We've come a long way since the first time the twins met Clifford. The room was still crowded, loud, and hot. (Worse than last time, actually, because on top of the moms with kids and huge daycare groups, three or maybe four kindergarten classes showed up. Insane.) But I know to expect that now. I also took my own stories to read while we waited. Only a semi-successful undertaking due to the noise but it did keep the girls entertained for a short while. Clifford improved, too. This time he interacted with the kids (no talking, but moving around and looking at them, dancing when he first showed up) instead of just sitting there. And whoever was in charge got smarter and put Clifford on a small couch instead of a tiny chair. Much easier to take pictures of children sitting next to Clifford instead of attempting to escape off his lap. Eda wasn't too sure what to think. She didn't really want to get too close to him but was fine sitting with her sisters. She also talked about it a lot afterward. I knew how insane the crowd would be so I did my best to keep my girls entertained and we were one of the last to get pictures. That was what I was aiming for so the girls had time to get used to the idea by seeing lots of other kids sit by Clifford.
I also invited several friends. (If I have to go through it, I don't want to do it alone.) So it turned into a playdate at the library after all the pictures were done. That part was a lot more fun than seeing Clifford. I'm pretty sure the kids would agree with me.
