No longer the wallflower

We had playgroup at our house today, and it was pretty chaotic for two to three hours. This may have been the biggest group of kids we've had here. And the great thing was that Dominick loved it! He was playing and smiling and laughing and didn't have too much trouble sharing his toys, at least that I could tell. He considered getting upset when he saw me holding a friend's newborn, but all he did was say something about me putting him down. After everyone left, he kept saying "again--people again." It's so much less stressful than a few months ago, when every playgroup meant lots of inconsolable crying and clinging on his part. Now we can enjoy ourselves, and I don't have to psyche myself up for the distress to come. Between this playgroup and three different opportunities over the weekend, Dom's had quite the little social life, and he's been fabulous each time. I think he likes having friends! Imagine that.

Dominick has also recently achieved one of the minor goals we set for him through First Steps: he has started telling us when something hurts. I think it just goes along with his increased speech, but it's still very nice that, instead of just crying or fussing, he can tell us exactly what is wrong. He will also say "tired too" or "hungry too," but because he's repeating something we say, it's hard to know if he really means it. And, of course, he'll say "change the diaper" or "trim nails." We're not hearing a lot of full sentences yet, but he did say "I don't see him" the other day when looking for a toy truck.

Tomorrow morning is Stay & Play again, and I know Dominick will go straight to the play food. He talks about it all the time. He has his own play food, but apparently it's not as exciting.