The Big Apple Circus!

After much discussion and debate, we decided to buy tickets for all three of us to go see the Big Apple Circus! Why the back and forth? Well, it's hard to know with 2 year olds what they will like, love, hate, fear, find funny, etc. and Finley's no different.  While he LOVES airplane flights, he's 100% afraid of water sprinklers...so we weren't sure how a circus would be for him.  However, we figured it was worth a shot so we got some tickets, checked out circus books at the library, and even looked at pictures of the performers on the Big Apple's website.  We suspected the part he would be least fond of would be the volume of the whole thing so we told him that parts of the show would be loud but not scary.  We listed other loud things he likes: airplanes, garbage trucks, guitar music, drums, fire engine sirens, etc.  He seemed to understand, but wasn't thrilled that it was going to be loud inside the tent.  Ah well.

We wanted to make a whole outing out of it so that in case the circus went over like a lead balloon (thanks to Mary and Mr. Buggy for this useful phrase), the evening wouldn't be a total loss.  We drove downtown and parked and then went to check out the tent before it got dark.

Finley enjoyed hearing about how lots of workers had to set up the tent and get it ready for our show and he was thrilled to see it for himself.

 We passed by the tent and then made our way to Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market to get some dinner.  

Walking there was certainly great fun for Finley!  Look at that smile!

We stopped to watch some breakdancers performing in the market and Finley seemed interested, which boded well for the circus performers to come later on.  However, we were all pretty hungry so we headed for the Pizzeria Regina counter and ordered some slices.  Finley devoured his while I munched mine and Dan went in search of a gyro.  When he returned, we all enjoyed our meal and the people watching in the food court dining area.

After he'd eaten quite a bit, though, Finley's tune began to change.  He said he didn't want to go to the circus.  Hm.  He said his tummy hurt.  Uh-oh.  He said he wanted to use the potty since his tummy hurt.  Eureka!! Our hands off approach to potty training may have worked!!! Alas, he wasn't so keen on finding the bathroom after all and climbed back into his seat to finish his pizza.  Oh well.  We cleaned up everything and had some time to spare before the show, so as a distraction measure we went to the Crocs store to get Finley some Jibbitz to jazz up his handmedown crocs.  (What's a jibbit, you ask? It's a little plastic decorative figure/shape you pop into the hole of your crocs.)  Despite looking a bit green in the gills, Finley thoughtfully picked out a basketball and a cool, red robot.  However, by the time he'd picked them out and handed them to Dan to pay for--he was just not right and I figured perhaps a diaper change was in order as he continued to complain about his stomach hurting.  I told Dan that I thought he was really nervous and anxious about going to the circus and perhaps that is why his tummy was hurting him, call it motherly instinct ;)  No need for a fresh diaper after a visit to the changing table in the bathroom, oh well, but it was time to head over to the tent so Dan popped him up on his shoulders and off we went.  We asked Finley to tell us when he saw the big tent and he seemed excited to spy it off in the distance.

He showed the lady our tickets and proudly climbed into his own seat to wait for the show.

 No more photos once the show started, so I'll fill you in.  He took turns in both our laps, clearly getting worked up about the upcoming show.  Eek.  But all in all, he did great.  He sat in my lap and while he was nestled up pretty closely for most of the performance, he did sit up now and then pointing things out and leaning over to tell Dan what he saw.  We brought along his beloved Owly (his lovey that stays in the crib except for plane rides and long car trips), which turned out to be a great idea since it seemed to help him stay calm and watch the show.  He wasn't such a fan of the music and flashing lights, but he did like the jumping acrobats, kids who volunteered to come out from the audience, and the horses.  He never cried or screamed and he watched very intently never looking away, but I could tell from how he was breathing and snuggling into me that he wasn't quite sure about the whole thing.  I narrated things the best I could and reassured him throughout, he talked back calmly, asked some questions, and told me what was happening that he could see.  After about forty-five minutes or so, there was an intermission and we asked Finley if he wanted to stay for more circus or go home.  He said he was all done and ready to go home so we decided to go with his lead and head out.  He said goodbye to the circus and happily got a smiley-face hand stamp on the way out the door.  He told us he liked the jumpers (acrobats) and the horses as we walked away from the big tent. Phew! Dan was parched so we popped into CVS to grab a drink and being the nervous mom that I can be, I asked Finley if he would like a special treat to eat in the car since we were so proud of how brave he was at the circus.  The answer, of course, was "yes" so we bought a small bag of M&M's that he proudly carried back to the car.  Finley has only had M&M's a couple of times--from the one neighbor's house he trick-or-treated at in the fall and after some medicine this winter.  But I was pretty sure these little chocolate gems would assure a positive end to our circus adventure.  Below is a blurry car photo as he happily munched his dessert as we left the garage :)

Okay, so I probably overcompensated...but we all felt happier and more relaxed after sharing some chocolate!

Long, long story short--we had a good time and are happy that we took the chance and went to see the circus.  Can't wait to hear what Finley has to say about our evening's adventure when he wakes up in the morning!!

Update: Since typing this last night, Finley woke up this morning and when we asked him what we did yesterday he excitedly said, "the circus!" and he said he liked going there and he liked the jumpers and the horses.  Sweet.