Water Babies

Formal Portraits
COMING SOON

Where has the time gone? We're not sure but, here we are.... Anna - 91/2 months old already and Hallie - a precocious 4 1/2. Anna is almost walking on her own (for more than 3 or 4 steps at a time) and wants to feed herself with a spoon and use the computer.  Hallie has learned to swim with a kick board, is about to graduate from preschool and is headed to kindergarten in the fall. She changes her mind daily as to what she wants to do when she grows up and we love it! The best part.... they are happy, healthy and they like (or should we say LOVE) each other better than ever!

For the third year, the high school swim team held a fundraiser to offset their summer costs. So for a few dollars and eight afternoons, children (mostly those of district employees) were provided with one-on-one swimming lessons. Hallie was lucky enough to have the same teacher she had last year and she literally jumped right in! It's fun to see the progression of photos and movies from ages 2-4.  At 2, every time her teacher tried to get her to jump off the side she shook her head, negotiated and sat down on the side.  At 3 she would jump in a few times but clung to the teacher's neck for a good part of the time.  This year, at 4, Hallie was tall enough to walk in the shallow end and, though she regressed in the area of jumping, she would hold her breath, put her face under and stroke and kick while trailing the teacher.  She learned to kick off from the wall and with the help of a kick board, she can kick off the bottom and make it all the way across the pool!  We are going to have to spend more casual time in the pool this summer so she can explore and experiment on her own.

After a few days, we realized Anna was chomping at the bit to get in the water.  She even let practical strangers walk her over to the pool's edge!  Anything to get there and splash a bit. We broke down and put her in her suit, shed our shoes and waded with her on the steps.  You'd think that would be good enough for a baby who's never been in recreational water.  Nope.  We neglected to consider the 'big sister factor'.  If  we weren't holding her, she would have leaped out into the abyss to catch up with her idol.  She much preferred our leaving the steps and hanging her into the water from poolside.  So after swirling her around and dunking her proved to be less than satisfactory, and Hallie's lesson was done, the teacher scooped Anna into her arms and swirled her and splashed with her while walking and bobbing around the pool. 

Now, I'm not positive but, I think we have another water baby on our hands. 
She is signing the word bath a little now when she hears the word, as did Hallie at this age, and if the bathroom door is left open she is upright, tub side, banging on the edge and trying to climb over the edge.  She likes bubbles, having her hands washed (as long as we remember not to squish her stomach over the edge of the sink) and likes to be sprayed or squirted with water - even if it gets her in the face. This of course poses a challenge to us as we are making sure the four year old can get to the bathroom in time or to prepare for bed yet we need to close the door to keep out the littlest mermaid. I just wish these challenges didn't come so fast. I'm thrilled at how quickly (and, I might add, ahead of the curve) the girls develop, explore and meet their milestones but we can't seem to get a grip before they move on and throw down the next gauntlet. It's never gonna happen, is it? Didn't think so.

Hallie's got class!

That's right! Every Tuesday and Thursday at the community center, Hallie's got class. She's got a busier calendar than Mom. First, you should have a little background information on 'why now' as opposed to 'then' or 'later'. A year ago we registered our little tactile-kinesthetic darling for a 'creative movement' dance class through parks and rec and asked to be refunded a week later. You see, what was described in a couple sentences was a class to teach rhythm and movement. What we received upon registration was a letter from the teacher stating that parents were not allowed in the room (which I understand COMPLETELY), and that it was preferred that girls have a leotard and ballet shoes but, if needed, could wear shorts and borrow shoes. Borrow shoes? Ewwwww! Anyway, we felt that "suggesting" a uniform (which, incidentally, cost more than the session) and not allowing parents in was perhaps a little too intense for parks and rec so Hallie had to dance in all her usual places; school, the market, Toys R Us, any open area with music playing...

This year we had a few more options available to us and the pediatrician suggested gymnastics so we enrolled Hallie in tumbling and cooking. She was thrilled about cooking each week and though the enthusiasm for tumbling waned, she was still happy to be rolling around on those mats and springing from the trampolines. Each was well worth the $30+ as she emerged from the experience with some new skills and added maturity.


