Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Tidbit Round-up

I went out for our quarterly Girl's Night with my girlfriends last week. While I was waiting for them to arrive, I was hit on by a man. I know! Pick yourself up off the floor and keep reading. This man, was unfortunately SIXTY years old. This drunken, squinty-eyed man was stumbling into tables and would spontaneously break into song, bastardizing the Beatles and Elton John. It was frightening and annoying and looking back on the situation I would have been a rude bitch to they guy from the word go had I known he was going to hang around the entire evening. Now, mind you, it is not that I want to be hit on by anyone other than my husband, but a girl likes to know she's still got it, whatever "it" may be. I apparently do and it is aging and moldy.


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Sam's swim lessons are coming along, well, swimmingly. He is improving every day and yet I still can't believe we have 25 more lessons before this is over. Can you tell I'm growing tired of the daily trek to the pool?


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Rob and I are going to attempt to make a headboard for our bed this weekend. We have decided to go with the upholstered headboard style and picked out the design and fabric of our liking. I think the padded headboard will serve me well for evenings when I've had too much of my job and need a good head banging.


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I bought two pairs of espadrilles last week. One pair is all stripey and has ties that go around my ankles and I'm not sure if they're cutting edge cute or way ugly, but I'm going to go with the cute theory until one of my girlfriends has the guts to tell me to take them off and never wear them again.


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I was not able to sign up for the Danskin Triathlon this year. I was very much anticipating doing this race again, but alas it filled up in two days and I missed the boat. SO! Instead my husband is taking me to the lovely Leu Gardens for the Spring Moon stroll which consists of sitting amidst beautiful botanical gardens, while sipping wine and groovin' to live Jazz. I had to miss out on the Moon Stroll last year because the triathlon was the following morning. But THIS YEAR I plan on packing my picnic basket, plopping my butt down on the grass and polishing off a bottle of wine myself! AND! Since the Moon Stroll falls on the day between my birthday and Mother's Day, Rob is thrilled he can wrap my gifts up in one evening and exclaim, "Happy Mother's Day, Birthday Girl!"


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Rob and I have planned a trip to New York in mid-May. We're super excited about the trip as it is the first trip we've planned since our Honeymoon. We're due!


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I got a new car.


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Sam can climb up on our glider chair now which he does often and rocks himself while he watches Noggin. I hate to have to break it to him, but we're going to sell that lovely glider chair so we can purchase a big fat recliner instead.


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I've decided to never weigh myself again. End of story.


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There is nothing else new to report. You've just read my entire life's happenings.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Splish splash

If today was my last day on earth, I'd feel like I spent it wisely and with a happy heart. I love my child beyond words. He is growing and learning every day and he is such a rock star.

Sam had his second swim lesson today. I arrived at the Y about an hour before his lesson so that I could do the step/strength/kill-Shannon class. Sam was a bit apprehensive about the day care, but thankfully Pam was there to calm his fears and more importantly play with him on the playground! I made it through the class with 5 minutes to spare before the girl from the day care came to get me. I hurried to get my little man, with a sigh of relief as he saved me from the remainder of the grueling ab routine I was struggling through. He waved goodbye to Pam (my savior) and we went to the locker room for a quick change.

Sam recognized the routine from the day before and let out a few whimpers in protest. When his lesson started, he entered the pool with a bit of trepidation, but quickly picked up where he left off from yesterday. We still focused on wall work, but today we did more underwater drills and he actually swam a few feet to get himself to the wall! I was squealing with delight and clapping and singing Sam's praises. Through his protesting, he would stop and clap for himself and then sign "more." When Dawn put Sam on his back today, he relaxed much more than yesterday and was able to float, with assistance of course.

The best part of today's swim lesson was when Sam and I were back in the locker room. I had changed him into a dry diaper and warm clothes when he turned and gave me the biggest hug he has ever given me. This wasn't just a casual hug. This was a wrap-his-arms-around-my-neck-and-squeeze hug. He didn't let go right away. He stood and hugged me tight as I sat cross-legged on the floor of the locker room. I rubbed his back and thought to myself, "THIS is what being a Mom is all about." I could feel Sam communicating to me, "I love you, Mommy." And in my firm squeeze back, I was saying, "I love you too, Sam."

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Swim Lesson #1




Happy Sam before the lesson.

Today was the first day of Sam's swim lessons. He is enrolled in the Safe Start program through the YMCA which is affiliated with ISR. He goes 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. This is a swim survival course that teaches babies to swim to safety should they fall in a pool or lake. If they can't reach the side, they learn how to roll on their back to catch their breath, and then roll back over and swim to the side.

I had heard horror stories of the ISR technique. Unknowing parents told of children being "thrown in the water while they scream and flail" for weeks on end. I had done hours of research on the swim survival technique that was right for us and decided that I'd put the rumors to rest and give it a try ourselves.

Rob came to the pool today to witness Sam's first lesson. Sam's instructor, Ms. Dawn, coached us on being supportive, happy-faced and encouraging while Sam was in the water. She gently eased him in the water and held him for a few minutes to earn his trust. He cried as soon as we handed him over, mostly from stranger anxiety and not because of tortouous swim techniques I had heard about. Today the focus was getting Sam used to holding himself on the side of the pool with both hands and without support. Dawn also put Sam under water a few times, teaching him how to hold his breath and search for the side himself. He did great! He did cry the entire lesson, but he swallowed much less air and water than we anticipated! Rob and I feel great about these lessons and I look forward to a summer of swimming with my confident toddler!











Bird is the word. And car, and banana...

Sam has really taken off with the speaking recently. Rob and I compiled a mental list of all of the words he has said and I thought I better document it now before the list becomes too long and I use up all the space on the Internet chronicling my sons vast vocabulary.

Sam's current word list:
  1. Hello
  2. bye bye
  3. car
  4. cat
  5. dog
  6. banana
  7. bath
  8. night night
  9. bird
  10. ball
  11. bubbles
  12. eat
  13. sit
  14. chair
  15. shoes
  16. socks
  17. water
  18. milk
  19. go
  20. more
  21. help
  22. hat
  23. fish
  24. out
  25. down
  26. up
  27. Mama
  28. Dada
  29. Emma
  30. Nana
  31. book
  32. TV
  33. fan
  34. call (which really means "phone")
  35. gone
  36. hot
  37. cold
  38. nay nay (his name for his pacifier)
  39. no
  40. yeah (he says it Rain Man style)
  41. rock
  42. cheese
  43. please (he signs this one like a champ)
  44. uv you (I love you)
  45. ocker (locker)

These are the words I can think of at the moment. If I think of more later, I'll be sure to edit this post. I know you won't sleep tonight unless you know ALL of the words Sam can say. ;)