Swim Lessons

I always knew that I wanted to start Braxton in swim lessons at an early age because I really want him to be a safe, confident swimmer. I'm still kinda scared of the water, I only swim to survive, and if I go under water you better believe I am holding my nose. Ha! My desire to start swim lessons early became a necessity when I realized at the beginning of summer that my son is a wild child around the pool.....running, trying to jump in, and just generally being unsafe.

Ready for Day 1

So glad daddy was able to come for 3 days!!!

I signed Braxton and myself up for the "Mommy & Tot" class at Rogers Aquatic Center and overall I am very pleased with my decision. I will admit that the water was COLD on most days but it has rained a whole lot this year so I can't blame the water park for that. Classes were 30-45 minutes long, Monday-Thursday for 2 weeks which was challenging for this working momma's schedule! Braxton was excited to go "wimmin" everyday and he really seemed to like his teacher Miss Sarah. 

Braxton with Miss Sarah

" It's Col"

So I know you are wondering what exactly can be done in a swim class with a 21-month-old, well the answer is a whole lot more than I thought. My goal for swim lessons was for Braxton to be more cautious around the water and for Luke and I to learn what to help him with this summer....I got my wishes!!!

Here's a list of the skills we worked on:

• walking into and out of the pool independently on the stairs
• Kicking on his tummy
• Floating on his back with ears submerged
• Going under water
• Clearing nose and mouth
• Crab walking on the side of the pool
• Climbing out of the pool independently
• Jumping in and turning for the wall
• Kicking and reaching for the wall 

Braxton was a pro at crab walking on the edge of the pool and climbing out on his own. He also loved to jump back in. By the end of lessons he was tolerating being dunked underwater  and kicking on his tummy. He was not a fan of floating on his back in the water and did not appreciated having to kick and reach for the wall because that one meant swallowing lots of water during the struggle. 

I'm so glad that we went. I was so nervous dunking Braxton and forcing him to complete some of the skills but of course he forgave me and I know that he will be a better swimmer one day because I did it!! The two weeks of lessons also helped me to calm down about the fear of secondary drowning. I was dumb and I read the facebook article which is instilling fear in the hearts of mammas everywhere. I mean really....not only do we have to worry about our children while they are swimming but now we also have to worry, toss, & turn at night for several days until the risk of secondary drowning has diminished. My irrational mind turns a few coughs and sputters in the pool into a scary, horrible thing causing me to sneak into my son's room at night to make sure he is breathing. Jeez, I mean I get it.....crazy, horrible, sad things happen to babies everyday but now with social media we get to add these one-in-a-million freak incidents to our list of fears and worries for our children. Sorry......rant over and I will no longer lose sleep about secondary drowning. I am turning it over into HIS hands....Let go and let GOD!

Scary....baby dunking!!

Trip to the Tulsa Zoo

DD really helps us out a lot with babysitting and helping out with B! May was an especially busy month for DD so we offered to do something nice for her in return. She quickly turned us down and let us know that she would prefer to hang out with Braxton. So we asked DD what she had in mind and off to Tulsa we went for a day at the zoo!

Toddler Chronicles May 2014: 20 months old

I am sad to admit it but Braxton is no longer a baby.....he is definitely a little boy now and he has the attitude to go along with it. He is my bug-lovin, rough and tumblin, ball-throwin, water-splashin, Mickey Mouse watchin, Mr. Independent these days. And then in a moments notice out comes my kissing, hugging (squeezing), cuddling, Momma's boy! 

This kiddo amazes me daily with all that he knows, his manners, and his laid-back attitude....I think Luke and I need a pat on the back because so far this guy is awesome....I'm sure we could break it all at any minute but as of now we are pretty good at this parenting thing, hehe

Bug Catching

Breaking records with Piper

Here's a list of just a few of the new things that B is up to this month.....He is learning so fast that it is becoming difficult to document everything but I'm trying:

• Singing ABCs and counting to 10 are his favorite right now
• He loves to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, little star". The tune is recognizable but the words are not
• Braxton loves his bunny "Snickers" at school.....funny story.....toddlers cannot pronounce Snickers and it comes out as niggers every time. So Braxton is constantly saying things like, "Niggers where are you?", or "It's Niggers"
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is his one and only show still. Right now he is loving Toddles and always says "Oh Tootle"
• Favorite books are "Go, Go Train", "Little Blue Truck", and "Are you my Mother" (Choo Choo, Car, and Nort book)
• Favorite activity is Jumping off of things and wiping his nose with tissue so he can flush it down the toilet ('Nose, Nose?")
• Favorite phrases are "Lets do it", "Its Ammals", "Its Hidin", and "Where arrrrr ew"
• Braxton is showing a lot of interest in the potty. He loves to sit on it but we have had no success in the potty yet
• Successful jail break this month with you climbing out of your crib. You have only done it once so at this point I am pretending it did not happen
• Bad Habit: Rolling your eyes when you do not like what we are asking you to do or you do not want to do something. It's terrible and we have no idea how to react....punish or ignore?
• Monday nights are our worst night of the week right now because you are exhausted from the weekend and your first day back to school. You can barely keep your eyes open for dinner and cooking anything is out of the question.

Fun Activities this month:

• First swim of the summer
• First trip to the Circus
• Stayed overnight for the weekend with DD while mommy and daddy floated the Buffalo
• 2nd Annual Art show at school
• Strawberry picking but you liked rocks better
• Walked the Crystal Bridges Art Trail pulling your own wagon