Circus Circus!

Noa had her first trip to the circus last week: The Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center. We went with her school - the circus does a special needs kids performance and Lincoln Center is just about 2 blocks from school so it was about the easiest field trip in the world.

It was hard to get a photo of Noa in which you could really get a sense of the Circus - we brought her in her wheelchair so just were just parked behind the regular seating. But it was quite a crowd and kids of all ages with all kinds of disabilities.

At first I was bummed because I didn't want her stuck in that seat unable to really play with me, or bounce in the bouncey circus seats - and the wheelchair tends to tilt her back. But actually turned out really well. As soon as the lights went down I just stood Noa up in front of me - cause there was live music and I thought she might want to dance... and dance she did!!! Through almost the entire circus! Thank goodness Noa's one-to-one Emma was with us to switch off with me because my shoulders are still not in the best shape.

Unfortunately Noa wanted to face me most of the time. The first time I tried to turn her around she kind of paniked and grabbed onto me. I think she was afraid I was going to give her to someone else or make her do something she didn't want to do (like get a shot). But towards the end, when she was tired, and convinced that this was a fun trip, she turned around... and then she discovered the metal railing that really moved if you shook it. When Emma and secured the railing so, she went on to pulling the velcro'd signs off the railing. Yeah, sure, it's not the best kid behavior. But it sure it NORMAL toddler behavior and so to perfectly honest I was quite proud of her for making normal kid trouble.

Toward the very end, she sat on my lap. In the final big number she seemed to be looking around and taking in the lights a bit... so we just got about 7 or 8 minutes of using her vision but I think for her that was plenty. When it was over, she took it very well. She learned the signs for "fun" and "circus." It was an all out great adventure!