Kohl Children's Museum outing

Nikko was/is having the hardest time falling asleep tonight. It's 12:56a now, but half an hour ago he started his second round of crying and wailing. In retrospect, he could have been overstimulated from our trip to the Kohl Children's Museum today, at least that's what I rationalized while in the shower. I don't want to think he's totally being defiant. Maybe he's trying to wind down and just can't.

After Nikko came home from school, I fed them a quick lunch and then packed everyone up to go to the Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview. It's an interactive, educational indoor playground of sorts, with lots of creative stations like a car wash/racing car tracks, a grocery (Dominick's), vet, library, home, water room, and other rotating exhibits like one on trains, and then one on pizza. Audrey's favorite part was a platform scale that weighs you according to gallon milk jugs. Audrey weighs 2 milk jugs, or 21 pounds, and Ronin is 3 milk jugs. Ronin enjoyed the train exhibit, but wanted to revisit the car wash area because it had a racing car track. Nikko seemed to enjoy everything, and I could tell at one point that he was getting slightly overstimulated because he started darting back and forth, never too far from me that I thought he'd bolt, but in a way that he wasn't looking where he was going. My dear sister Chinny and her beau Chester came with us, for which this trip would not have been possible. Our ratio was 1:1, which was perfect. Chinny had Ronin, and Chester and I alternated with Nikko and Audrey. Nikko seemed to accept Chester well from the getgo, taking his hand when offered even outside at the car. After only an hour, Ronin came up to me and said, "I want to go home." I told him we'd have a snack first. I was surprised that all three kids seemed tired, but they also enjoyed the place immensely. They fell asleep in the car on the way home, and I allowed them a 30 minute nap.

After being home for a bit, we headed out with Denis to the in-laws for dinner and to celebrate his dad's birthday before they left for the Philippines for 5 weeks on a medical mission trip. Nikko didn't eat very well for dinner, Audrey was picky but put down some tofu, and Ronin ate his nuggets and rice silently, like a champ. All three stayed awake on the ride home, but it was Nikko who started wailing after an hour in the room. Then another hour later. It's settled, then, that tomorrow we will move him into the middle room again, and put Audrey in with Ronin. The tough love of re-Ferberization starts tomorrow. :(