Swim Lesson Update

I'm a rule follower.

And there is some crazy rule about photos at swim lessons.

I'm not entirely sure what the rule is, so I tried to keep the pictures to a minimum.

I'm gonna bring a better lens next time so I can be more desecrate.  :)

So swim lessons are going FANTASTIC.

A million times better than I expected, and a thousand times better than I hoped.

I really just signed him up because it seemed like the thing to do.

And because AZ is a high drowning state.

I didn't think he would learn to swim this summer.

But after 2 classes of screaming (and maybe a spanking thrown in there somewhere) he totally  turned the corner.

It may have had something to do with the lollipop bribe, but regardless, things have taken a turn for the better.

And he has made HUGE progress each and every session.

And he actually enjoys going under water now.

And he can push off/swim 4-5 feet.

With lots of reminders to kick.

And the boy is fearless.

The only one brave enough to go down the "slide" (you can see it there on the left).

I'm more than happy with this swim school, and his swim teacher, and so proud of my little boy.

Definitely signing up for next session!

A few things

A few things:

1. I spent all weekend in a course for work. Our facility has been participating in a very interesting research study involving children with CP. The first portion of the study went quite well with great results, and the researcher was given more money to expand the study.  So to make along story short, we all needed to be trained on a specific treatment technique to implement with the kids.  The technique was actually quite difficult for me to pick up (partly because it requires a lot of handling-and I'm not much of a touchy person), but by the end of the second day I was starting to get it. I will be attending another 2 full days of training next month, but for now I'm ate flu for the opportunity, no matter how tired I am. ;)

2.   Swimming lessons have been going really well.  After 2 sessions of screaming, we have officially turned the corner and have had several successful sessions.  He is not, by any means, swimming, but we are very happy with how comfortable he has gotten with water, jumping, putting his face in, etc. if possible, we are going t try to sign up for another session to try and make even more progress this year!

3. Noah is getting new ear tubes as well an an adenoidectomy in two weeks.  Kinda a bummer that we have to re-do what was already done once (two years ago exactally). However, I am looking forward to less ear infections, less pressure, and maybe even less car sickness for my boy.   Hoping for a speedy recovery!

4. We are starting to get an itch to have a get-away!  We are looking at doing a long weekend in Sedona or San Diego.  There are so many places I want to go to go an explore in this area, it is hard to choose!!  We are even doing some pre-cruise dreaming. Maybe maybe maybe!

5. I'm surviving with out cable, believe it or not,  ;). I've actually discovered that I'm not really a tv watcher, I just like something light on in the background while I eat cookies and ice cream. ;). Just kidding (kind of). I haven't been heart broken without my shows, and I've even found a few new ones.  Who would have guessed?  Now what to do with my extra $60 a month?!?

That's all for tonight!  Maybe I'll be able to catch a few pics at swimming lessons tomorrow!
Happy Monday!

Lining Up

My child is a line-er-upper.
You name it:  superheroes, dinosaurs, animals.
He lines them all up.

The OT in me really doesn't like to encourage that.  ;).
So I decided that maybe Noah just needs some ideas for how to play with his toys.
Since I have never really played with dinosaurs, jeremy gave me a few ideas of what dinosaurs might do besides eat each other (which we also don't want to encourage).

So Tuesday I set out to teach my boy how to play with dinosaurs.
We were going on a mission to find the lost jewel.
Sooo he lined all the dinosaurs up to go on their mission.
And then we moved the whole group of dinosaurs (probably about 25) 3 feet over to where the jewel was hidden.
And then he lined them all up again around the jewel where it was promptly discovered by some random triceratops.
And then the dinosaurs went "home" and got all lined up again.

And then I quit.
I guess you just can't take the lining up out of the boy.
Carry on, little one.
At least you are busy and happy.
Doing whatever it is that makes that little brain happy. ;)

Brag

I don't do a whole lot of bragging on my kid.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that we have had our challenges.

Doesn't mean I don't love this kid.

It just means its been a long road of learning for all.

But yesterday, this boy made his momma proud.

We went to swim lessons.

And he didn't scream.

He didn't cry.

He didn't yell "I don't like it" at the teacher.

He followed directions.

He went underwater.

He tried all of the activities.

And he was the only kid brave enough to go down the slide at the end.

