If you scroll through my Camera Roll to look at the pictures we’ve taken over the past three weeks, you’ll notice that most of them are at the playground.

We are taking advantage of these summer days and spending all day, every day outside.

It was just a few days ago when I was watching Ishu follow an older kid around the playground. I smiled and looked up at the kid’s mom.

“He wishes he was a little bigger so he could do all the things your son is doing,” I said.

She laughed, “Oh, it’ll be here before you know it.”

And, boy, was she right.

In just a few days, Ishu has somehow been able to access all these new parts of the playground. Parts that I once felt weren’t “age-appropriate.” I thought maybe it’d take us a few months to get there, but clearly, he had other plans.

Yesterday, he pulled off his shoes and scaled up the side of this “rock climbing” wall meant for older kids. And, sure enough, he made it to the top with his little spider feet.

He constantly reminds me that he is, very much, in tune with his body. And he can gauge what he can and cannot do pretty well. So, I try not to intervene as much and trust that he knows what his little body is ready for.

(Trust me. It takes some super conscious effort on my part to not follow him around the playground, lifting him off structures and saying, “Not yet! You’re too little for that!”)

I’ve done that before. And he proved me wrong. So I’ll just follow him around and be there in CASE he needs me, but clearly he’s doing just fine.

Anyway, yesterday was one of the best days we’ve had since we got here.

We played at the playground in the early morning (when Mama had to run down and pick up more diapers and took a little detour on the way home).

And then we met up with a friend and her kids at Maggie Daley park where Ishu played with everyone in the boat harbor. Occasionally, he’d try to ditch the toddler section to go hang with the 5-12 year olds in the pirate ship.

After, we all walked over to Crown Fountain in Millennium Park and the kids had so much fun splashing around. There was also live music in the park so he was completely in his element. Music, water, sunshine. What more could this kid ask for?

When we got back home, I remembered our apartment building was having a summer bash out at the deck. So I gave him a quick bath, put him down for a short nap, and then we went out again.

Again, he was completely in his element. The outdoors, other babies, and music.

Needless to say, he was absolutely pooped when he got home.

And, in just a few hours, he’ll be up and ready to do it all over again.

I’m loving that we get the summer months here in Chicago before the city turns mean and scary and cold! There’s so much to do and see and I’m so happy to have a fun little partner to do it with!