Blow-up Pool

I bought a blow up pool over a year an a half ago.

We never ended up using it until this last weekend. I finally got it blown up (it is the kind with a larger pool and a slide into a smaller shallow pool) by borrowing my brother's compressor.

MLO LOVES it, once she gets okay to climb in, I can't get her to climb out.

The slide just totally makes it for her (she already loves slides) and splashing water all over the place makes her day.

We have all sort of bath toys that have migrated to the pool.

She is having so much fun, even when she slips and dunks her head under the water (something she usually hates) she gets herself up and yells she is okay and keeps playing.

She lets me sit in the chair and read and she talks to the bugs that come by, the leaves that fall in and throws toys from one side of the pool to the other.

For a daughter I thought was just putting up with water because I convinced her there was no way around it, she sure is loving the pool more than I thought.

Backyard

We spent the entire weekend outside.

In our backyard, we set up a hammock swing, bought a new set of outside furniture and a gazebo to go over them. So, between the pool and slide already set up, we are pretty set up in the backyard.

This meant we were out there all weekend, MLO even fell asleep for her naps in the new outside chairs.

She kept telling me over and over how she loved "my"/her backyard. If we went inside for anything it was brief and she would quickly announce she wanted to go out again.

The house is her house now, the backyard is hers and she shares with mommy or daddy or gives us turns, but it belongs to her.

Neck hugs

This morning MLO woke up at 5am and called out for me.

After letting her call out a few times (to make sure she wasn't dreaming, which has happened) I went to go check on her.

She wanted me to lay down next to her and I obliged.

She then wrapped her arms around my neck and snuggled close, whispering "my mommy" and quickly fell asleep.

Love it!!

First Day of School

So here is my first letter to my children so they know how I feel about life no matter what happens. I plan on reading these with them, but if I am prepared for the worst, the worst never comes.

In the course of growing up there will be so many firsts. School is such an important part of life and learning that your father and I will work extra hard to make sure you have all the best opportunities to learn in the best environments.

The first day at any school at any level can be a little scary, but having seen you grow so far, I am not worried about your ability to make new friends. Don't worry about feeling shy or scared, this is a usual feeling and most of the other kids will be feeling that as well.

Each kid will have their own personality of what they are used to from where and how they grew up. Allow them to adjust as is easiest for them if needed and let a teacher know if they ever doing anything that bothers you. No need to make it harder for the other kid who is going through their own scary experience at a new school.

Use the wonderful manners you have magically acquired to get the stuff you need and understand how you need to share.

Work hard to learn and spend the time you have there learning what you will need to understand what is happening in the world around you. It may seem like a long, hard path and it is so much funner to play, but play will always be there too (be sure to play hard all weekend long).

Make sure you always understand what is happening around you, and ask when you don't.

Most importantly, if there is ever anything you can't seem to understand, can't seem to see why someone is doing something that way or behaving in such a manner, ask daddy or whomever is taking care of you. It is definitely part of our/their job to make sure you understand it.

Also remember, I love you and am so proud of you, no matter what.

Pregnant

Yep, if you didn't guess from the title, I am pregnant.

Here comes baby #2.

With MLO I had one day of morning sickness.

So far, many days with this one. Will have to think of a web name (in addition to the real name) for #2.

We are so excited!!

Update: I haven't decided exactly what to do with this post, I may still delete it. But for now I will just say that we lost the baby. I am okay, everything is almost back to normal and we can try again, but still a little painful emotionally at this point

First real tears at a movie

I bought Jungle Book 2 at Costco the other day and last night was the first night we sat down to watch it.

MLO loves the first Jungle Book, we play the music in the car all the time, she has a Bagheera (panther) and Kaa (snake) stuffed animals.

The story is about Mowgli's return to the jungle because he misses it. There is all the fun music, adventures, running from the bad guys and so on.

Of course, near the end, Mowgli has to pick between the jungle and the humans.

He is with Baloo and Baloo tells him to go to the humans but he is very sad.

Suddenly MLO starts bawling and crawls into my lap to bury her face in my shoulder. At first I try to figure out if she hurt herself. I ask what happened and she answers:

"Baloo is sad."

She totally understood what was happening in the movie and felt VERY bad for Baloo. We then had to watch the last scene of the movie several times (where it all gets worked out and Mowgli gets to be part of the best of both worlds) to make sure she could see how happy it turned out.

This is a whole new thing I am going to have to think with now. Is the movie sad (and all movies have some sort of sad moment) and what am I going to have to do to make sure she understands how it turns out okay?

No Lassie in my near future, that is for sure.

Fear of Bath Conquered

I am so happy to official announce that MLO's hatred of baths (as previously reported here) is no more.

She has finally come to accept the idea that her hair is getting washed and we have come to a truce.

She will know put her head back (look at the ceiling) and let mommy put a hand on her forehead to block the water and commence shampooing.

Thank goodness, it is amazing how thrilling the little victories can be.