Greetings clevrgrl,
I understand that your iPad when you connect it to your MacBook Pro, appears in iTunes but you are unable to sync the device. Is that correct?
One possible issue that might cause this is not trusting the computer. See this article - 'Trust This Computer' alert on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. If the alert appears when you connect your iPad and you click "Don't Trust" you will not be able to sync. To correct this, disconnect from the computer, reconnect and the "Trust This Computer?" alert will appear again. Click "Trust."
If you have previously trusted the computer, you may need to untrust all computers and then connect to and trust this computer again. Follow the directions at the bottom of the article to untrust all computers. Specifically -
To untrust all computers, tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy. This will also reset your location and privacy settings. You can also untrust all computers by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will also reset your network settings.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Be well.