pool day #1

We've signed up for another set of swim lessons - these are Red Cross certified, and Aidan will be a tadpole.  They go April 12 - May 12, and the other go May 2 - May 29 under another system.  I did the Red Cross classes when I was little and had a blast.  We need to have him comfortable enough to hold on to the edge of the pool by himself without my supporting him before April 12 so that he can be a tadpole.  Eeeee!

We started tonight.  We went to the pool tonight, just the two of us.  We played, baby steps to get ready for lessons.  He will easily jump in the pool to me from sitting, and a little less frequently jump in from standing.  If I support him, he'll lean on a kickboard and kick, though his forward progression isn't quick.  He was very excited, wanting to try different games and different equipment to see how they worked.  We went in the shallow end for the most part, but I kicked him on a little boat from one end to the other.  We made waves and splashes, and we had a blast!  I'm hoping that it's enough that we're ready in time for his class to start.  We'll be going to the pool as much as we can fit in between now and go-time.  Can't wait!!

It was that week.....was

There's an inch or two of snow on top of my blooming daffodils (asteraceae narcissus pseudo narcissus - the last thing I remember from plant taxonomy in college) and other bulbs.  (sigh.)

swim lessons!

I can't wait!  We're a little late (too old - Aidan, not me) for parent-child lessons, it seems, but he'll start swim lessons in May.  I'm so excited - it's been on my list of things that hasn't gotten done for a long time, but we're going now.  I can't wait to report back.  He'll start his lessons before our next beach vacation, so I'm hoping it helps him feel comfortable right off the bat.  We'll keep taking them when we get back, too, but I'm just so happy.  It's more of my doing phase, in which I try to accomplish.  Oh, and have fun!  Time is slipping, slipping, slipping; no time to lose.

Birthday inspiration

Directly after writing the last post, I took Aidan to another birthday party, for his friend Phillip.  Phillip's mom is a genius.  She told P to pick his four closest friends, and then she got some helium-filled balloons and cleared out the dining room to make room for a giant play date.  She served chicken nuggets, bananas and grapes, with goldfish crackers as an appetizer and cupcakes for dessert.  The kids had a complete blast, her house wasn't ripped to shreds, and it didn't seem stressful.  She is an inspiration.

Birthdays

One result of Aidan's birthday party last weekend was that I learned about cool toys that I didn't even know existed.  Aidan got lots of superhero, building and outside toys, as well as some games I didn't know about.  He also got a space station from Fisher Price's Imaginext line.  I hadn't seen any of those before, but it's really neat, and it came with a DVD that tells a little story about the place. 

Well, Nona got a ToysRUs gift card, so we went, armed, yesterday to find some toy in existence that he didn't already have.  Quite a challenge!  We found the section with Imaginext, and heavens!  What a find!  There are sets that have to do with a pirate ship, the jungle, the Batcave, and a castle with knights.  After much deliberation, we came home with a fabulous castle, a big dragon, and a griffin.  I'm really excited about these playsets, as is Aidan; took us at least 1/2 hour to choose.  Seems fun that there are inexpensive accessories that can go with all of the sets, too.  So, we're now a house full of knights, armor, dragons.  It's a magical place in my living room, even more than ususal.

Regarding birthdays, I have mixed feelings about a party such as we did at Magic Mountain.  I grew up with parties at home, often outside (September birthday), but in our little house in the wintertime, a party at home for more than one or two kids is difficult at best.  Magic Mountain seemed like the perfect solution - they even had a Spiderman-themed party, and Spiderman ("my hero") is a trump card sure to make any venture a success.  However, when we got there, the "room" we'd rented was actually one row of a larger room that was very crowded.  There was hardly room for parents to help their toddlers eat lunch.  They were also very much a "turn and burn" operation, where we were informed even before the start of our party that we had less than an hour to vacate our "room."  That said, the kids all seemed to have a great time, and they did a decent job of assisting with passing out food, making wrapping paper disappear and such.  As a hostess, I was a little harried and frazzled throughout, but I kept thinking, "thank heaven this isn't happening in my house."  We're hoping to have a bigger house by Aidan's fourth birthday, in which case I'll likely be braver and do a "normal" party at home.  Or maybe I'll find a place that's a little less crazy to have it.

It was that week

Last week was that week; the week when the weather warms up and you know that it's going to be warm again before we all die.  I wait and wait for that week every year.  I was outside as much as possible, walking farther than normal for lunch, sneaking in a trip to the park, leaving my coat at home.  Mmmm.   Unfortunately, it's normally followed by this week, in which Mother Nature takes back winter.  It's okay; she can be a tease; I know she'll give in in the end.

3T

The clothes in size 3T do not look like clothes for a tiny little man; they're clothes for a full-fledged little boy.  Boy.  Not baby, not really toddler.  Boy.  Similarly, the shoes in size 9 are also not for toddlers; they're for boys.  I was explaining the wrongness of this to a friend today, and she said, "You don't have a baby; you have a boy."  I'm not proud, but I may have cursed at her.*  I'm taking refuge in the fact that 3T is a tad bit long, and that I need adjustable waistlines, as my skinny-patooted little boy will lose his drawers otherwise.  He's definitely too tall for 2T, though.  (sigh)

*She knows I love her.

It's perfect!

"Hey, do you know any little boys who are getting three birthday parties this weekend?"

"Aidan"

"Aidan?  Three birthday parties?  That's crazy!"

"That's not crazy, Mommy - it's perfect!"

(Let it be known that it's really one party and two tangents - one at school and one with family.)

"I keep growing and growing;

I'm getting like a giant, I think."

Audrey the gorgeous

Meet Audrey Ellen, my niece!  I've never been an aunt before, but two weeks in (today), it's fabulous (as is she)!!

As you can tell from this photo, she's tiny - 5 lbs 4 oz, and 18.5" long.  She's perfect.  This humongous outfit she's wearing is newborn size.  It wasn't my fault that I had to run right out to the store and get a couple of preemie-sized outfits.  Not my fault!  Someone had to help out a potentially-naked child!

Honestly, it's amazing to see my baby sister as a mom and see her fall into it so naturally.  What a gift!

Progress?

I didn't think I'd be so excited about having a good time at Disney on Ice.  However, this means a possible trip in December! 

Aidan has been horribly afraid of any type of mascot or costume for quite some time now.  My sister is convinced that it's her fault due to an unfortunate costume store excursion and his continuing questions about whether they have to go back to the costume store, but I understand that it's very common at this age.  I think to excrusion was a coincidence. 

We had a slight turning point when, a few weeks ago, Brutus the Buckeye showed up at his gym class.  At the beginning, Aidan was extremely wary and not at all interested in interacting.  He told Daddy that "I don't like  Brutus; he's not a nice guy."  However, after watching Brutus stand on his head, play with other kids and be all-around charming, he had an epiphany.  About three minutes before Brutus left, Aidan yelled, "I like him now!  He is a nice guy!"  Ever since, he's been talking about Brutus.

Yesterday, at Disney on Ice, Aidan was not at all scared.  He didn't try to run from the room (as he did at Sesame Street Live), and he didn't cry or hide his face.  In fact, he was excited about it, clapping, singing, waving at the characters, and asking whether we could skate with Mickey.  I hate to get my hopes up, but I believe this may mean we're turning the corner.  Fingers crossed....