Last Swim Lesson

Today was Zoe's last "Shrimp" swim lesson!

She's done a great job- she loves to splash around and play with water toys (OK OK OK- you're right... she really just wants to chew them). She kicks pretty well (froggy-style.... it's ADORABLE) when she's on her back but when she's on her front she tends to fold herself in half and just let her legs 'dangle' in the water :)

The pool has been really cold - no big surprise since it's Frrrrreeeeezing outside, but at any rate Zoe's always just a tad purple once we've been in there for a little while. It doesn't really seem to bother her all that much, because she just keeps playing anyway.

At the end of each lesson (which is really more of a free-swim with guidance/suggestions) we have true free time during which we can go to the shallower water and let the babies splish splash around and go down a slide, etc. Zoe LOVES doing all of that- she sits in the water and probably thinks she's in the biggest, bestest bathtub around. She slides down the slide (with my help, of course), and at the bottom of the slide is a squishy pad underwater, which is also a neat place to plop & play. True to character, Zoe always wants to get up and out of the pool herSELF, so I have to FREEZE while I hold her hands as she walks [painfully slowly] out of the pool as we both shiver and suffer from severe lip-quivering. Again- apparently this doesn't bother her because she's just as happy as can be as long as she's on the go to where SHE wants to go :)

I don't have a picture, because Leif was once again at work... he works SO very hard for us!!! ....and I just can't safely juggle a wet baby and a camera :)

Leif had to go to solo/ensemble contest @ Millikin University this morning (he left home at 6ish). After a transportation snafu and after waiting an hour or so, he and just a small handful of students got on the bus to go over there (long story- not worth the time or webspace) and he was able to get home sometime around 1/1:30- just in time for Zoe to wake up from her [unexpectedly long] 2+ hour a.m. nap and to eat lunch.

After everyone had eaten, we went over to a free concert featuring the Central Illinois Children's Choir with a guest appearance by the UI "The Other Guys" a capella group. It was awesome! The Other Guys are quite amazing performers- they sing magically and they also really know how to entertain. Their spring concert is next Saturday and I would LOVE to go, but it's at 8pm and I don't know about having a babysitter try putting Zoe down for bed...

Which leads me to tonight's festivities.... it was "Swing Central" night. It's a fundraiser event that involves 5 hours on nonstop jazz music played by many different schools from Champaign, including one middle school, both high schools, and one of the UI jazz bands. We lucked out that concurrently it was "Mom & Dad's Night Out" at church, so the teen group at church hosted free babysitting for the night! So Leif & I both got to hang out at Swing Central for just a bit, which was really nice, and Zoe got to meet some new baby and mommy friends. They tell me she was quite fun & pleasant up until the last 20 minutes or so....

As I was headed back to the church to get Zoe, they called me to say that she was really missing us (a sure sign that she had been crying, indeed). When I got there she had stopped crying and was pretty chilled (although her eyes and face showed signs of some serious crying in the recent past).... then when she saw me she started BAWLING like I've never heard. It was as if she was saying "HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE ME LIKE THAT?!?!?!?!" It was pretty heartbreaking, but after a few minutes of her sobbing on my shoulder she seemed to have forgiven me and we were able to get home to play a little bit before I put her to bed.

Zoe is growing up and learning so much, so quickly. I am truly amazed. I swear there are times when I get her out of her bed in the morning or even just after a nap, and she looks like a different baby! She's starting to use sign language to communicate with us, which is FABULOUS. I cannot recommend that enough to other parents with babies!!!!

She is officially an independent walker now. She has just started to follow me around the house, so I'm sure she'll be chasing after me constantly before too long :)

Well I really need to pick up around here. It's been a hectic busy day and our house looks as though a tornado struck.

xoxo
Lisa