Tuesdays she tumbled. and ran, and jumped, and rolled and bounced. She built up some arm and leg strength and though there were (too) MANY children in the class, she had plenty of turns on the various apparatus and listened well. Stretching was not a favorite activity as it requires too much of the sitting still for her but she tolerated it. She watched Coach Eric carefully and quite accurately mimicked his motions. She was good about waiting in line (most of the time) and was SO polite and respectful in comparison to many of the others in the class. Given some of the parents as examples, the kids were horribly accurate mimics as well. We won't get started on those OTHER parents though lest we take away from the glory that is Hallie's. This was, as are most childhood events, a learning experience on many levels. Best of all, she gained some willingness to try new equipment and learned to do a somersault! She'll be happy to show it off! She is so proud.


Thursdays were for a weekly food services experience just down the hall from tumbling. Hallie dipped right in (pun fully intended) as the first class recipe was hot spinach artichoke dip and chunky fruit punch. I have to admit that when she came out, all smiles, with her plate of chips and dip, I had to put on my game face and eat her creation. It was good - just not a fan. She and Daddy polished it off with ease and I asked for more after it was all finished. The weeks went by, each with a new menu item to experience. The chef really had it down to a science. She had enough pre-made that it could be accomplished in a half an hour while allowing the children to cut mix and portion the food. By the time the class had run it's course, Hallie and her culinary cohorts had made vegetable quesadillas, minestrone soup and garlic bread, a s'more like muffin, chocolate cupcakes and fruit & nut dreams. All were delicious - especially since Hallie was so proud to share her accomplishments with us.


It was very amusing to see Hallie's demeanor change when she entered that building for cooking rather than tumbling. She was more subdued and patient for the teacher to begin. Whoever thinks teachers are just bodies in front of a room and are overpaid, glorified babysitters (plenty of offense taken) should see the difference in something as simple as a 4 year old's approach to each of these situations. Cooking class had expectations, a curriculum, lesson plans and a female chef who mapped out each lesson using a repeated format and schedule. Do you think a 4 yr old can't rise to those expectations? Ours can - wow! Who knew? Now, the tumbling class wasn't bad at all but, it was overcrowded, different each week and had a male coach. Not better or worse - just different. Each had exceptional experience and patience for preschoolers (that yours truly does not possess) as well as an obvious enjoyment of the job. There was a bit of teacher mentality vs. coach mentality and, though not mutually exclusive, one skill usually outshines the other. Clearly each was in his or her proper place. Both were teachers and had the best interests at heart as well as an awareness of some pretty individual needs. They did an amazing job of learning the names of the children they needed to and knew how to read the room. How's that for community center classes? Pretty good.

Dining Out

It is an interesting experience - eating out with babies and, for that matter, more than one child. We of course don't eat anywhere but chains anyway so it's not a challenge to find a child friendly restaurant. A note of comfort....... If you go to a chain place with crayons, even though people still give you the "I hope you don't sit next to me on this flight stare", chances are you're not the worst in the place. As a matter of fact, I realize a certain amount of relief when I turn to see whose obnoxious child just disrupted the entire section 'cause that means it's not ours. It seems as though we were just freed from bearing the burden of 'the backpack' and it's out again for one more run. It is loaded with a complete set of objects that make it easier for us to be out and about with someone who can't yet order from a menu and doesn't know that public tables and chairs are not meant to be shown the same affection as the furniture at home. Of course, that is, until we have to leave and follow our trail by picking up all of the items of convenience. Hooray for Take&Toss. With Hallie being so 'portable', it's hard to switch back to the involvement and planning Anna's presence requires. Though the family oriented places are great about having plenty of seating near the kitchen and bathrooms for those with babies, they have a way to go.

First, let's address the food choices on that happy little menu with activities too hard for any child to be self entertained. Yes, children typically are not drawn to items with goat cheese, rosemary or shitake mushrooms (neither am I, for that matter) but it is a must that they like one of the following items if they are to be fed while in a restaurant. There are typically six choices presented with a variety of side dishes and clever names: chicken fingers/strips/nuggets. pizza, mac 'n' cheese, hot/corn dogs, spaghetti, and grilled cheese. If you take the time to break the transparent code - anything that covers the actual food or dresses it with cheese is considered kid friendly. Amusingly, with frequent restaurant experiences due to squeezing in visits with family. Hallie knows what she can get at each local chain place as well as whether or not they have the flavor of juice she fancies at the time. Luckily, it is in our favor that Hallie chooses to order milk and knows that if she wants fries, she has to have something NOT fried as her main meal. She also likes to munch on our salads for more than just the croutons. Good for her. Kudos to Olive Garden for having grilled chicken and broccoli as a choice - which, I can proudly say, Hallie chooses on her own.

