In Which Connor Has A Sad Hat, And Meets Some Reptiles

Today Connor and I met some friends downtown for the weekly Concert in the Park put on by Puyallup's Parks and Recreation department.  These are kid-friendly concerts and activities that happen every Tuesday during the summer.  This week's show was called Reptile Isle, and basically it was an educational show where they brought out a lot of exotic reptiles and allowed the kids to interact with them.  Reptiles featured included an African Spurred Tortoise, an albino Burmese Python, a small American Alligator and a juvenile Komodo Dragon (with two tails!).  It was really cool to get the chance to see all of the animals, though the park was packed and we ended up having to leave early.  Connor got overheated pretty quickly even though we were sitting in the shade, and dissolved into a puddle of red-faced grumpiness.  Oh well; what we did see was pretty neat.

Connor did keep his hearing aids on during the show, which was great because I wasn't sure what I was going to do if he started pulling them out, as it was really too hot outside for me to be using Sad Hat.

Yes, that's right.  Sad Hat.

Sad Hat is what Connor has named his new hearing aid retention device.  Basically I sat him down yesterday and told him that he needed to start keeping his hearing aids on, and that if he pulled them out repeatedly he was going to have to wear the special hat I ordered a few weeks ago to remind him to keep them on.  I told him it was his choice whether or not he would wear the hat.  Connor did really well yesterday until he got bored with a toy he was playing with and I didn't get him a new one fast enough; out went the hearing aids.  So I put them back in for him, reminded him of his choice, and then when he immediately did it again on went the hat.  "Sad hat," Connor signed, making an exaggerated pouty face.  After a couple of minutes I asked him if he was ready to keep his hearing aids in.  He told me he was, and so I took the hat off.  "No Sad Hat," he signed happily.  He left them in for the rest of the day. 

Well, today when I put him in the van after we left the show he was tired and grumpy and hot.  I turned the AC up full blast and we headed for home.  When we reached the house I started unbuckling Connor's wheelchair from the van restraint system.  I looked up to see Connor fingering his hearing aids.  "Connor," I said, "you have a choice.  You can either leave your hearing aids in until we get inside and I take them out for your quiet time (i.e. nap time in which he no longer naps) or you can wear your sad hat until quiet time."

He looked directly at me, grabbed his hearing aid and yanked it out.  "Sad Hat!" he signed, and scowled.  So he wore the hat inside, glowering at me all the way to his bedroom where I put him down.

Ah, the joy of having a four year old.

~Jess