Jumbo Shrimp and Goldfish

Mary and Garrett started their swim lessons this week. Mary goes at 8:30 in the morning and I get in the pool with her. She's a Jumbo Shrimp. Garrett goes at 10:00 and he takes a class with an instructor and two other kids. He's a Goldfish. Those of you who have known me since puberty know that I DO NOT get in pools and I most certainly DO NOT wear swimsuits. Let my behavior this week, which included both the wearing of suits and the entering of pools, be a testament of my love for my children. One blessing is that the pool is indoors and I can avoid the heat which I also actively avoid.

First let me say that a baby in a swimsuit, exploring the water is about the cutest thing in the world. The children's pool at our aquatic center is wonderful. It can be entered the way you enter the water at the beach, where the depth gradually increases from 0 depth to 3 ft. 6 inches. It has a little dinosaur slide for the kids to go down and land in 2 inches of water. When we first entered the pool area, Mary said "ooohhhhh!" and immediately headed for the water with absolutely no fear. I almost failed to stop her. Our first class basically allowed her to explore the water and get comfortable with being in it. She loves to walk in the shallow parts and go down the slide. For our second class Mary and I stayed in the part of the pool where Mary cannot touch the bottom. I have to hold her in a swim position, with her face looking at my face, and encourage her to kick her feet.

Today one of the instructors said, "Would you like to encourage Mary to put her head under the water?" My eyes almost popped out of my head. Put her head under the water? They do know that babies can't breathe under the water, right? What if she swallows the water and drowns in front of my eyes? Good Lord. Another mother had the instructor dunk her baby because she didn't have the stomach for it. I didn't think I could do it either. But the instructor was very supportive and assured me that babies have an instinct to hold their breath and said Mary would be fine. I said, okay, here goes. It was probably the quickest dunk in all of baby swimming history because I was so nervous. Mary came up with her wet head, looked a little surprised and thought nothing of it. Whew.

When Garrett has his lesson, Mary and I watch from the mezzanine. Garrett likes to wave at us. We wave back. We clap when he does something impressive, like use a kick board and let his teacher hold him in a float position. The first time I handed him over to the instructor a wave of fear came over me. I said, "He doesn't know anything." I wanted to give the instructor his biography or something. Before you put my son in that pool, you should know that he has trouble holding a pencil. He'll probably want to splash the other children. He's very sensitive and you should tell him that he's doing a good job whenever he does the slightest thing. His birthday is January 31 and he's an Aquarius. Will that help? He's tall for his age and isn't as old as he looks. When he says, "My name-a-Garit," he's telling you that his name is Garrett. Two Rs, two Ts.

Fortunately, Garrett did just fine without me giving his instructor the 411. He's about as happy as a kid can be and he tells me ALL MORNING that it's Garrett's turn to get in the pool. Given the bliss that we are all experiencing in the pool, I took it upon myself to buy Chris a swimsuit too. When he gets in the pool it will truly be the summer of miracles.

Can't Buy Me Love

This story is almost too cute to believe. Yesterday we hosted a party for Isabela's mommy and daddy, who are expecting a baby next month. All the kids had a great time playing together, but Isabela and Garrett were particularly attached. Isabela "protected" Garrett from some of the other girls and Garrett supported Isabela's ideas for play. At one point Isabela and Garrett bumped heads and Garrett cried. Isabela cried because Garrett was crying and somehow felt responsible for the incident. In order to get Isabela to stop crying, I had to get Garrett to stop crying and tell Isabela that he was okay.

Today we went over to Isabela's house to pick up some of the remaining party supplies. It was a beautiful morning and we spent some time visiting in their beautiful yard. The kids disappeared into the house and played inside. After a while our parent sensors went off and we decided we had better make sure the kids were not getting into trouble in the house. We entered the house and witnessed this scene: Isabela was wearing a pretty dress, Garrett had been dressed in a sport-coat style jacket over his t-shirt and they were slow dancing 8th-grade style to instrumental Beatles music. They realized we were watching, got mildly embarassed and sat on the couch about 3 inches apart with their hands in their laps. It was so darn cute.

Back from washington, D.C.

Garrett and Mary and I just returned from a great visit with our friends in Washington, D.C. We spent a few days with the Fischer Family: Emily, Bill, Aidan (3.5) and Ella (2); and then a few days with the Lynch Family: Anna, Steve, Connor (2.5), and Kerrigan (15 mos.). With Garrett and Mary added to the mix it was a lot of kids, but they all played so well together it was actually an easier parenting situation than I normally experience. Of course a major factor in the ease of parenting was the presence of two other fantastic and considerate mommies (Emily and Anna). Garrett loved playing with the boys and having some other kids with whome he could horse around. Since Garrett was occupied playing with the boys, Mary was free to explore the new mecca of toys. I had many moments of pride in the families that Emily, Anna, and I have created.

We also had the joy of visiting with our "Fraunt" Heather, who drove from New York to visit with us and our children. I had a wonderful and rare opportunity to leave Garrett and Mary with Anna and Emily and go out with Heather for some lunch and shopping. I owe a debt of gratitude to Anna and Em for giving me the opportunity to a) visit with a friend that I rarely get to see, b) go with that friend to a lunch in a restaurant that was absent of wiggling children, and c) and shop with my very best shopper friend.

