Fireworks

I decided to give the fireworks a try this year. I wasn't going to because I was sure he would be afraid, but then I changed my mind. So off to a small park near our house we went on Saturday evening. I checked the website and it said the fireworks were going to be set off at 8:30 p.m. That seemed a little early to me, but it was on the website so it must be correct, right? Wrong. 

We got to the area at 8:15 and parked in an almost empty lot of a business right across the street from the park. That empty lot should have been my first clue. I loaded up the stroller and headed across the street and kept looking back where the fireworks would be in the sky to calculate how far I needed to go. I didn't want to get down right into the thick of things in the crowd and also not too far from the car in case Christian REALLY had issues with the fireworks and we needed to get out of there quickly.

While I while doing my scouting, I realized the grassy landscape area right by our car would be perfect. So back we go to the car, load the stroller back in and cop a squat on the grass. I spread out our blanket and was smart enough to pack a few toys for him while we waited. Good thing I was thinking because that wait turned out to be an hour.  We fought off the bugs as we watched the parking lot fill up and more and more people walk past us down to the park.  We did have a good spot because the fire house was right across the street so Christian was entertained by the fire engine, ambulance and fire chief's SUV coming and going with their lights on.  Every once in a while he would turn to me and say, "come on," meaning he wanted the fireworks to start.  He sounded just like me, how I say, "come on", and it reminds me that I need to be diligent about what I say, how I say it and my tone, because his little ears pick up everything!

The fireworks started and he scrambled into my lap, but he wasn't afraid, only curious. I had told him before they started that there would be a bang and then colored lights in the sky. I was hoping that would prepare him a little and maybe it did, because he wasn't afraid at all. He even gave the customary "oo's and ahh's" that everyone does while watching fireworks.  We actually did have a great parking spot because we got right out onto the road, and out of the area really fast which was great because by now it was 10:00 and we were both tired.  The heat zapped us and he was asleep by the time we got home.

I was so happy and happy for him that he enjoyed the fireworks.  We could hear people in our neighborhood setting some off and he wanted to get out of bed and kept saying, "see, see".  But after only a few minutes of singing "Twinkle, Twinkle," he was asleep.  A wonderful first fireworks for us both :)
~Amy