Second, is the actual process of getting the food to the table and in the child easily. I suppose that the poor 17 yr old servers have been on the receiving end of some pretty rude behavior, children involved or not, but do they really think that an infant needs a kids menu? Even if they could eat the food, can they read the menu? If you were to give it to a being who requires being strapped into a chair so as not to fall to the earth, he/she would end up eating the crayons and ordering would be unnecessary. Now, once the food has been ordered for the toddler (Hallie now knows to wait for the food to cool) it is up to the parents to ensure that the child is not scalded by the high voltage, heat lamp warmed food. Here's a tip if you are a server, when you see us coming..... know this. We tip BIG if we don't have to blow on, stir, douse with ice or otherwise cool a plate of food. See, the child is usually starving as well as impulsive so they - big surprise - will reach for the food when it is set DIRECTLY in front of them, WITHIN their reach. Did I say we tip BIG? If we are met with a blank stare when we ask for the food to be taken out early (and must specify out in the KITCHEN, not to our TABLE) we know we will have an interesting time of it. On those golden evenings, when a server nods and says "would you like me to cool it in the refrigerator for a few minutes?" we go to the ATM to get more for the tip.

Third, is the issue of actually getting to eat. It is quite the balancing act to feed from a jar, break off/mash pieces of prepared food and attempting to keep the things in the mouth and on the table. All this is happening while trying to keep a screeching infant/toddler relatively quiet. Between that and taking turns walking the baby and taking your other children to the bathroom, when do you eat?




So much is available to us these days and it has all been created in an effort to make children more mobile and a parent's experience more pleasant. Oh yeah, and to make a few dollars. As with everything, if things are too specific and involved, they are more trouble than they are worth. Luckily, we have not been taken in by too many of these objects of modern convenience. They weren't around much with our first and now that, by our third, babies are as big a market as weddings, we know what we will actually use and for how long it will serve a purpose. One thing is still missing though. When I noticed how often I was reaching across myself to wipe a child, spoon a mouthful or catch a falling cup, I was reminded of a scene in "The Music Man" where Prof. Harold Hill charges the town hooligan with inventing a music holder for a marching piccolo player. If there was a sandwich holder then it would be presented to you for a luscious hot bite each time you took a swipe at the child.

Kid friendliest by far, no surprise, is Disneyland. Not only have they changed their menus to smaller portions and fruit and vegetables instead of fries but they have a little kid bathroom/nursing rooms and sell diapers, formula and baby food in the park. We totally missed it the first time around but between Hallie and Anna we are attempting to take full advantage. Sure, it's not free but it's nice to be able to spend a buck each for a diaper or jar of baby food that you don't have to carry around all day. Now, if we could just get restaurants to provide high chairs that are actually for eating and carry a line of baby food. Instead of the menu that also serves as a 'Fun Page', one could be printed on a disposable bib. And, instead of a bundle of crayons, how about a bundle made up of a sipper cup and spoon - tucked right inside the menu bib? Write your congressman (or local Denny's)

By the way, if you haven't been there with her yet......Hallie's number 1 choice, all around..... Red Robin

On the move

She has been crawling for a while but not with any style - sometimes crab style, sometimes soldier style - but without interest in a 'proper crawl'. That was not to be for long. As quickly as the other two, at 7 months, she got the idea of standing every time she came across an object worthy of her pull-uppance. So, logically, the crawl is a means to arriving at yet another fascinating destination.

As a result, we now see the speedy, proper crawl that she frantically demonstrates, especially now that she's started to explore the other rooms. It's such a funny thing to watch. Baby thinks she's on the run and turns to look at us to see if we're coming to get her. It's a favorite 'lazy game' of parents. The threat of 'I'm gonna get you' is so exciting that they never notice that it's just a shift of our weight that sends them shrieking in the other direction. We have no intention of getting up - why ruin a moment of baby's happiness that does not require a parent (namely, Mommy) to be holding her to achieve the desired result?

