A couple of days ago, Rebecca floated in her inner tube for the first time. Mostly she kept clinging to Mommy or me, but occasionally floated on her own. Today however, she was completely comfortable in it. I took her swimming this morning as our outdoor temperature crested 90°F at 9:30 a.m. She put the tube over her head and arms, stepped into the pool, and then stepped off the last step she can reach. She was floating. She kicked her legs and spun (only clockwise; not the other way). Then after much encouragement and assurance on my part, she realized she could move by kicking her legs. There was another little girl there (about 4) and two women. I would pull Rebecca away from them and then let her go. She would kick and float back toward the others.
I’d told my wife that I’d have Rebecca swimming by the end of the summer… It was a lofty goal, but I still think we’re on track. (My sister and I both swam before we were two, so I know it’s not too crazy.)
Other changes, just today:
This morning, when I asked her if she wanted oatmeal, Rebecca emphatically pointed at the bananas on the kitchen table and said “ma-ma” (pronounced different than “mama”). Sure enough, she ate almost an entire (giant) banana for breakfast.
After swimming, when I had her back in regular clothes, she said “die-buh” and pointed at her diaper. It’s the first time she verbally told me to check her diaper, and she was right. (Still not having much success with the potty, but I took this as an encouraging sign).
After lunch, she took her “Lovey” (a stuffed animal that says “Lovey” on the side), went to her room, and fell asleep on her bed. It’s not the first time she’s put herself down for a nap, but it is the first time she went to her own bed to do it — and without even telling me she was tired. (But she only slept for an hour instead of the normal 90-120 minutes.)
Weather: 102°F today, our 11th such day of this year. By this time last year, we’d had 38.
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I usually go out to the pool to get some sun about 11:00 or so. I like going early before it gets too hot or too crowded. More people are starting to get the same idea. :)
Enjoyed reading. I’m still at Shari’s, grandchildren are great. :)
Cassie: Yeah, more people here are figuring it out too. :-/ Fortunately, our neighborhood still isn’t full, and many (most?) of them work weekdays, so M-F we still have quite a bit of alone time at the pool in the mornings. :-)
Mom: Thanks for reading from out-of-state. :-) We’re glad you were able to make it to Shari’s for the 11th! grandchild. :-)