Yesterday was second week of swimming class, so I thought today I would take a moment to talk about how the first to classes went. Here like at swimming we’ll start with Jacob.
Jacob: The first week of swimming went mostly well, Jacob was excited to have a women teacher again and for the most of the class he listened. There was few incidents where he was more interested in his own thing then what the teacher was teaching. One incident stands out though, when the were practicing jumping into the pool Jacob decided that he’d prefer to use the stairs and ran away from his group and climbed down the stairs into the pool.
The second week started out ok, but he soon became more interested in his own thing the the teachers, and often seemed to do things to try and get her attention. Things like swimming away from the group while they were in life Jackets doing jumping practice in the deep end, to no following the teacher as the swam back from the deep end.
What I found interesting is after the lesson as he was walking towards Melissa and I you could see that he new he was in trouble. That he had done something wrong. What I’m not sure is how best to deal with this. He needs to be in a class room environment, after all he starts kindergarten next fall, but I’m thinking he’ll learn more if we go back to one on one lessons for swimming.
Violet: Her first class was good, she took a while to get used to the pool but once she did there wasn’t a problem She even managed to go under after 3 times without screaming. She came close to being upset the last time but I managed to keep her calm. She enjoyed doing front floats, her little tongue darting out to try and taste the water like a cat was so cute. Her back floats were good too, she didn’t fuss at all when we were doing them. Jacob always hated back floats. All and all her first lesson went really well.
For the second lesson we had a tired baby, and though she mostly enjoyed it there were times that she let me know that she didn’t want to be there. It took her longer to adjust to being in the water and she didn’t really slash or kick her feet. Though there were times that she enjoyed it and when we practiced going under water she didn’t cry. When we were singing Grand Old Duke of York and I lifted her out of the water she cried, but that was near the end of class and buy then se was close to falling a sleep on my shoulder.
I know it’s only been to classes but I really am enjoying the time in the pool with Violet. I hadn’t realised how much I missed swimming with Jacob until I got into the pool with Violet. It’s a special time that I can share with my little girl. I’m not sure how old she’ll be when we switch to one on one lessons with an instructor, but I’m happy to continue swimming with her as long as I can.
Today marks the first day of the fall swim classes for our kids. That’s right both Jacob and Violet start their lessons today. Our goal was to do an evening class, so that I could meet Melissa and the kids there after work. Unfortunately we couldn’t find both Jacobs Preschool 3 and Violets Guardian swim at a timed worked. So after looking at all our options, we determined that our best choice was Thursday mornings. So today I take the morning off from work and head off to swimming with the family.
This will be Jacob’s second swimming session in a class with other kids, and he’s very excited. He was asking me last night about how many kids would be in his class and who would be going with him. It’s hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm. I just hope that he can focus in the class. When he gets to excited he has a tendency not to listen, of course he’s only 3 so I guess that is to be expected.
Our second little swimmer, because of the city workers strike and the cool weather this summer, has only been in a pool once this summer. For her it will be an adjustment, I wasn’t there when Jacob took his first Guardian class so I’m not sure how Violet will react. Of course after our family day at the pool (See photos from yesterdays post). I’m pretty sure she’ll be alright. I am glad that the whole family will be there for her first lesson, though I’m not sure how well Jacob will do just watching.
Of course I’m posting this before leaving for swimming so I can’t say how the day went, but as this is just the first week, I’m sure I’ll find time in the coming weeks to talk about our adventures at swim class.
Today I’m taking the time to write you a letter. I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, but never seemed to find the right words. Today I hope I have found them. You are growing up so fast. It’s hard to believe that next fall you will be starting kindergarten. School is still a year away and though I have a lot of things I want to say to you about it , that will have to wait for another letter.
Today I’m writing to you about the classes you are just about to start. Thursday you begin your fall session of swimming. You will be in a class with other children so it’s important that you listen to the teacher. You also need to try new things like jumping into the pool on your own. These classes are for you to learn and to have fun.
In October you begin your second year of skating with Papa, I really hope that you remember how well you were doing in the spring. I remember how tough it was when you started skating last year, but by the end of it you were doing really well and you seemed to enjoy the time Papa and you spent on the ice. I hope you will enjoy it as much this year.
Even though the weather starts to get cold, this fall will filled with lots of fun family adventures, we are planning trips to a Pumpkin Patch, an Apple Farm, The Zoo, and even a trip on Santa’s Train. Of course that doesn’t even mention Halloween, this will be the fourth year you are dressing up, though I don’t think you remember being either a Pumpkin or a Lion. It beings a smile to my face when I think about how excited you are to be dressing up as a pirate this year.
Most of all Jacob I want you to remember that I’ll always be here for you.
In two days you will be 8 months old, where has the time gone. In honour of that I thought today I would write you a letter. I’ve wanted to write you letters before but I never managed to find the words. It’s just something your mom is better at doing then me but today I thought I would try again.
My little Cupcake, you are going through some big changes right now. You’ve almost got that crawling thing down, just keep at it and try not to get frustrated. Remember going forwards is easier to get places, I know that you are doing pretty well going backwards but I think you’ll find it gets easier going the other way.
I know that your teeth are hurting as they come in, but it’s worth it. Soon you will get to try lots of new foods that you need those teeth for. So hang in there, it gets easier.