It's always a surprise to discover just what makes a baby decide to make that initial move. All three girls soldier crawled and crawled on their foreheads quite early but each had a different source of inspiration to lift that belly and stop those rug burns. With Emma, it was Daddy's laptop. With Hallie, it was a crawling Mickey Mouse toy. With Anna, it is Hallie and the promise of an object just low enough to help her stand. If we want her to crawl, we just set down one of those precious things that did NOT come from a toy store. A water bottle, a cold soda can, any form of crinkly paper or the mail, and recently, a book opened to the page in progress, brings her faster than a speeding bullet. Will she crawl to people? Not a chance. She won't even let people hold her so unless we plant a Coke or Arrowhead bottle (preferred) at the feet of each family member, they ought not to plan on getting a snuggle from this baby. Besides, with all that crawling to do, why would she want to be stuck at rest stop when the open road stretches before her? Well, until she reaches the gate at the end of the line, that is.

Spring Break

How can there be a Spring Break (formerly known as Easter Vacation) for someone who's not teaching? It's simple. Dad is off, Hallie still has school and I get to take a luxurious 10 minute shower! It was one of my many plans for the short break, oddly attached to Easter this year, which would also allow for Dad to have some down time as well. Most importantly, it was a chance to have a tag team for the baby while one or the other parent might get a chance to clean the place. Well, after you schedule Dr. and Dentist appointments for everyone with the excitement of ANY time of day, there's little left. It's only after the calendar is filled in that the foiling of the plans begins. Hallie, who was supposed to be otherwise occupied, would be a child without preschool for a week. The church re-roofing would be done, I believe to correspond with older siblings being on break, when we were planning on getting a lot done. An annoyance, yes, but a) I'd rather the rain didn't fall on her during class, b) our tuition was prorated and c) we weren't in a desperate situation by being left with no daycare. In all truth she would've at least missed a day or two anyway. So we took it stride, got next-to-nothing done and had a WONDERFUL time.

Hallie and Mom decided that 3 months between Disneyland visits was enough so, on Sunday, we headed out bright and early. The park and weather were pleasant and Hallie was full of surprises. Mainly, we did not have to follow the 'routine' which usually dominates our trips. When asked what we should do first, Hallie responded with "let's see what looks good when we go by". That phrase alone made it a whole new experience. We had not ridden on the fire truck before and when we boarded, the driver asked Hallie to ring the bell all the way down Main Street. She rang that bell all the way to the castle and got many compliments and a Jr. Firefighter badge. We rode Pinocchio and It's a Small World and after singing 'like the birdies sing' in the Tiki Room, we listened to the Storyteller at Aladdin's Oasis. We bought a pin and mouse ears for Anna and called it a day.

On Tuesday we traveled to San Diego to wish Granny a happy birthday and have Hallie show Anna around the San Diego Zoo. Hallie had some spending money and chose a sand art craft kit and a stuffed giraffe to bring home. We enjoyed looking at 'the things with teeth' which were the animals Hallie decided we should see that day, had a nice lunch and spent the evening at Granny and Grandpa's house for dinner and presents.

The week finished off with the coloring of eggs and the buying of gifts for Hallie to put in Anna's Easter basket and candy to give Daddy. Hallie does not really buy the idea of the Easter Bunny so she didn't have trouble getting to sleep on time on Saturday. When she woke up she didn't notice that the table had been set with spring linens and plates, or the giant Easter basket filled with as many non-candy items as the "Easter Bunny" could find. When she woke up a bit she was more excited for Anna to see her basket than she was about her own. What can we say? Always the sweetie - looking out for her sister and wanting to share everything with her. She had even chosen a card for Anna that was to be from her alone. At church, Hallie went up for the children's moments and left for Sunday School without so much as a glance our way. Well, she threw a flirty wave at Auntie then continued down the aisle with her friend. After attending church with family, we watched the girls hunt eggs. Hallie 'hid' Anna's plastic ones perfectly in the open and distanced for a crawler - she's so intuitive when it comes to her baby. Hallie found her eggs as well and we continued into the house for some gifts and an indoor picnic with Great Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Mike. It was an early celebration for us so we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon and evening at home.


















Needless to say, we got little accomplished other than taking some nice drives, spending time with family, taking lots of pictures and making more memories for our family. So, who votes to do spring cleaning when those choices are on on the ballot? Besides, I don't think I could take 10 minute shower if I tried.