Sweet Summer

Or should I say "Sweaty Summer?" Either way, we have been having all kinds of fun keeping cool in the pool. We took the first plunge back in May, when it was a mere 85 degrees out and the pool at Grandma and Grandpap's was still refreshing (not bath water). Flint and Lyla have been enjoying playtime in two inflatable kiddie pools in the yard at home. One larger one for my little fishie girl and a smaller infant one for Flint to splash around in without too much risk. They've also made a few trips to the splash pad in Roanoke and their local pool, as well.

They both really love the water. Having two non-swimmers, I envisioned my summer to be quite tiresome and waterlogged with two bambinos hanging on me in the deep end. After Lyla's school-year ended, we invited some classmates over to Gia's house for some water playtime. It was entertaining to see the different comfort levels of all the kids, and the complete lack of fear in a few. With two unappealing baby pools set up and no adults suited up (or willing?) to get in to the big pool, it should have obvious to us that the inevitable outcome would be 4 kids going in and under and 2 grown-ups leaving the playdate in wet clothes. Kind of funny, yes, but also scary. There were only a handful of kids there and the odds were still not in our favor. The horrible topic of drowning very quickly took over the #1 spot on my mental list of things to worry about.

So... I called Emler Swim School and got some class information. I looked into lessons at the YMCA. I chatted with other parents, did research, checked out at-home lesson plans online to use myself, considered other local options, and as usual, weighed my options indecisively. For a week or so I did this, and all the while continued to swim with Lyla and encourage her to try new things in the water, like sticking her face in. I got overly defensive when others seemed too pushy towards her, although she never seemed bothered by it. And before I could even make any decisions about swim lessons, Lyla reminded me of how amazing she is.

One day, she started to hold her breath and stick her face in. Maybe because she saw her cousins doing it... who knows? And of course, I made a ridiculous fuss over how wonderful it was. The next day, at a local pool, I watched as she held her breath and creeped along the bottom of the shallow end. The depth of 2 feet seemed just perfect for her to find her comfort zone. I tried not to interfere unless she looked like she was struggling, but she was just so calm and curious. A natural.

Day Three, we were back at Grandma's for some swim time with some close friends and her buddy, Aidan. This is when she really blew me away. She started holding her breath for longer periods of time, pushing off the steps, gliding toward me, kicked more purposely, and had a BLAST. I watched her let herself fall off the steps and figure out how to get back on. She swam to me at probably six feet away. She gave me kisses under water, jumped in and swam to me and bravely (the scary kind of brave) let go of me at random to explore and attempt to swim on her own. This kid wore herself out and made her mama proud, albeit perhaps more terrified at her false sense of confidence.

Not a week later, though, this kid was swimming with underwater strokes, coming up for breaths, jumping in like a maniac and going at least half the pool. I am confident that if she fell in, she could get to a wall or stairs and get out on her own. What a weight off my shoulders! And I have no one to thank! Not a swim teacher, not a relative, not myself... instead I am just thankFUL. My daughter has this remarkable, relaxed curiousity, and natural ability in the water that she discovered and honed all on her own. She is a fish.

I had hopes she would be a swimmer by the end of summer. Now, I have hopes that she'll be perfecting her butterfly. Realistically, though, she grows more and more comfortable and confident each time she's in the water. I just hope her skills keep increasing so that Mama's fears can keep decreasing. She should get plenty of practice between our season passes at Hawaiian Falls, her Grandpap's pool, and our upcoming trip to Padre.

As for Flint, he likes the water, but he's no "water baby." Mama is too chicken let him go under. Aunt Shannon isn't, though. Which is why she is never to be trusted alone with my son in the water. I am content to watch him frog-kick and jiggle frantically with his big goofy grin, and smack the water excitedly (then immediately grimace at the splash hitting his face).

I love these wet kids!

The Boy

The boy is crawling everywhere. Fast. Turn away from him for even a moment and he's in the kitchen splashing in the dog's water bowl, or pulling up to peak in the bathtub. Oh, yeah. That's the other thing - he's pulling up! Also fast. Which leads me to the next thing... he's starting to cruise. Now, if you're like my husband and you don't know what "cruising" is (which means you're looking at me like I'm crazy and also rude for using terms which are obviously made-up), it means he's walking while holding onto furniture, walls, etc. It's also indicitive of his more recent obsession with holding onto our fingers while he speed walks all over the place. Not so fun on the back, but this is where being short scores Mommy bonus points. Wait, or does it?

He's also babbling lots of consonant-vowel sounds (like nah-nah-nah, deh-deh-deh, bah-beh-baiou, etc.), slobbering plenty, playing with his lips and tongue while vocalizing ('cause that makes for all kinds of insanely adorable sounds, and he knows it), demanding food more and more, breast-feeding less and less, banging toys on surfaces, taking baths in the big tub (sometimes with big sister), handling bites of actual real food, splashing in the pool, whining lots for Mommy's attention, and using his thumb and index finger to pincer-grasp small objects (countless small objects... which end up in his mouth a lot of the time - eek!).

Before we know it, we'll have a toddler. And to think, we just grew out of one!

