Swimming Lessons

My family is full of swimmers. My dad and his uncles swam, my sister, my brother (for a bit at least) and me all swam on year round swim teams. You could say chlorine runs in our blood. It got me a bit nervous when we gave hannah her first bath and she screamed bloody murder for the entire thing. I got still more nervous when this trend continued... very nervous. What if my child didn't like the water! how could this be possible when it's so much a part of who everyone in the family is! Now i'm not saying that she'll be on a swim team whether she likes it or not but it's nice to know that the option is there and if my child won't get in a TUB without screaming... what then?

I didn't really need to worry since we visited my sister when hannah was 6 or 7 months and we had a pool party. Hanging out in the pool with mom was fun, and there were no tears at all. My mother could not believe it was the same child. Since then baths are fun! and pools are even more fun!

And today we had our first lesson. And we learned how to kick and how to float and how to blow bubbles and i must say (with only a little bit of motherly pride) that my child is a natural swimmer. Took to it like a duck to water! (alright now i'm bragging a bit.... well, a lot. but who can blame me!?) We had so much fun we talked about it, all the way home. And during dinner. And the night is still young so i might get an earful later.

I wasn't worried... not really. :)

Picnic at the Park

Hannah woke up at 5 am and wouldn't go back to sleep, and i thought for sure we would be having a long a trying day because of it. But it wasn't so bad since she fell asleep while i got gas and took a 20 min power nap before going to the park for playgroup.













Hannah and Greer (the little girl i nanny for) decided to take a nap before lunch. It only lasted two seconds but they said nite nite before so it counts!

Now they rolled all over the place. Had lots of fun. Then they realized why we had a blanket down in the first place... LUNCH!








Still loves the swings!

Had a visit from her cousin, Emma at grandma's house. They decided to read their photo books. Hannah is reading the one about her, Emma is reading about her and grandma. They play so well together and it's just so cute!

Where we've been

How hard is it to believe it is only tuesday? What happened to weeks that just flew by where you wondered where did all my time go? I'm sitting her waiting for the end of the day or even the start of nap time and it just isn't happening. To be fair to hannah, it really isn't her fault. She is being cute as ever although i have noticed an alarming trend towards being a toddler.... (When did that happen?!)

She seemed so small when she was a baby and now i look at those little cloths and i think, no way did she ever fit in these! Sometimes i miss that little baby who who just lay there and look at me, but then Hannah jumps in my lap like now and just wants to cuddle and i think, "I could get used to this." Plus she is talking to me all the time and that is just plain awesome. I would love for children to come out talking. It would make things so much easier. Now i know EXACTLY what she wants, because she tells me. There is no guessing to interprete crying. (i'm not very good at that part.)

My mom used to tell me that people would ask about what stage of life she like the best in her children and mom said, "the one they are in now". And i didn't realize how true that could be until Hannah started moving through stages. I love the one she in now. I love the talking, i love the walking, i love the personality. I could do without the tantrums but i'll get over it. :)

Ellie

Fourth of July

Yesterday was david's first fourth of july as a citizen and it was nice he got the day off to celebrate with us. And to see the fireworks. :) We also got to celebrate his birthday with chocolate, chocolate cake before the show started. There was a live band and tons of people with their picnic dinners but none had cake like us!

It was also Hannah's first time at the fireworks.

And i think things went pretty well. She did have to sit in my lap but i did hear a few "ooo" and i think a "wow" or two. I think her favorite ones were the Boom-less fireworks. In milpitas the city does a "ground fireworks" show set to music of course. It was a really nice show and i'm glad hannah was able to make it that late. She did a lot of "dancing" with my parents.

Dancing in the chair with grandma, Being tossed around by grandfather and just plain enjoying herself all night.

It was nice to hang out with the family. My parents fed me lots of food that i never actually get around to doing myself and it was marvelous. Hannah ate almost everything too. She even got to finish her daddy's corn on the cob! We left it on the cob and she cleaned off.... completely. But she had fun and that's what is important.

We also went to the Alameda Parade that morning and she liked that too. I think her favorite part must have been all the horses (there were a lot of them). And the periodic dog that came by (who wasn't part of the parade but still important to hannah anyway.) If i could understand everything she tries to tell me, i'd probably be hearing about it all week!

-ellie

Let me just say...

Things have been hectic... and it seems like i never have time for everything... And actually i should be cleaning the kitchen but i thought that we had slacked enough in the blog we should get on top of it. Although i have to admit i find it hard to believe that my life is all that interesting. If you've been a kid or had kids then you understand what i do all day. Feed the kids, entertain the kids, get them where they need to be and then feed them some more, listen to a bit of whining and then put them to bed.

I guess what makes it interesting is Hannah. My day is not that cool but Hannah finds new things to be excited about everyday. Today it was putting baby to bed and then having baby wake up. "nite nite baby" she says and then tucks her in. And then two seconds later flings the blanket off when i say "Good Morning!" We must have done that at least 20 times before she decided she wanted to be baby. Too cute. :)

A few weeks ago, it was Hannah's 18 month doctors appointment and we talked about what Hannah's was doing and things she should be figuring out or i should be helping her experience... boy i'm slacking! i looked at the questionnaire the doctor gave me and the whole problem solving section i couldn't really answer since we didn't do things like what they were asking! Naturally i got a bit panicky... I hadn't done any problem solving with my child! she wasn't going to be able to figure out anything! how would she be prepared for science exploration without problem solving. I shouldn't have worried. Today she was doing all the thing on that questionnaire without me trying to "teach" it to her at all... I think she'll be just fine.

Speaking of fine. I have to take this opportunity to record a milestone. We went to the beach on Thursday and the Zoo on Friday and my child managed to escape both places without a sunburn! How did i finally manage that you say!? Spray on sunscreen she thinks is way too much fun. Now sunscreen is a game. She wants it on ALL the time... Seriously. She sees something that looks slightly like the sunscreen can and she starts pointing all over her body... "ehh? uhh?" But my white kid has managed to keep herself from becoming a lobster and that's good! :)

Okay enough rambling... i think it may be time to stop wasting time and just get something done while hannah is asleep... maybe...

-ellie