves the shirt with the cat on it though and has been wearing it all week.

There were about 30 kids ranging in age from 6 months to 4 years old.  I helped decorate on Friday night and we had some games and crafts for the kids to do.  Colleen spent the time playing with the pumpkin pails–throwing balls into them and also just carrying them around the gym (we went and bought her her own pumpkin pail today and she loves it).  She also found out that the limes used to make floating ghosts really were the perfect size for a ball!  She had quite a few people laughing, including herself, as she threw the lime all around the gym and chased it.

She and I also decorated (and ate) a cookie.  We played with another 15-month old named Vince for awhile and just generally had fun.  It was certainly a busy morning because we went to Kindermusik first, but she remained in good spirits in spite of no chance for a nap.

Tuesday we had our first playgroup at church.  Five toddlers and their moms came.  I consider this a great success for a first day!  It will be every Tuesday and I’m the “host”.  Colleen played well though she isn’t yet really playing with others.  The age range was 11 months to 19 months with 3 boys and 2 girls.  We also took her to the nursery on Sunday.  Tom stayed down with her, but said that she really played independently of him across the room.  This is a huge step for her!

She loves the little slide in the nursery but can’t yet climb up it herself or slide down without help.  But she is really walking.  Now when she falls or trips, she gets back up and walks instead of just staying down and crawling.

Since I’m so awkwardly shy when it comes to small talk with people, I know I’m never going to be able to meet potential playmates for Colleen at the park, so I decided to try someplace where I might feel a little more comfortable.  Our church has a Parents of Young Children group and I’m spearheading a weekly playgroup at the church for newborns through age 2.  I thought it could be a bit of a combo Moms group and playgroup.  Hopefully it will work.  The church is so much easier for us to get to using public transportation than some of the other events they do.  So, wish me luck!