101 Things to Love About Lyla Celeste

1, She speaks her own language, 2, Her Grandma's fantastic blue eyes, 3, The way she baby-talks to her brother with the biggest goofy grin of all, 4, She believes sharing to be nice, therefore will share anything you have that she wants, 5, She calls macaroni & cheese "roni's," 6, The way she says, "Oh," during a conversation like a three-year-old going on 30, 7, She is bound and determined to be bound and determined to do what she wants, 8, She can't not get the floor soaking wet during bathtime, 9, Best. Snuggles. Ever., 10, The silly way she makes her voice deep and rattly when she's talking about something funny, 11, All critters she rescues are released to the grass to "find their Mommy," 12, She thinks meat is ridiculous, 13, She doesn't understand why being naked could ever not be good, 14, When she tries to make a "yuck" noise it sounds like she's choking, 15, She greets Daddy after work with hysterical giggles, as if his mere appearance was meant to make her laugh, 16, She wants to go to the moon, 17, Events occurring at times other than the present are "on yesterday" or "on Saturday," 18, Mercer Meyer clearly wrote the Little Critter books "just for her," 19, Thick head, 20, Kind heart, 21, Almost always eager to help, 22, Refers to people as her possessions (my Faryn, my Aidan), 23, Has hobbit feet, 24, She loves monsters, robots, bugs, getting dirty and running, but thinks princesses are cool, too, 25, She appreciates a good Miyazaki film, 26, She makes sure nothing on the floor is "too small for baby brudder," 27, Prefers painting with her whole hand to using a brush, 28, Enjoys discussions, 29, Talks to her toys like Mommy talks to her, mostly when Mommy isn't around, 30, Isn't quite sure whether when she locked a dragon in her bathroom it was a dream or really happened, 31, Loves a good game of hide-and-seek, 32, Thinks getting dressed means we're going somewhere, 33, Repeats phrases she probably shouldn't, like "That's ridiculous," "What am I going to do with you!" and "Knock it off!" all in good humor, 34, She is clumsy to a fault, but most boo-boo's don't faze her, 35, Her hair gets longer when she brushes it, 36, Wears and abandons Mommy's shoes that click-clack all over the house, 37, Manhandles the cat and bosses the dog, 38, Cannot determine the difference between breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 39, Thinks steeples are "Jesus towers" or spaceships, 40, Prefers her milk warmed, thankyouverymuch, 41, The way she drags people into her room, closes herself inside with them and attemps to block the door to ensure her playmate's presence, 42, Her bold nature and willingness to try most things, 43, She loves, wants and needs her mommy, but has no trouble leaving her, 44, She swims like a fish, 45, Any kid her age is "her friend," 46, She can operate any techy gadget, 47, Eats popcorn by the mouth-explosion-full, 48, Collects all collectibly smallish items and contains them in various containers, then pours, spills, shifts and recontains them just for the sake of containing, 49, Drinks hose water, 50, Wants to live in a a lighthouse. Or on a farm. Or in a castle, 51, Points out cows and "baby cows" from the backseat, always followed by a squealy, "So cute," 52, Has a Gia and Pap-Pap, as well as a Nonna and Papa, 53, Thinks McDonald's is a farm, 54, Likes to put things in the fridge that don't belong there, "so they can be cold," 55, Adores her cousins, 56, Has difficulty not smiling when she's in big trouble, 57, Has never been jealous of her baby brother, 58, Wild child, 59, Burrows her feet when she sleeps, 60, Has an appreciation for cleanliness, 70, She is a thrill-seeker, 71, At three years, she already has great arguments for her case, whatever it may be, 72, The way her nose crinkles a little when she smiles, 73, Her compulsion to spread things out frantically when they are in a pile on the floor, 74, Her utter heartbreak over her lost balloon, 75, She can operate (and enjoys it) a vacuum cleaner, 76, How she asks, "What's that says?" when she sees written word, 77, She has a strong desire to attend school, 78, She insists upon wearing a dress or nightgown in order to dance, 79, She watches the credits at the end of movies, 80, Says "gotfor" instead of "forgot," 81, Going for walks is "her favorite," 82, Red is her favorite color, 83, Says things she cares about are "special for me," 84, Is stubborn, impatient, demanding and authoritarian, but says please and thank-you, 85, Asks for popsicles for breakfast, even though the answer is always no, 86, Always stops at the creek to throw pebbles and big rocks, 87, HATES bubbles in the bath, 88, Giggles when she brushes her teeth, cause it tickles 89, Enjoys making mud, 90, Plays in the rain, 91, Removes all clothes if even the smallest drop of liquid gets them wet, 92, Constantly asks to go to the beach, 93, She wants to walk on power lines (like the Catbus), 94, Doesn't like when it's "sweaty outside," 95, Would rather multitask, 96, She loves her aunts, uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents and wants to visit them every day, 97, She loves to help bake, especially if it involves licking the batter from the bowl, 98, Wants to swing higher and faster, 99, Provides a running commentary as her nails are being trimmed, 100, Calls any item she sleeps with a "dolly," even if it's a book or piece of plastic broccoli, 101, She turned two happy, ordinary grown-ups into two over-joyed, over-proud, over-amazed, over-crazy-in-love parents.

We love this kid.