Joe’s occupational therapist has added a new item to the list of things the kid has to put on every day: thumb splints!

They are meant to improve his grasp by positioning his thumb in a more adaptive way throughout the day. Here he is showing them off:

Meanwhile, he’s learning new stuff all the time. His new favorite after-dinner activity is a game we call Climbing Over Dada to Get a Toy:

Fall in Richmond means festival season is upon us! Every weekend, there is at least one festival going on, and it usually means really good food.

On Friday, Joe and I met Patrick at the Armenian Food Festival and the three of us enjoyed hummus, boreg, pilaf, hye burgers and chicken kabobs. Yum.

Saturday was Oktoberfest, where Patrick had a bratwurst with potato salad and I had a pretzel the size of a bed pillow. Somehow, we managed a couple of beers and a slice of German chocolate cake too.

Today, Joe and I went to the Family Peace Festival, where I (miraculously) didn’t eat a thing but we both enjoyed the music and the variety of exhibitors.

Here is Joe in the Festhalle at Oktoberfest:

Thank goodness they start 2-year-olds on a 9:30-11:30 schedule. That was agony!

Here he is waiting for the bus:

Getting on the bus:

And REALLY NOT LIKING THE BUS:

That began a terrible two-hour wait for him to come home. I went out to the porch at 11:30, and craned my neck to see every vehicle I heard coming. I haven’t been that eager to see someone get home safely since Patrick returned from Iraq!

And here is my boy, fresh off the bus:

That’s not the shirt he left in — he had a leakage issue and had to change into one of the emergency outfits we’d sent. I wonder how often that happens on the first day?!

So. I guess that was the hardest part, and it’s over! He’s a real school kid now!

How cute are these two:

I’ve been trying not to think about it all summer, but on Sept. 7, right after Labor Day, Joe will be starting school. (?!?!?!)

He’s been approved for inclusion in the Early Childhood Special Education program through Colonial Heights Public Schools. The process involved evaluations by speech, physical and occupational therapists, as well as meetings with some of the teachers there. Every single person we’ve met has been incredibly knowledgeable, reassuring and enthusiastic. I’m so glad to know that he’ll be in such good hands!

The school day will probably be just from 9:30-11:30 at first, and then 9:30-1:30. It may only be three days a week (we iron out the schedule in a final meeting next week), or it may be five.

His teacher, Ms. Shannon, showed me the classroom after a meeting at the school last week. She flipped on the light, and all I saw were tiny little chairs, tiny little tables, lots of books and toys, a play kitchen, and a great big carpet for story time. It started to hit me: Wow, he’s really going to school!

Then I saw the cubbies. Remember cubbies, from kindergarten? Those little drawers with names on them, so you knew where your stuff was? Joe will have one of those. At age 2. Gah, it’s killing me.

And guess how he’s getting there? A bus. Well, it’s more of a passenger van, full of baby seats, but it’s a big vehicle that I will be putting him on! And then not getting on myself! I tried to weasel out of that part and just bring him in the car, but the teachers said it’s easier on the kids if we don’t have dramatic goodbyes there at the school. So I can have my little freakout in the driveway instead. Thank goodness Patrick will be home that morning!

So I’m nervous about how I’ll do with the change, but I think Joe will do great. Ms. Shannon is wonderful, and Joe is so interested in other kids that I think he’ll be thrilled to have lots of them to follow around and look at for a few hours.

In the meantime, we are having fun picking out a backpack, lunch box (!!) and a list full of school supplies. Get ready for about 6,329 photos on Sept. 7!

We just spent a couple of days in Maryland, where the family was getting together for my Great-Aunt Dottie’s 80th birthday.

Joe enjoyed the hotel pool very much!

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He’s getting better at this every day! All he needs is your thumbs to steady himself — then he does all the work!

August 2008:

August 2009:

August 2010:

… this kid is all about the laughs.

I gave him an hour or so to try and get some rest, but he just wanted to make noise and do his yoga poses. Then he started laughing, at who knows what, and I couldn’t stay away!