Back home

We are finally back from our combination Joplin-Eureka Springs trip and trying to settle back in. I say "finally" because we had some fun on the way back Wednesday when our car overheated on I-44. We had to be towed into Rolla, where we stayed overnight while waiting for our car to be repaired. The experience added about $700 to our vacation budget for repairs, towing, motel, and food, not to mention an additional day off for Mike. Maybe next time we'll pull over at the nice, populated exit before the car overheats. At least we could have avoided breaking down on the side of the interstate.

We had a nice trip, though, and Dominick behaved very well. He didn't have any issues with people, partly because we got him out of the house while the bridal shower for my sister was going on. I think it would have been a wee bit much for him. Dom slept fabulously while we were away, never once crying when we put him down to bed. He also showed off his new vocabulary and ability to sing and count. Since most of his time in Joplin was spent going up and down the stairs to look at fans (my parents have far more fans than we do), it was nice to have other people to help. The fan obsession turned nasty when Dom stuck his finger in one and learned a valuable lesson. Anyone know a good way to get blood out of clothing?

In Eureka Springs, Dom's age somewhat limited our activities. Taking him into the fancy little shops or on long tours was out of the question, so we pretty much stuck to outdoorsy kinds of things and eating, which is always popular. Apparently Dominick is not much into animals, as he spent most of the time at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge looking at fans, walking up and down a small hill, and generally not paying attention to the lions and tigers. We went out to Lake Leatherwood, which really wasn't much unless you want to fish. We also saw Pivot Rock and Natural Bridge, which were interesting rock formations out in the woods. And we looked at Beaver Dam. In retrospect, it doesn't seem like we did that much, but when you consider our afternoons were mostly given over to two-hour-plus naps, and we were there just under two days, you can see where the time went. When Dom's older, he might be more receptive to going on the train, boat or cave tours, but we thought he might not be ready for those now. Still, it was nice to get away for a few days.

Dom's speech continues to improve. He's suddenly copying a lot of what we say, just like Monica wanted him to do. With help, he can count to 40 (49, actually, if he doesn't lose interest). He asks for books by name. I would love to start hearing some sentences. Much of his speech still sounds pretty primitive for a 2 1/2-year-old, but at the rate he's going, he'll probably catch up soon. I'm curious whether he'll end up qualifying for the Special School District when he turns three. We don't know much about that program yet but will hear about it at the August 14 meeting. He wouldn't be evaluated until much closer to his birthday, and a lot can happen in that time.

Oh, and is it scary that Dom has been to Target so often that he said "Target" when we parked there today?