(well, there are only three kids, but I gotta take my victories).

Then we went to the library to get some books.

Story time was starting, so we decided to go.

We tried about a year ago, and it was pretty much a disaster for all involved.

But this boy shocked me again.

He was a total story time champion.

Answered all the questions.

Shook his wiggles out at the right time.

Sat quietly "criss cross applesauce" for two books.

AND I even got a compliment on how smart he is.

And he got a stamp on his hand!

He has never, ever allowed someone to stamp him.

I guess it invaded his personal space.

I can't tell you how many stamps he has been offered.

And it usually ends in screaming "I DON'T LIKE IT!"

But this boy got his first stamp today.

At three years old.

And this momma is SOOOOO proud.

Three has been wonderful so far!!!

Cousin Fun

Its been a whole week since I've blogged?  

How is that possible?

Ohhhh yeah, I was chasing kids all over the place.  ;)

And really truly loving it.

(Not every second, but most of them)

On Saturday morning we drove up to Phoenix to spend some time with my parents and my niece Charlotte.

It was a fun filled 3 days: swimming, playing, bouncing, (and oh yes, some fighting).

It was nice for both of the kids to have a buddy.

Here are some pics of the fun:

I tried to upload the video where the kids went back and forth fighting "no FANK you", but I'm not sure you will be able to watch it.

Be glad for that.  It wasn't pretty.  But at least they have manors.

Thanks  mom and dad for letting us crash the party!

Bye Bye Cable

We got rid of cable.
It was a HUGE step for us.
If you know me well, you will understand this.
If you don't, let's just say, I'm very serious about my cable.

One random night I was thinking how I only watch 2 shows, neither of which I'm really attached to.
Noah watches several cartoons, but all recorded stuff.

We had heard good stuff about hulu, so we started investigating.
Within an hour or so, we were up and running with our free week trial.

So now, two weeks later I am happy to report that I am still living
And $60 a month richer. ;)
And really, there are a few shows that I miss, but I have also found a few new shows too.
And Noah is PUMPED about all of the new shoes (between pbs kids and hulu he has quite the selection).

So it is quite a big change for us, but so far I'm pretty neutral to it.
I don't have anything really fabulous to say (except for the savings) but I don't really have anything negative either.

Does anyone have any great recommendations for hulu?

Mushroom Burn

I dropped a hot mushroom on my arm.

It was really hot.  Obviously.

Little did I know what a big hit the mushroom-burn would be with the kids.

Charlotte saw it happen.

She had a lot of questions.

Especially, I think, since she is not a mushroom fan.

Then Noah saw it when I picked him up from school.

And over and over throughout the evening "what happened to your arm" from both kids.

the next morning, first thing, "what happened to your arm"?

I had a bandaid on at this point, so that made the little people even more curious.

At times, when I got sick of repeating the story, I would return the question "what do you think happened to my arm".

usually no response. (!?!)

Or, if I changed a detail (like saying it was a hot calzone-which it actually was- instead of a mushroom) I got corrected really quick.

"no it was a hot mushroom"

Discussion about my arm was quite popular with the kids.

And even after Charlotte left, Noah continues to ask me about it.

Today he asked several time "can I touch your booboo?"

And at least 4 repetitions of the hot-mushroom story.

Who would have known!?!?

A hot mushroom can keep kids entertained for hours!

Sisters and Cousins

Danielle and Charotte came to visit this weekend.

We really had such a wonderful time.

I think it was our goal to jam as much as possible into 3 days.  :)

But the kids were troopers, and we got to have so much fun.

On Friday we went to the zoo and to Chick Fil A (for cow appreciation day).

Can't beat 4 free meals!

 Saturday was bowling, Old Navy and the mall play area.

It was Charlotte's first bowl and when Noah wasn't being a grouch, they seemed to have a good time.

 LOTS and LOTS of playing.

Something about " going to the beach" that involved bring every toy Noah owned (and some non-toys) into his bedroom.

They really got along soooo well.

I was worried, cause N tends to be a bit disagreeable at times.

But they played for hours with very few fights and even shared a room at nap and night without issues!

Its funny cause there doesn't seem to be a dominant one...they just kind of take turns being the leader.

On a side note, during our bowling trip, Noah felt the need to look directly at Charlotte and say very intentionally "its my turn".  And even though she was not disagreeing, he would still feel the need to repeat "its my turn" several more times.  

