I Suck At Play Groups

Yesterday was a day all about my daughter (Briana). I guess technically speaking, all my days are about taking care of her. Yesterday just happened to be a day where Briana had so many activities planned, which is unusual during a regular day.

Normally, Briana simply stays home. She eats. She poops. She sleeps. Of course, it's not necessarily in that order, but that is her general routine. Yesterday, however, she had two appointments with the pediatrician and one appointment with a play group. And it's not just any play group. It's a play group consisting of preemies just like Briana.

Now, I suck at play groups. And truthfully, I have never been to a play group. But I must say, it's interesting. Of course, I was the only male there in a room full of babies and mothers, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Because Briana was born prematurely, she qualified for early intervention. Among one of the services provided by early intervention is this play group of premature babies. The physical therapist who has been involved with Briana's development suggested that Briana try it out. So naturally, Karen and I brought her to the play group.

Karen and I did not think Briana would last long at the play group. After all, the last time she saw another baby was when she saw her second cousin (my cousin's daughter) and she immediately burst out in uncontrollable tears. So naturally, Karen and I thought Briana's reactions would be similar.

Interestingly enough, Briana was good for most of the play date. She did cry near the end of the play group, but she definitely lasted long than I expected. It was a little funny when the play group first started because all the premature babies did the same thing: they all stared at one another with amazement. It was like they were surprised to see someone just like them... tiny little babies.

All in all, the play group was interesting. I don't think Briana played much with the other babies, but I didn't expect her to. Heck, she can't even crawl yet. For some of the mothers, I think it was a good means for them to share preemie stories or whatnot.

One of the mothers there had a son who was ten months old. Her son was born extremely premature at 23 weeks. Naturally, I thought about my son (Braden) who would have been in the same predicament as this woman's child had my son survived two years ago on that fateful day. The mother was obviously extremely grateful that her son made it and is doing well at ten months.

And as much as I am happy for that mother, a part me was also a little jealous that her son survived and mine did not. I guess that's just the how it is. Unfortunately, things just weren't meant to break my way.

Anyway, we'll see how the rest of the play group dates pan out. The rest of the day absolutely flew by. Before Karen and I knew it, the entire day was over and Briana ended up looking sick, tired, and pale. (As part of Briana's appointment with the pediatrician, she received several vaccinations.)

Later that night, Karen and I decided to watch a movie to help us unwind. The movie that we watched: Couples Retreat.

(The video below is a trailer for Couples Retreat.)


The film was okay. Vince Vaughn plays... basically every character that he has ever played in his films. Truth be told, the movie was was not as bad as I had expected. Of course, that may be because Kristen Bell was also in the movie. Shiny!

Anyway, the movie, partly written by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, is about a bunch of friends who go on a couples retreat. One of the couples spearheads the idea because they are having difficulties in their marriage. Unfortunately, due to pricing, the couple could only go to the retreat at a group rate. Thus, the other friends help out and go. And from there, hilarity ensues...