Our week was packed with back-to-back activities! Most of them were for Toddler R, whose social schedule seems to be much busier than ours…

On Monday, Cindy & Toddler R had a play date with Cindy’s best friend from high school and her best friend’s daughter who is around the same age as Toddler R. It has been so special to go through motherhood together and have built-in play dates! One of the struggles of motherhood is keeping up relationships with friends who don’t have children. The nature of the relationships changes because priorities and availabilities change. She’s been lucky and feels so special she got to transition to this new stage of life at the same time as her childhood best friend.

Monday evening, Jake went out to dinner with some old co-workers. He used to work in litigation consulting before entering the Ph.D. program. His time at litigation consulting feels like a lifetime ago, but it’s amazing how quickly time flew by and how once they got together it felt like he was there just yesterday. They spent their time catching up but mostly talking about the good (and bad) old days.

On Tuesday and Thursday, Cindy took Toddler R to a Pre-Preschool Class. What’s Pre-Preschool? That’s what Cindy was wondering too! It’s just an hour or so class to help toddlers transition to preschool by exposing them to a classroom environment and routines. For Cindy, it’s mostly an activity and something to do. She’s not sure how much Toddler R is getting out of it besides new toys and friends.

On Saturday, we decided last minute to go to the LA Zoo! It had finally stopped raining and what better way to enjoy the sun than at the zoo. We were a little more into it than Toddler R. Her favorite part of the day was probably drinking the juice from her lunch combo!

In the evening, Jake went to a Daddy Shower! What’s a Daddy Shower? That’s what Jake was wondering too! It’s just a little hangout for the expecting dad. The shower was for a friend at our church. The men spent the evening watching some sports, grilling and eating some hot dogs, and sharing advice & encouragement with the daddy-to-be. It was actually really special and Jake thinks there should be more Daddy Showers for men!

Sunday, we went out to visit one of Cindy’s previous students and his family. The world of Orientation and Mobility (O&M) is so small because it’s such a niche field and because there aren’t that many O&M’s since visual impairment is such a low-incidence disability. Cindy was the only O&M in her district which meant she would work with students from the time they entered school until they graduated or left the district. It’s a unique position. She was able to see the same students year after year and see them change and grow up! She’s developed a lot of close relationships with her students and their families and it has been special to be both their educator and friend.