@hkt – I know the whole wanting to make a big deal out of his birthday is totally about me and what I want to do. Low-key was definitely the way for us to go. He seemed thrilled with both the swing and Laurie, so all was good!

@Ecki – Our local parks and rec department has a good reputation for trying to work with families with children who have various disabilities. Since we built the swing set in our back yard well over a year ago, we haven’t much bothered with looking for a good playground. But your comment is a reminder to me that we should look for more public play spaces with more things for him to play on, and hopefully more kids and parents for us to hang out with.