A few more funny stories to come...

As far as the big people, we did lots of Fitness Blendering, baking, chatting, laughing and bonding
 Thanks Charlotte for taking this "sisters" picture for us.  :)

The time went way too fast!
I was so bummed out this morning when they had to leave.

 Already counting down till next summer guys!

Swimming Lessons and Pancakes

So we started the little squirt in swimming lessons.

Priority number 1: that mommy doesn't have to get wet.

Its not really my thing, despite years of lifeguarding.

Also, I felt like maybe he would be able to learn more from someone else besides me.

So we got a deal on a package of 10 swimming lessons.

And we talked it up in a major way.

So he cried for the first 10 minutes of class.

Yeah, he was the only one crying (there was 3 kids in his class, probably about 12 kids in the pool total)

The other parents were giving me sympathy looks.

Weird to be on the other end of that for a change.  ;)

Then I threatened to go inside.

I'm an awesome parent like that.

So then the crying turned into wailing "don't go inside, don't go inside, don't go inside"

Some how he managed to calm himself down.

And pull it together for the remaining 15 minutes of the session.

And miraculously, he decided he actually liked swimming lessons.

And that he would go back next week.

 So we went to IHOP.

For 56 cent pancakes.

For IHOP 56ths anniversary.

And he was so well behaved.

And he ate up some 56 cent chocolate chip pancakes.

We have a very exciting weekend planned!

Stay tuned!!!

Camping Fail

Ohhh, where to begin?

So we didn't camp on Thursday night.
We got off of work too late, and there was a huge monsoon.

But Noah was up all night. Crying. No clue why.
So tired and cranky, we packed up the next morning and headed up the mountain.
That's the awesome kind of parents we are.
Noah threw up the whole way up the mountain.
Which wasn't too unusual, because he gets car sick regularly.
But then he didn't stop.

He puked while we set up the campsite
(And if you know jeremy, he doesn't pack light). :)
He puked on our "hike".
He puked pretty much on and off the whole trip.

We did have a nice little visit to the mt lemon ski lift (with no puking).
It was only a 2 person ride, so I sat out and the guys rode.
The lady riding the seat in front of them said Noah talked and laughed the whole time!

And then quickly back to the puking.
Hot dog dinner.
That wasn't pretty.

And then by 6pm, we were all tired and kinda bored, so we put the little man to bed.
He was asleep within 4 minutes

And then, we made a big mistake.
We celebrated too early. 
He woke up an hour later.

Little did we know, we were in for a looooong night.
Crying, puking, screaming.
All.  Night. Long.

For a while I was willing darkness to come.
And then a short while later, I was willing morning to come.
Around 2 am, working on very little sleep, I begged jeremy to let us pack up and go home.
He thought it was too dangerous at that time of night, on the mountain on July 4th.
I was so thankful when the sun rose.

And we packed up (all the while Noah is still puking), and drove home.
After a 3 hour nap, 4 shows on the couch and lots of snuggling, the managed to keep down 8 ritz crackers and half a peanut butter sandwich.

And then at 5:45, we put the little man into bed.
I am a tad bit worried about a repeat from last night.
But then again we are not in a tent.
And there is a bathroom within 10 feet that doesn't involve leaves.
And I have high quality ear plugs.
Just kidding. ;)

Maybe camping just isn't for me.
Cause I sure know the stomach bug isn't.

Monsoon-ed Out

You are looking at our family camping trip.

Or lack of it.

Booooooo.

We got monsoon-ed out of it.

And here we are at home, showering and sleeping in the temperpedic.

Its rough, but its the sacrifice I guess we have to make.

But seriously, we were really bummed.

We are hoping to leave in the morning...maybe get a campsite, and spend tomorrow night out there.

More updates to come!

Love Him

This boy.

Love him.

Love those round cheeks.

Love those brown eyes.

Love that sneaky little smile.

And that WILD imagination....I can't get enough of it.

The last month with this guy has been awesome.

He's been listening.

He's been funny.

He's been engaged and learning.

And he has been loving up on his mama.

And I'm soaking up every minute.

(Well, not every minute...he still drives me nutty sometimes).

Can anyone freeze time?

I want to keep this boy small forever!