In 2 weeks you will be starting your first swimming class. It may be hard at first but I think you will really like it and you don’t have to worry I’ll be there with you. It took Jacob a while before he liked our weekly trips to the pool. Now they are a highlight of his week.
I just want you to remember that I’ll always be here for you.
Most days for our little family starts the same way. Violet wakes up and singles the start of the day. I take her downstairs and I change her and get her first bottle of the day. We then spend the morning together. Its time I enjoy spending the morning with my little girl.
Of curse during this time our little man usually makes his way down the stairs and joins us. He usually takes a little while before he is really awake. Its quite common to climb onto my lap while I am feeding Violet. Of course having to kids on my lap makes getting up to get Jacob some breakfast a bit of a challenge.
Of course on most days I try and let Melissa sleep as late as possible. She gets to spend the whole day with the kids, the morning is mine and I don’t like to share. Of course there is only so much time I can spend with the kids in the morning before I have to run off to work. The time I do get I cherish. Its almost enough t make me a morning person.
Twice this week I packed up Violet said goodbye to Melissa and Jacob, and took Violet to the Doctor. Both times the doctor was at St Joes so it was just a short streetcar ride. While I was riding it I realize that its the first time I had gone anywhere with just Violet. I wish the daddy daughter time could have had been for a better reason.
I was also reminded why Melissa usually handles the doctor visits. When got in to see the doctor I had to answer the usual questions about why were there, what was wrong with Violet. Even though I discussed it with Melissa before heading out I wasn’t sure of my answers. The most embarrassing thing personally was not being able to recall her weight from her 4 month appointment the week before.
The scariest part of both trips was when the doctor sent us for blood work. I should say when the Doctor sent Violet because I was just along to worry about her. Its the first time she’s had blood drawn and it was just like it would have been for me but everything was smaller. Of course it was less of an ordeal for her then me…she barely flinched when they put the needle in, and seemed to ignore it while they collected the blood.
In the end it would seem that the 2 days of doctor visits were not for nothing because she did have a virus that was getting her down but they found nothing significant that could be causing her fever, so we are to monitor and if it persists head to see our doctor on Monday. Of course when it comes to the health of your kids you can’t be to careful. Now if the fever would just stay away and let her sleep through the night again all would be good.
Last night Melissa and I shared a parental moment, one we aren’t eager to repeat. Jacob was sleeping in his bed and Violet was sleeping in her bassinet. Melissa and I were just getting ready to head off to bed ourselves when Violet stirred, so we picked her up. She was hots, he had a fever to go with her stuffed nose. So some Infant Tylenol for the fever and Saline drops for her nose, then comfort her till she falls back to sleep. Standard sick child response. Of course she isn’t the only sick child in our house, and while we were comforting Violet, Jacob decided that he needed some comforting of his own.
The fist sign that Jacob was out of bed was his shadow on the wall. We see it as he slowly comes down the stairs, last night we saw the shadow but Jacob just sat at the top of the stairs. This has been common for him during this illness, he doesn’t seem to have the energy to make it down the stairs so he waits at the top for mommy or daddy to carry him down. Last night Melissa was on the couch with Violet so I carried him down. We did a quick transfer of children and I rocked violet while Melissa comforted Jacob and gave him some Advil.
As I stood rocking Violet I looked over at Melissa comforting a sick Jacob then down at Violet I knew that though we could be up for hours comforting them illness this time was special, there will come a time where sick or not our little ones wont be little anymore and sitting rocking with mommy or daddy just wont be an option for comforting them. Of course that wont be for years to come. Last night we were lucky after their medicine and some comforting they both went to sleep, I’m hoping that our luck will last through this bout of illness.
Violet is growing so fast. It seems like yesterday we brought her home from the hospital. It seems that every day there is something new. When I first saw her in the Exersaucer on the weekend I couldn’t believe that my tiny girl was holding her head up so well. Looks like Its almost time for the Bumbo chair.
Of course as she grows we compare her to Jacob. We look back trying to remember the fist time he went into his Exersaucer, or when he started holding his head up. This is natural, but misleading every child develops at their own pace and comparing only highlights there difference. If one child holds their ahead up at 3 months another at 4 all it tells you is that one held there head up earlier then the other and thats normal. All the books on baby development give large ranges for development milestones, for this very reason
One of the big differences between them is talking, or more accurately babbling. Jacob was a quiet baby he didn’t do much of the baby talk. Of course once he started talking he didn’t look back. Violet on the other hand likes to babble. She can sit in her baby chair and babble up a storm. In fact most nights before she goes into her bed for the night, she lies next to me on the couche and bables away. It’s like she is tell me about her day.
Today Violet is 2 weeks old, its hard to believe that it has only been 2 weeks. She is such a tiny little thing. Now when I pickup Jacob feels so tall and heavy. Our family has grown and it feels right. I am so proud of how Jacob has handled becoming a big brother. He loves his baby sister and wants to help us take care of her.
Of course there are a number of challenges with a new baby, but when I look at her they just seem to melt away. It was the same way with Jacob, but now it seems like there are less questions… No thats not right the questions are there we just seem more confident in our ability to answer them.
So now after being off for 2 weeks I am back at work and I am finding it harder to leave in the mornings. A part of me is jealous of Melissa’s maternity leave of having a year without work to spend with our children, but its only a part because I still get to come home to them every night.
