August 2, 2004 - Saturday
Over the weekend Harry's mother brought him to the store to find a new lunchbox to replace his Thomas the Tank engine one that was getting a little worn (and less fresh). His choice, from a wide selection, had a baseball theme. It was nothing too fancy and probably aimed at 7-8 year-olds, with basic blue on the back and a large baseball on the front being hit over a fence. But, Harry has been fond of the T-ball set lately and even has been doing pretty well hitting balls I've pitched to him, although I'll admit that my praise may slightly exceed his 4-year-old abilities. No matter; he has told me in the past that he does not went to play on a soccer team (like Rip does), but rather wants to play baseball. T-ball could start for him next spring. So, when he picked the baseball lunchbox I thought it might just be time for a baseball glove.

Catching a baseball is, admittedly, something that is really quite hard to learn initially and probably something that is beyond a four-year-old, at certainly beyond Harry. His slightly wincing expression in this picture (right) pretty much sums up what it's like to have a projectile heading in one's direction. Still, I was lucky enough to hit his glove at least a couple of times and, like batting, confidence is a good part of the process of learning. And, Harry already does pretty well throwing, although the weight of this new (soft-coated) baseball had Harry twisting his whole body (left, note the thrown ball near the roof line of the garage).


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