Tuesday, August 27, 2013
July 2, 2013
Wow, how the last few months have flown by! It was a cool damp spring mostly, and we've had a decent amount of rain and several storms in June. I can't believe it is already July!
Ben has been taking swimming lessons since early April. He had a rough first morning, having gone with Daddy. I hear he cried and found a way out of the lesson by convincing Daddy he had to go the bathroom. I took him to the second lesson, and he seemed like he would be fine...that is until he crossed the threshold into the pool area and looked at me as tears welled up in his eyes. I told him I would be closeby, until the instructor said it would be better if he couldn't see me. After a little while, he settled down and actually had a good lesson. He's taken an 8 day fast track and now takes weekly lessons on Tuesday mornings at 9am. He is doing great and enjoys going to his lessons. A couple of weeks ago though he did worry about having to do the "roll over", saying he didn't want to do it. That's where he has to be treading water and then roll over to his back and keep his head above water in the process. Sometimes he sinks down and I think might get water in his nose. They practice it each week, and he's definitely get better at the rollover and can do superman hands and scooper arms for short distances. The problem is that he doesn't transfer much that he's learned to the pool at home.
But oh how he loves going to the pool! Unfortunaetly, opening day on Memorial Day weekend was after a cool and wet week, with the morning itself being quite cool. Many people joined the parade in regular clothes and jackets. The weather didn't put a damper on Ben's excitement, which we'd been helping him build for weeks. He joined the parade in his swim trunks and on his bicycle, and rode all the way to the pool. He had little interest in the firetruck, because he wanted to enter the pool as soon as the gates opened at 10am. He was the first person into the cold pool water and didn't seem phased by it. In fact, he looked estatic, smiling and laughing! I was the only adult in the pool with him, and thankfully didn't have to get myself totally submerged. Ben had fun for about 15 minutes, at which time I think he realized how terribly cold he'd gotten. He spent the next 15-30 minute wrapped in his towel in fetal position in Daddy's lap, while Becca splashed around in the shallow end. Ben recovered from the first day and has loved going to the pool at every opportunity ever since. The water is of course a lot warmer now, but definitely had a chill in it through the first half of June! Ben loves diving for his torpedos, going down the slide, and lately he's loved jumping off the side in the "deep end" (5ft), with me there to help him make it back to the side or to help him out of the water. He does well under the water swimming, which he seems to love moving around under water, he has a hard time keeping his head above water though. And of course, he's not using the "strokes" he's learning in swim class.
Becca loves the pool too, and lately has insisted on going to Ben's swimming lessons to watch (and avoid going to school first thing in the morning). She is wearing Henry's old orange floatie int he pool, and that allows her to kick around wherever she wants. She likes to jump in from the top step and is starting to enjoy jumping in while holding my hands. Otherwise, she kinda climbs in from the side and thinks that's jumping.
Becca is still very independent and likes to dress herself, especially refusing help from Daddy and only letting Mommy help once she's realized she needs it. The other night, when putting on her big girl underwear, she asked once she got started if it was backwards by simply saying "backwards?" ....and it was, which is not uncommon. Now she's using a phrase "is this backwards?".
Thursday, February 28, 2013
February 2013
Winter is actually flying by pretty fast. I've been working full time, as a contractor through Feb 11, and then converted to permanent. However, I was able to get a few days off here and there to spend with Ben and Becca, which we tried to make the most of with trips to the Children's Museum.
Becca seems to be enjoying school. We have settled into a morning routine where Daddy takes her to school, and I think that has brought them closer together. She used to fuss a little, but now goes right along with him, usually while Ben and I are still at home. She is talking so much more now! At her 2 year appt, the pediatrician suggested I consider speech therapy. I took her to an evaluation in on Feb 21, and she charmed the pants off of everyone. At first, true to form, she was very shy and wouldn't look, much less talk, to any of the 3 therapists in the room. She just clung to me and hid her face smiling sheepishly. But then once one of them gave her a book, she started naming animals and objects by sight or by repeating what I said. She said more words than I've ever heard from her, including horse, goat, and even butterfly! She has been saying some 2-word phrases for a while, with her favorites being "I do" and "I lay", and then an occasional "Mommy help". Just last night she used a 3-word phrase, but now I can't remember what it was.
Becca is still extremely independent, and wants to take her own coat off, and recently has started wanting to put her shirt and pants on herself. She's done it successfully a few times, but it's not an easy task for her yet. Lately, she's fascinated by pockets, and sometimes asks if her clothes have them before putting them on. Unfortunately, it comes out "poppa", so it took me a while to figure out what she was asking. If she has a shirt or pants with pockets, she gets excited and tries to put her hands inside them! She really gets excited about her polka dot jacket with the pockets in front. She also likes wearing tights, at least some days, and came downstairs on a morning Daddy was in charge of her outfit in only and a pair of tights on her bottom half and a short sleeved Disney princess shirt over a long sleeve t-shirt. She seemed to think that was a perfectly appropriate outfit, saying "tights" out loud to announce that's what she had on. Luckily, she was agreeable to putting a skirt I found in her closet over top of them!
