Spring rock climbing

Enjoying our first really warm day this year, P and I returned to the rocks in Central Park. Can anyone spell "climbing addict?" :) P had a plan, too. He brought his long black rope (the one that he jumps, ties things with, dangles BB from... its an all purpose toy) in order to toss BB from the cliffs and chuckle while the monster dangled.

We found a new outcropping and settled in for some fun. Soon, a clothing photo shoot set up in the daffodils below our rocks. P paid no attention initially, but as they pulled out a faux picnic and lighting, he grew interested. He climbed, feeling very Bond, closer and closer to the shoot, ducking down when anyone looked his way. It ate up a Lot of his early afternoon :)

P, describing the picnic foods:



As we scooted to the zoo for a bathroom break, P remembered the children's section and decided we should take another peek. It was a good time:







Then we headed out for more climbing and new rocks. P's and my attempt to dig crystals caught the attention of a very friendly little boy. He gaily offered P some jelly beans and jumped right in to play Huck Finn.



After scoring the rock we were after, the boy offered to sword fight P with his sword balloons. Honestly, it seemed like a P playdate come true. A friendly, talkative, older child for an impromptu, pressure free sword fight. I looked at P's face, expecting a glow, and saw his blank look. The one he gives strangers for forever, only to be ready to chat them up as they are finally walking away. Nevertheless, he jumped about on the rocks with the boy, singing out a "ching-ching" occasionally for sound effects. When the boy called Phoenix by name I saw P almost glow :) Eventually, our new friend had to leave, promising to meet us again someday. As P watched the boy go, the one he hadn't uttered 5 words to in the last 30 minutes, he turned to me and said "I love that kid. Love him with all my heart. When can we see him again?" Ha! Slow to warm strikes again...

So we had some great rock climbing adventures while the day cooled and P watched for other kids that might befriend him with jelly beans:



Then, as I packed our bags, P wandered further and further afield, feeling quite Big and At Home. See the tiny pink P dot?



A glorious thing to see (even if the picture worries you, mom!) I was relieved to see him stretching his comfort zone - after his mishap the other week on an escalator. Knowing my preference for closeness on long escalators, P, of course, wants to be half the machine away from me. But, sometimes, he gets so obsessed turning around, directing me to not come closer (I'm not:) that he doesn't notice the end coming near. Typically a "Look!" from me suffices. But, on a busy midtown, rush hour escalator, P skipped down with dire directions for me to Stay. As people filled in the space between us, he kept looking back, filled with big kid pride. And then the end was near and he wasn't watching. My "look!" was lost and the young suit standing near him swiped P up to safety. As the child was lifted into the air by a perfect stranger, half an escalator away from his mother, he looked back at me and his face Broke My Heart. It was blank. Completely Blank. The fear, the lack of autonomy, the worry, was all so overwhelming that I could literally see him shrink inside himself. The suit carefully sat P down on the ground, turned around to give an anonymous and apologetic wave, and rushed on. When I finally got to P he was livid. "Don't EVER let someone do that Again!" His eyes fought back his tears and he clung to me. He told me he had thought the guy was going to take him away, that he was being kidnapped :(

So, after a week of fly paper like closeness, the kid stretched his legs again and enjoyed Spring.