Our Friend Hedgehog

We had the privilege of taking in a sweet 3 year old boy under our wings from January through March. He came to the Springs to stay with his aunt for 6 months since his mom asked her to take care of him for awhile. We've named him Hedgehog because of his wrinkled up little grin and spikey haircut.

We are not sure of the exact challenges he faced back at home, but we do know that the situation has been unique to say the least. He had so much excitement to come to daycare each day and see his new friends. At times, he would get a bit overwhelmed or overstimulated, and we worked with him quite a bit at managing his emotions. He had a great time, though, getting to know all of his new buddies!

We saw a lot of growth in him the short time he was here. His vocabulary grew quickly and he loved the songs we sang to him, especially the ABC's and a "Bless You" song which we improvised. He and Hippo loved being car buddies and going down our indoor slide. They played well together using non-verbal noises to communicate their common interests. One of his biggest interests though was playing with trains and watching them with Mr. Steve. They really bonded over that time together.

Hedgehog's aunt also became a big part of the LPC Family. All the kids adored her and greeted her each time she would drop off and pickup. She even brought her baby chicks a few times to daycare so all the kids could see them. We have some amazing memories from having them here!

Hedgehog is now back with his mom and grandma and very missed by us and his little friends.
We are so grateful that we had him in our care and wish it could have been longer!

 
He has such a sweet spirit, and we pray many blessings over him. We've gotten several pictures of him since he left and are thankful for the opportunity to see him doing well.

Bless you, little man, Hedgehog! Hope to see you again.