Little Lewie's First Field Trip!

These past two weeks have honestly been a blur.  At work, I had to assist with Commencement 2011, and at home, Little Lewie was preparing for a "Commencement" of his own.  Since Little Lewie's daycare is part of a community college, it ends during the summer.  If I was on a professor's schedule, this would have been perfect; after all, I would get to spend my summers staying home with my little boy.  Unfortunately, with my new position in college administration, I don't have a summer break this year.   I still have to work between two to three full days a week, which means poor Little Lewie has to adjust now to a brand new daycare.

Anyhow, just like college seniors and high school seniors get to have a fun week full of graduation activities (i.e. Senior Day, Class Trip, Graduation, etc.), Little Lewie had a fun few weeks of "graduation" activities.  According to his daycare, Little Lewie was graduating from the "toddler room" to "pre-school" because when he returns in the fall, he will officially be three.   (This means I have exactly three months to get him potty trained--Yikes!)  His graduation week started with a field trip to Flander's Nature Center, and I had the joy of chaperoning (mostly Little Lewie) but other two, three, and four year-olds as well.

When bringing Little Lewie to his daycare, he first cried because he thought I was dropping him off.  "No, Mom is staying with you this time, Lewie."  He looked puzzled and continued to declare, "Mommy Bye-Bye.  No Mommy.  Bye-Bye."  (Translation--No Mom.  I want to leave with you.)

This little struggle lasted for a few minutes until we were told that we could all walk out to the school buses.   Well, riding a school bus for a two year old boy is just about the coolest thing you can ever do.  It was so entertaining to watch him jump in excitement at the anticipation of getting on the bus.  Even more, it was fun to watch his antics on the bus.  Not only did he enjoy having a window seat, but he loved peaking in the crack between the window and the seat to see his friends sitting in front of him and behind him.  A couple of times he tried to kneel on the seat and face backwards to entertain the people behind him, but Mom had to lay down the school bus safety rules (even though I never followed them myself when I was in school).

The bus was quite rowdy--full of toddlers screaming, laughing, and sometimes crying.  A toddler in front of Lewie on the bus ride to the Nature Center decided he was going to entertain Lewie by making fart noises and peaking between the seat crack.  This put Lewie in his glory.

On the school bus...

The tractor ride.

Decorating my pot.

Petting bunnies with my very first teacher, Miss Kim.

"I hope the bunny doesn't mistake my finger for a carrot."

In search of the noisy rooster.

Romping around the barnyard.

Once we arrived at the Nature Center, we had the pleasure of taking a tractor ride through a meadow and then visiting the farm animals--bunnies, goats, chickens, ducks, roosters, and even a cranky ram (one that we were distinctly forewarned not to pet).  We had lunch out on a picnic bench with the other kids, and then Lewie had a chance to decorate his own planting pot with markers.  At the end, he had to scoop up soil and push some seeds into it--I still don't know what we're supposed to be growing.

All in all, it was a fun trip, and I was thrilled that my little boy behaved himself without any major meltdowns.  It was fun to watch him engage with his classmates by either laughing with them or chasing them around the barnyard.  (One little girl wanted him to chase her again and again.)  Even more, it was a thrill to see his interest in the animals.  Only a year ago, I had brought him to a couple of country fairs, and he could care less about the pigs and the cows.  Now, he was in his glory.  In particular, he loved watching the bunnies and LOVED hearing this one rooster crow over and over again.  Little Lewie kept going up to his cage and yelling, "Cock-a-doo-doo" back to him.  His interest in the animals landed him an opportunity to actually hold a baby bunny rabbit, which he petted oh so gently. 

All in all, it was a fun field trip experience full of many firsts--first time on the school bus, first time holding a baby bunny, first time decorating a pot, first time seeing a ram, and first time going on an adventure with classmates.  I watched my little boy grow up that day.  All along, his changes have been subtle for me, but somehow, on this trip, I suddenly saw glimpses of a soon-to-be three year old.  The two year-old baby that I dropped off at daycare more than nine months ago has now become this lively, funny, entertaining little boy.