Ben took swimming lessons at the YMCA for 2 weeks in early July, as I was winding down at work. Many days we would go to the playground before his lesson started, with Ben and Becca, before it got so hot during this heatwave. Then we'd drop Becca off at school and head to his lesson. Ben was very persuasive at extending his Mommy time even more by getting more playground time at the Y or a trip to Chic Fil-A. Ben really enjoyed his lessons, and enjoyed our routine before and after the lesson. He didn't wear his swim trunks to the Y, but instead enjoyed changing in the locker room, in a small changing room with a curtain. Then he liked to take a shower after his lesson, dry his trunks in the spinner, and get his dry clothes back on the in changing room, mostly standing up on one of the benches. He did such a good job during his lessons, listening so intently to the instructor and doing whatever she asked. I didn't know how much good it was actually doing though, until he got into our neighborhood pool. He was more comfortable in the pool for sure, but then a week or so after his last lesson he actually started swimming on his own at our neigborhood pool. It was when Bev was here for a visit. He didn't swim far or long by himself, but he wasn't definitely swimming under the water. He was having such a good time, and wanted to keep doing his short swimming stints over and over again. He akso liked jumping into the pool, as long as Mommy was there to catch him. he liked showing Lara that he could put his head underwater. Becca also liked jumping in, and liked yelling her version of 1-2-3, which just sounded like random sounds.
One evening recently, Ben asked for some broccoli after dinner, which is very unusual since it's usually an effort to get him to eat his broccoli during dinner. He has started eating it with melted cheese on it again recently, so that's how I prepared it. Sure enough, while sitting on the sofa he (and Becca) ate all of the broccoli I made for him. It was a surreal evening!
This past week was Bev's visit before she headed to VA Beach for her family vacation. She was a big hit with the kids, bringing a book for each of them. The Thomas the Train book which made a bunch of sounds was the most popular, and Bev read it to Ben almost each day. He and Becca both loved pushing the buttons to hear the sounds each made. We did several fun things with the kids during her visit, including a trip to the Children's Museum. Ben absolutely loved it, especially the pirate ship and the animal train. We rode the train twice, the second time just before leaving and he wanted a 3rd time of course. Becca had a great time too, finding a cow girl costume and walking around in it for almost the remainder of her visit, getting smiles from alot of the other people there. Ben tried a few costumes himself, including a mermaid, Thomas the Train, and a ballerina. Either later that day or the next day, Ben said he wanted to go back to "the Children's Museum" to ride the train.
One morning, Ben asked if Maribeth was still here, and when I answered that she was still asleep in her room, he jumped up and down for joy. He asked me if she had a "daddy and kids", and when I answered that she had a husband but no kids, he suggested that he and Becca be her kids. I asked him what about Mommy and Daddy, and he answered that we could be cousins. Then he said he was just kidding....thank goodness. While I was out taking Bev to pick up her rental car, Daddy asked Ben if he wanted to visit Maribeth sometime, to which he asked "does she have toys"? Becca also bonded with Bev during her visit, and gave her a big hug before she left.
