Swim lesson

Last night we started our Swim Lessons again at the local YMCA (we did some last year too).

MLO loves the water and for the half an hour "mommy and me" class she has the biggest grin on her face the whole time.

She has gotten to the point where she can kick really well, moving herself forward. She holds the wall and can almost float on her back without my hand present.

She just loves the water and likes to splash me and herself. She "swims" to the teacher (with a push) and back to me.

Getting her out is the hard part, she is just as happy sitting on the step watching the next class and splashing her legs, as she is swimming with me.

Going on Rides

We took MLO to a beach boardwalk with rides and such. They have a kiddy section and my entire family had come to the boardwalk (it is usually just the kids and one or two adults who go) to see MLO go on rides.

We watched some of the rides so she would get the idea that little kids go on them and she can too.

I took her on the carousel and she wasn't interested in sitting on one of the horses, so me and her sat in a carriage thing they had on the ride.

She really seemed to like the look of the boat ride so we put her on that one first. It went great with her turning the wheel, ringing the bell and putting her hand in the water.

Well it went so well, she wouldn't go on any of the other rides. We did the boat ride over and over again. If you tried to convince her of another ride, even the ones where an adult came along, she just kept crying and saying "boat".

We got a lot of cute pictures and Nana (MLO's great grandma) took video. No one seemed too disappointed that it was the same ride over and over so I think it turned out okay.

Getting used to the ocean

Well the cutest point of the trip was when MLO got used to the ocean again.

We have taken her several times before, but at this age if you let something go too far between then they forget.

So her Aunt and I spent a lot of time with her, slowly getting her used to it. At first just me and MLO went down to the water (because everyone else was still sleeping, sleeping in an all) and sat on the beach and watched the waves. She decided the foam looked like bubbles and would exclaim over the bubbles. This lasted about an hour.

A little later that day her Aunt went out and chased the waves. MLO thought it looked like fun and started chasing and being chased by the waves. This lasted about half an hour.

Then her Aunt and one of her great aunts took her out and started jumping the waves (The front of the wave being the scariest part). After about a half an hour of that, she couldn't be kept out of the water.

She would grab anyone willing or go it on her own and start jumping waves and splashing.

We went to a boardwalk and every time she saw steps down to the beach and ocean, she made a run for it. Hubby ended up going down with her and they splashed in the ocean while I got to rest. The both came back very wet (with no swimsuits or towels on us) but very happy.

Since being back, every time she sees a picture or the ocean is on TV she yells out "ocean" and runs towards it.

Being that we live in LA, I think we will be making some more trips down there.

Just got back from family reunion

Hello everyone (mostly Kat I think - though there are a few others)

We went to a family reunion which is why I have been so quiet. Every year my family rents a beach house and we all go and stay together. At the end of the week I am just about ready to kill most of them.

I will have stories to tell but right now I need to get the house in order, buy food for us to eat, answer all my emails and so on. So I will be back with family reunion stories...

Love ya

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Chatter-box

I picked MLO up from the daycare yesterday.

The entire ride home (about 20 minutes) she talked. None stop.

Sometimes quietly to herself or her shoes, but she didn't stop.

She told me about playing with her "guys" (what she calls the friends she is making at the daycare).

She told me about how her clothes got messy and had to change pants.

We played "what's that" with the different cars and mommie had to get inventive because she didn't want the same answer over and over (car).

So MLO started her education on the different types of cars and we continued working on colors. Found out she loves trucks.

All of it in the cutest baby/grown-up talk that has a made-up word here and there, but you get the general idea of what she is saying.

Daycare success

I successfully dropped off MLO at the daycare today without any tears.

She pushed me out the door (something the daycare personnel promote - to make the kids feel like they are causing the leaving and not being left) today and smiled as I waved goodbye.

She likes the lady in charge of the daycare and willingly goes into her arms when it is time for me to leave in the morning. When I pick her up at the end of the day she says good-bye to her and then says "good-bye kids" to everyone else.

Thank goodness, the tears were too much.