When I'm a Big Boy

At the beginning of the swim season, M and B used to love watching the older kids jumping/diving/belly flopping off of the diving board. In fact, quite often they would make me swim them to the deep end to get a closer look and to await the excitement of getting splashed. One of those first days I asked M if he wanted to jump off the diving board. ( I want it noted that this was just conversation. I did not really think that this was a possibility for at least a few years.) M turned to me, all seriousness, and said, "I'll jump off the dive board when I'm a big boy, Mommy."

Tonight, Papa Bear and I took the boys to the pool to meet some friends for a BBQ and an evening swim. We had burgers and hot dogs and then got into the pool to cool off and let the kids have some fun. Minutes after getting into the pool, some of the older kids began jumping off of the diving board and as usual, the boys wanted to watch.

As a nice side-effect of M's swim lessons, M has really begun enjoying jumping into the pool from the side over the past week. (His lessons started a week and a half ago and he has already learned so much.) As we watched the older kids jumping from the diving board I asked M if he wanted to try it as well. I was in complete shock when M said he would like to try.

I quickly called P.B. over to take care of B so that M and I could swim to the deep end. I helped M to climb out of the pool and watched him assume his place at the end of the line of children waiting their moment of free-fall. M climbed onto the board and began his march to the end of the platform. I thought to myself, "This is it. He's going to stand at the end of the board in indecision and then finally just get off in fear and defeat." But, alas, I am thrilled to report that M proved me wrong and I am ashamed to have had that thought.

The dare-devil walked to the end of that diving board, ordered me to come a bit closer to him and jumped right into my arms. I was so happy for him. The smile of success on his face was pure bliss for my heart and as big as the splash his little body made upon entering the water. There is nothing like watching your child do something that he so badly wants, despite his feelings of fear.

As we swam to the side of the pool, I asked M if he wanted to jump again. He said yes, and we spent the next half hour following the same routine. It was absolutely amazing and I still have butterflies in my stomach as I sit here writing about this. M has always been so cautious, so to see him throw that caution to the wind was an absolute dream.

Tonight, I sit here reflecting M's words of just a couple of months ago. "I'll jump off the dive board when I'm a big boy, Mommy." I remember this statement with bittersweet fondness. I am so very proud of him and glad that he is assuming more risks. On the other hand, I am so very sad that he is growing up and quickly becoming that "big boy" of which he spoke.

Swim Lessons

After watching M not being able to keep up with some of his friends at the pool, Papa Bear and I decided that we should enroll M in swim lessons. After asking around we decided to enroll M in a hardcore swim school where the lessons are only fifteen minutes long but the instructors get right down to business.

I had heard from many friends that their children cried the first several (or more) lessons and so was prepared for this inevitability. On the morning of the day that M was to begin lessons, I explained to him that he was going to go into a pool without me, but a teacher would help him. I also told him that she would help him to put his face in the water...this was the thing that M was always reluctant to do at the pool.

As soon as I had finished explaining to him about the swim lessons, M said, "Mommy, I'm a little bit scared." How cute is that?! I told him that it was okay to be scared, but I thought he would have fun.

After leaving the park, where we met his Wednesday playgroup friends, we drove to the pool. At the pool his friend James, who M has known since he was about five months old, was in the pool having his lesson. M watched intently. Soon it was his turn to get in the water with Wendy, his instructor. As I walked away from the side of the pool, where I had dropped him off, I prayed that he would not cry and would have some fun.

Surprise! M loved the lesson! Wendy kept pushing his head under water and he took it like a trooper. He even put his head in the water on his own when asked to. I was so proud of my baby.

On the drive home, clinging to his balloon that every child receives after the end of each lesson, M said, "Mommy, can I go back to swim lesson again?" I said, "You bet!" and was happy for the munchkin. He had faced a fear and conquered it.

I Swim

I recently got a Spiderman life vest for B to use in the pool since he no longer wants to use the more confining inner tube. All because he's a big boy now. After two days of using the vest, with me holding him in the pool, B pushed himself out of my grasp and proclaimed, "I swim!" And he sort of did. He now likes to float around in the water with his vest on and try to kick his legs and splash his arms. Even when he flips over and his face gets submerged, B is thrilled to be "swimming" on his own.

Shape Sorter

At the pool with some friends yesterday, the boys had a blast playing with diving toys. They threw the toys...I dove for them. So, of course, today I went and bought the boys the same toys to help enhance their swimming time at the pool and they had a blast throwing and trying to grab the toys.

As with all other pools, the pool we go to has jets to allow more water to enter. Apparently M has been paying close attention to his shape sorting toys because he shoved one of the circular shaped diving toys into the circular shaped jet. Hole in one...and on the first day one of the toys has been lost.

At least M is observant.

No Singing!

Sometimes, B cries for no apparent reason. On these occasions when he won't indicate what's wrong and it's not readily apparent, I have found a quick and easy way to immediately halt his high-pitched cries. It turns out that B does not have an appreciation for one of the finer things in life...my singing. When he is in the midst of one his crying jags, I simply begin to sing and he screams, "Uh, uh!" and waves his hands in the air to tell me to stop. Once I stop singing, he stops crying.

Were I a more sensitive soul I might be offended by B's obvious rejection of my musical talents...or lack of, as the case may be. However, I'm just glad that there is a way to quickly end B's hysterics. Anyway, B is rapidly becoming quite the linguist so when Papa Bear began singing to him this past Saturday, B said, "Stop singing!"

Hah! B's never actually told me to stop anything; I just ASSUME he wants me to stop. There's no empirical proof like P.B. now has:)

Fallen Leaf Lake

Reno

Lake Tahoe 1

Here M and B are eating breakfast on our first morning in Lake Tahoe. They wolfed down their strawberries before a morning romp in the hotel pool.
A lunch break at the lake after a morning of biking around Tahoe. We tried to bike up to Fallen Leaf Lake, but got too tired after an hour and a half of biking around trying to get to it. We drove to it the following day and it was miles away from where we had finally stopped the previous day. Good decision on our part.
M and B had a great time throwing rocks into the lake. Papa Bear tried to show them how to skip rocks, but the concept was missed by the boys; they just liked hearing and seeing the splashes.

M got brave and walked into the lake and came out wet from feet to waist. At least he had fun.
At Circus Circus in Reno, the boys had a blast playing games. P.B. was pushing B in the stroller when some boy handed B the stuffed tiger. M "won" the fish playing a water shooting game...he and I came in last, but M had fun and was so proud of his prize.
M and I were playing the game where you hit a lever and try to get a chicken to land in a pot on a moving platform. Unfortunately, I should not be allowed near hammers or any other objects that can cause harm. I accidentally hit M just below the eye. The aftermath can be seen in the picture to the left.

M cried until Papa Bear tried to play the game. M then decided he was okay and he didn't want anyone else to finish for him.

Share!

As B enters the tantrum phase of life, and enter it he has, there are a few phrases that one can frequently hear him voice. B loves to say, scream, bellow or however else he feels he can best be heard, "I don't like it!" He also loves, "I want it!" My personal favorite, though, is "Share!" The reason this one is so great, is that it usually arrives after I have removed something from B's possession due to his lack of sharing with M. After I hand said possession to M, B will invariably turn to him and beseechingly demand, "Share!"