Becca is still eating very well, always better than Ben in terms of variety. This weekend though was the first time in a year that she's been under the weather, and along with some very mild throwing up a couple of times Saturday morning, she hasn't had much of an appetite the last couple of days...with it seeming to come back mostly by Monday. She slept alot this weekend, having periods with high energy in between but I think wearing herself out each time.
Ben and all of the younger cousins (everyone except Chase) went to see Mary Poppins on Saturday, while Becca stayed home with Daddy, sleeping mostly. Lacie brought the kids in during the morning, so Becca was using everything she had to play and keep up with Kelly and Ben, so Becca was zonked once we left for the play. But earlier in the morning, the kids had a great time playing together, putting stickers and coloring with markers all over the big toy kitchen box that previously served as a space ship but that morning had transformed into Jordan's house. Jordan lay fairly still horizontally inside the box while the kids moved all around and over him finding spots to place stickers or scribble with markers.
At the play, Ben sat in my lap the whole time to get a better view, and seemed to really enjoy it, especially the singing and dancing, but he faded and fell asleep during the middle 45 minutes or so, which included the intermission. While awake though, he watched intently...and also ate a huge bucket of popcorn and sipped on his Spite pretty intently. When he awoke just as the play was beginning the 2nd Act, he asked for his popcorn back and began snacking on it again! I thought that his enthusiastic clapping right along with the rest of the audience was particularly cute! After the play, Ben and Kelly rode with me back home and watched a Pooh movie with Becca while waiting for a pizza to be delivered. Ben still gets so excited to see the pizza delivery man!
Ben is still enjoying his new school. He gets a lot of really good reports from his teachers, either commenting to me or putting in an official "Happy Gram". He participates really well in the activities and I'm told he's the best napper in the class, getting his chicky and going right to sleep at nap time. I wish he was that agreeable on the weekends at home! Ben is playing "Redskins" with Myles on the playground, at least that's what they did throughout football season. I'm not sure what the game entails, but apparently something at least mildly resembling a pretend football game where they pretend to throw the ball and to run after it. Ben loves the Redskins zip up sweatshirt that Lara and Eddie got him for Christmas, wearing it almost every day and making a desperate plea to leave his heavy coat at home each morning. I finally wised up and started leaving his heavy coat at school to avoid his mild fits about me bringing it along for when he's on the playground. Apparently he would give the teacher no trouble though about wearing it (over his Redskins jacket of course) out on the playground, he saves all of that for Mommy! Yesterday, I picked Ben up a little early to take him for a haircut, finding him and his class on the playground. Ms Jones told me that he and a little group of boys are saying poddy words on the playground...which I'm not surprised since "poopy" is Ben's favorite word at home too! She wasn't upset, acknowledging her son did the same thing at that age.
Ben is involved in gymnastics and just started a soccer skills activity at his school. When I talked about gymnastics with him at home before his weekly class started, he was very upset and scared about having to do it, saying "I'm going to fall". Apparently he was a little timid the first day of class when being asked to line up to leave his normal classroom, but by the 2nd or 3rd class he bolts away from whatever he is doing when gymnastics is announced! I hope to go observe him this Friday; the teachers have said it is an amazing class. He had his first soccer class yesterday. Two nights ago when I told him a soccer player was coming to visit at his school he got very excited saying "you signed me up!", which I thought him knowing the concept of "signing up" was cute.
Ben is still playing alot with his matchbox cars, enjoying using his "road" rugs he got for Christmas to line them up. He and Becca both like their new kitchen and like setting out a blanket for a "picnic" on the floor. Becca enjoys playing with her shape sorter, and especially likes her writing board and likes using a real pen to write in her note pads. She really is amazing at how well she holds a pen.
Becca seems to be enjoying school. We have settled into a morning routine where Daddy takes her to school, and I think that has brought them closer together. She used to fuss a little, but now goes right along with him, usually while Ben and I are still at home. She is talking so much more now! At her 2 year appt, the pediatrician suggested I consider speech therapy. I took her to an evaluation in on Feb 21, and she charmed the pants off of everyone. At first, true to form, she was very shy and wouldn't look, much less talk, to any of the 3 therapists in the room. She just clung to me and hid her face smiling sheepishly. But then once one of them gave her a book, she started naming animals and objects by sight or by repeating what I said. She said more words than I've ever heard from her, including horse, goat, and even butterfly! She has been saying some 2-word phrases for a while, with her favorites being "I do" and "I lay", and then an occasional "Mommy help". Just last night she used a 3-word phrase, but now I can't remember what it was.
