15/01/2025
Day 2 of placement camp and Wanda woke up and said "it's embarassing to look like a tourist in the city, gotta act like I've lived here my whole life".
We gave her quite a long day (about 4 hours total) and she totally relaxed into it. We did a lot of subway travel, the grocery store, sniffy breaks and the Boston public library (for a nap break). We would not have been out nearly as long if she had shown signs of wanting (or needing) to stop but she was showing true relaxation so we didn't need to.
The key to getting the mental endurance for long public access days is habituation; the world is not novel or interesting, it is boring and supportive of true relaxation and sleep. That will come with time and supportive handling (listening to and accommodating moments of difficulty, stress or need for rest while still getting her out often and for long hours).
To already see the start of that on the second day is more than I could have hoped for! Such a credit to the combination of good genetics and quality socialization. Couldn't be more proud of where she is at just 16 months old.
