"Book"

What a difference a year makes

Then, and now.

A flower for my lady?

Pooling

There is no doubt that my two kids love the water.  Their relationship with it is a little different though.  Ollie loves to be in the pool, and he is not hesitant at all about going underwater and can hold his breath for a long time.  He won't, however, let go of me if he's in water that he can't easily stand in.  I've gotten him to do so with a small float, but not with just arm floaties that require him to do a little work to keep himself above water.  He won't jump off a step in the pool or the side of the pool unless he can reach my hands.  And yet -- he'll go down water slides and two of my parents' houses -- one into deep water that requires an adult to grab him after he kicks away from the drop off.  It's not at all logical -- but then, he's not quite four.  He's done well in swim lessons, and I think that with continued time in the water, he'll eventually get the courage to let go and try to swim.  One pool in particular at my parents' house was really good for this.  It was maybe 1-2 feet deep, and it allowed Oliver to jump on his belly, kick and stroke a little, and then be able to put his feet down on his own.  He was in the water, underwater, and on his own most of the time when we were in the pool.

Emme, on the other hand, has no fear -- almost to her own detriment.  She'll walk around in shallow water, jump from ledges whether someone's ready to catch her or not (if she hears "jump," she goes).  She'll put herself or just her face underwater and then stand up if able (I always tried to let her do it herself before grabbing her).  She's learning to close her mouth, but not her eyes, or blow bubbles in the water.  But mostly -- she just wants in.  We were in the pool every day for the last four days, and she had swimming lessons the two days before that this past week.  For kids who don't have regular access to the water, that's a lot!  I think it landed her with a cold, but it didn't deter her from wanting to swim.  She'll go in the deep water with a float and be on it without anyone holding on.  She can kick her legs and even move her arms some to stroke.  She even went down the tiny water slide at one pool.  She's definitely a water bug. I'm hoping she doesn't lose her bravery as she gets older.

Parking

Georgia on my mind

The kids and I just got back from several days at my parents' house in Georgia.  We went to visit my parents, of course, but also to see my new nephew, Maddox, for the first time and spend time with my sister and brother-in-law.

Everyone had a very nice time.  We got there Wednesday afternoon, after a slow and relatively easy drive from Nashville.  We stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel and popped into Walmart for some cheap floats for the pool.  Each day had a nice rhythm to it.  The kids were up at 7am, and after breakfast, I took them to one of the many neighborhood playgrounds.  Emme was down for a nap (and Oliver for a "rest" with the iTouch that has Bob the Builder videos on it) around 10am.  Then lunch, then playtime, then a trip to the pool either before or after dinner.  The kids went down to bed between 7 and 7:30pm every night and slept soundly after a full day of play.  The weather was hot but bearable, and the kids always have fun with the different toys available at their grandparents' house, in addition to the bigger rooms and extra staircases to explore.

Maddox is a cutie, for sure, though he's still settling into his own daily rhythm.  And like my daughter, when she was an infant, he prefers to spend most of the day in someone's arms rather than on his own.  Fortunately there were lots of extra arms around to accommodate him and give his mom and dad some reprieve (though they are doing a magnificent job without any extra help).  We chose to sleep on a different floor than the baby so that no one would end up waking each other, but it sounds like he was quiet at night.

We came home yesterday evening so that we could reunite with Wes, who had spent most of our absence outside of Washington D.C. to attend a friend's wedding.  We are all happy to be back under one roof, but would have appreciated it if Emme (who is already down for a nap) had slept past 6:30am.  It was great to see my sister and her family, and I will be disappointed not to see Maddox more frequently than distance and school/work allows.  Thank goodness I got a lot of cuddle time in.

The new nephew, after his first bath

Singing and swinging

Twirly skirt