Becca is still extremely independent, and wants to take her own coat off, and recently has started wanting to put her shirt and pants on herself. She's done it successfully a few times, but it's not an easy task for her yet. Lately, she's fascinated by pockets, and sometimes asks if her clothes have them before putting them on. Unfortunately, it comes out "poppa", so it took me a while to figure out what she was asking. If she has a shirt or pants with pockets, she gets excited and tries to put her hands inside them! She really gets excited about her polka dot jacket with the pockets in front. She also likes wearing tights, at least some days, and came downstairs on a morning Daddy was in charge of her outfit in only and a pair of tights on her bottom half and a short sleeved Disney princess shirt over a long sleeve t-shirt. She seemed to think that was a perfectly appropriate outfit, saying "tights" out loud to announce that's what she had on. Luckily, she was agreeable to putting a skirt I found in her closet over top of them!
Becca is still eating very well, always better than Ben in terms of variety. This weekend though was the first time in a year that she's been under the weather, and along with some very mild throwing up a couple of times Saturday morning, she hasn't had much of an appetite the last couple of days...with it seeming to come back mostly by Monday. She slept alot this weekend, having periods with high energy in between but I think wearing herself out each time.
Ben and all of the younger cousins (everyone except Chase) went to see Mary Poppins on Saturday, while Becca stayed home with Daddy, sleeping mostly. Lacie brought the kids in during the morning, so Becca was using everything she had to play and keep up with Kelly and Ben, so Becca was zonked once we left for the play. But earlier in the morning, the kids had a great time playing together, putting stickers and coloring with markers all over the big toy kitchen box that previously served as a space ship but that morning had transformed into Jordan's house. Jordan lay fairly still horizontally inside the box while the kids moved all around and over him finding spots to place stickers or scribble with markers.
At the play, Ben sat in my lap the whole time to get a better view, and seemed to really enjoy it, especially the singing and dancing, but he faded and fell asleep during the middle 45 minutes or so, which included the intermission. While awake though, he watched intently...and also ate a huge bucket of popcorn and sipped on his Spite pretty intently. When he awoke just as the play was beginning the 2nd Act, he asked for his popcorn back and began snacking on it again! I thought that his enthusiastic clapping right along with the rest of the audience was particularly cute! After the play, Ben and Kelly rode with me back home and watched a Pooh movie with Becca while waiting for a pizza to be delivered. Ben still gets so excited to see the pizza delivery man!
Ben is still enjoying his new school. He gets a lot of really good reports from his teachers, either commenting to me or putting in an official "Happy Gram". He participates really well in the activities and I'm told he's the best napper in the class, getting his chicky and going right to sleep at nap time. I wish he was that agreeable on the weekends at home! Ben is playing "Redskins" with Myles on the playground, at least that's what they did throughout football season. I'm not sure what the game entails, but apparently something at least mildly resembling a pretend football game where they pretend to throw the ball and to run after it. Ben loves the Redskins zip up sweatshirt that Lara and Eddie got him for Christmas, wearing it almost every day and making a desperate plea to leave his heavy coat at home each morning. I finally wised up and started leaving his heavy coat at school to avoid his mild fits about me bringing it along for when he's on the playground. Apparently he would give the teacher no trouble though about wearing it (over his Redskins jacket of course) out on the playground, he saves all of that for Mommy! Yesterday, I picked Ben up a little early to take him for a haircut, finding him and his class on the playground. Ms Jones told me that he and a little group of boys are saying poddy words on the playground...which I'm not surprised since "poopy" is Ben's favorite word at home too! She wasn't upset, acknowledging her son did the same thing at that age.
Ben is involved in gymnastics and just started a soccer skills activity at his school. When I talked about gymnastics with him at home before his weekly class started, he was very upset and scared about having to do it, saying "I'm going to fall". Apparently he was a little timid the first day of class when being asked to line up to leave his normal classroom, but by the 2nd or 3rd class he bolts away from whatever he is doing when gymnastics is announced! I hope to go observe him this Friday; the teachers have said it is an amazing class. He had his first soccer class yesterday. Two nights ago when I told him a soccer player was coming to visit at his school he got very excited saying "you signed me up!", which I thought him knowing the concept of "signing up" was cute.
Ben is still playing alot with his matchbox cars, enjoying using his "road" rugs he got for Christmas to line them up. He and Becca both like their new kitchen and like setting out a blanket for a "picnic" on the floor. Becca enjoys playing with her shape sorter, and especially likes her writing board and likes using a real pen to write in her note pads. She really is amazing at how well she holds a pen.
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