No tops allowed (it's not what you think)

First off, thanks for all the support about our questioning of the quality of care Ian is receiving in his current daycare. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks we don't have to settle, just because they had an opening. And, looking into other options did create a nice domino effect that resulted in moving him to 4 days a week and ultimately significantly sped up Grandma Trish's retirement plans.

I took a tour of the facility first on our list for Ian and it is wonderful. From the secure lobby, there are glass doors looking in on any of the toddler, preschool or Kindergarten classes. I like the fact that a code is required to get that far, but that parents can see exactly what is going on in class at any time.

Ian will be in Toddler 2, once they have an open spot, and in that class...wait for it... they use BIG BOY CUPS! The realization sunk in quickly that we will need to start working with him on drinking from an open cup. No lid. No sippy. No straw. Drinking milk commando-style. What's next? Potty training? Big boy bed? Chills run down my spine just thinking such thoughts.

I sat with the director and rattled off question after question and walked away really feeling like we would be getting a much better learning environment for Ian, not to mention a lot more one on one attention (us and him)...and it's within walking distance of our house; a 5 minute drive from my office, so more "pros" to add to the list.

Back to the open cup thing... So, I came home from work today, put him in flimsy shorts and a t-shirt, took him outside, and gave him an open cup that would be easy to hold. I poured in a few inches of water and, well, he drank it neatly and asked for more. Was it really going to be this easy? He did great until he got bored, probably not understanding the purpose of the exercise, and after a few minutes was pouring the water in the back of his dumptruck, trying to pick up his bucket to drink from that... and ultimately watering the plants with the water I gave him. From somewhere, a fork materialized, and then it all started going downhill from there. His hands were in the cup, it was going for rides in the back of his dumptruck... It could have been worse, though, so I'm not complaining. It was a fun way to kill an hour.

Next, we'll try an open cup at his highchair. In the meantime, I got him a "spill resistant" tumbler, much like an adult travel mug, but made for kids, which will give him practice tipping a cup and holding something other than a sippy.

We were supposed to have dinner with a good friend and coworker of mine visiting our offices this week from New York, but our goal of meeting after his flight arrived Sunday was thwarted by weather delays, and tonight he was roped into dinner with managers... so Ian didn't get a chance to meet Big Mark. I'm pretty sad, but he'll be back in September, so there's still a chance for him to make the blog hall of fame.

Tomorrow, Shawn has a team BBQ at a Country Club near us and Ian will get a chance to swim and charm the crowd. I should get some cute shots there. Saturday, we tentatively plan to meet up with Shawn's folks to take Ian to the zoo! My parents and I took him in Phoenix during our visit in December, but Ian had only been home a few weeks at that point and didn't get the point. Just being outside was asking a lot then, but now... He is interested and curious about absolutely everything, and if the forecast for nice weather holds out, it should be a great time. I can't wait.

Below are some of the cutest shots from Ian's "open cup certification" training as well as a few other shots from yesterday and today.

First drink. Great form. Perfect grip. I give it a 10 out of 10.

More, please! No problem. Let's see if he can nail another attempt...

Ummm. No. However, he is showing how great he is at sharing!

He was very careful to set the cup perfectly in the back of his dumptruck...

Since it did not come equipped with cup holders.

After the water games got boring, he resorted to "Garbage Truck Olympics" on Polli. She's so patient with him... she just lets him do whatever he wants (although those ears say "Kid, I'm going to count to 3".)

Ian, where is Polli's foot?

Where's Ian's foot? (Don't you wish you were that flexible?)

Showing me his back

A cute shot... back when sippys were the 'in' thing (yesterday)

He was proclaiming "BIKE!!!!", although there was no bike around...