Garrett and Mary are busy talking about their new friends and are eager to return. I hope it will be soon!

Donk, Donk, Juice and Other Children's Games

Garrett recently attended a birthday party and learned some new games. He played Red Light, Green Light, Mother May I, and Duck Duck Goose. Ever since the party he has been asking Chris and me if we'd like to play Donk, Donk, Juice! It's so funny. Even when we play the game and I remind him that it is called, "Duck, Duck, Goose!" he still says Donk, Donk, Juice! I kind of like the Donk! Donk! because the tap on the head could be called a donk.

Last Thursday Garrett and I went to a dance recital on campus. The show was 3 hours long and Garrett wanted to watch every minute of it. He loved watching the acrobats, tap dancers, and ballet dancers. He thought the costumes were really cool. Since the theater was just a 15 minute walk from our house, we walked home. On the way, we played Red Light, Green Light. Garrett really likes the yellow light command because he likes to walk in slow motion. I really wanted to get home and was pushing for green light commands. We had a very nice night out together and I resolved to spend more special alone time with Garrett.

Today Mary gave me three kisses. Two of them required her to lean over her lunch plate to reach my face. Also, when I picked Mary up from MMO she said, "HI!!!!" at the top of her lungs and then started talking really fast as if she was telling me all about her morning. Chiming in at the top of the affection charts, Garrett said, "Mommy, I so much love you" about 30 times. Life is good.

Garrett Gets a New Emotion

In the past year and a half Garrett has often told me that his is sad or happy. He is very good at being happy. He laughs, jumps for joy, smiles and says he loves me, hugs everyone, claps, and all that other happy stuff. He is also very good at being sad. He says, "Oh, mommy, I so sad," with his head hung low, feet shuffling like Charlie Brown, and his big puppy eyes staring up at me as if to say, "Make the pain go away." Keep in mind that he is usually sad over something like he can't have ice cream for lunch.

This week I have learned that Garrett is not so great at being, or at least staying, angry. After he poked Mary in the eye for the third time (while I was helplessly driving the car), I turned around and yelled at him in a very angry mommy voice. I said, "Garrett! I told you twice not to do that and you did it again! I said DON'T HURT YOUR SISTER! Now you better listen to me, or you're going to be in big trouble." I was so angry.

Garrett started to cry and said, "Don't talk to me mommy!"
I said, "That is not a nice thing to say to your mother. You need to listen to me. You can't hurt your sister."
He huffed and he puffed and said, "I angry mommy! I'm SO ANGRY!"
I said, "You're angry, huh?" I huffed back.
"Yes!"
"Well, you know what you need when you're angry?"
He looked at me quizzically. He didn't know the answer. I said, "You need a kiss." I put my lips out. He smiled and gave me a kiss. I said, "Isn't that better?"
He said, "Yes. I kiss you cheek too."

Now we have a little game. When he gets in trouble and I tell him to behave, he says, "I'm so angry!" and I say, "Then let's have a kiss."

Miss Moo News

This week Miss Moo is really enjoying waving bye bye to everyone. Sticking her hand way up in the air like she's on a Rose Bowl float, she waves and says, "Bye bye! Bye bye!" We went out to dinner on Monday night and she waved bye bye to the waiters and waitresses as they passed by. She very cheerfully waves bye bye to her teachers and fellow toddlers at MMO as well.

Also in the Moo news this week, Mary is proudly saying sun, Yowee Yahoo (Scooby Doo character), Beast! (when requesting Beauty and the Beast), seat (when she wants to sit in her stroller), and bottle.

Mary's latest objects of fascination can be found exclusively in the bathroom. She is drawn to the toilet bowl brush, faucets, toothbrushes, and the toilet paper roll.

Finally, please give Mary a big round of applause for surviving several eye-poking attacks, and at least three Frisbee attacks from Garrett. I am happy to report that she still has her head with both eyes still in it.

Gratitude

I am aware that I have an empty space in my blog. I'm sure those of you who check for updates are frustrated that I haven't posted in a couple weeks. But lately, I have been absorbing how grateful I am to be Garrett and Mary's mommy and I have been too caught up in the moment to write it all down. Actually, I have been thinking about how to better capture my parenting experiences in addition to writing about the wonderful little moments in Mary and Garrett's life. In honor of Mother's Day I would like to express my gratitude for my little Miss Moo and my loving Mr. Mo.

Last night we went out to dinner with some friends and Garrett was so good in the restaurant. I was so pleased to have his company. Mary is in a phase where she wants to call all the shots and she refused to sit in a high chair. Chris had to spend the entire meal outside with her (more on Mary's new found opinions later). They each have their moments of playing angel and demon, but even the demonic moments are special to me because they tell me so much about Mary and Garrett's preferences, emotions, and traits. Generally, I have a really good time with the kids and I think I have a lot more patience now that my thyroid issue is resolved and Mary is taking a very predictable nap in the afternoon.

I love how Garrett is so excited by everything. He is happy to go to school, happy to tell me what he did in school, happy to go to the mall and get his taco, happy to have his ice cream after Mary goes to bed, thrilled to see his dog and to say good morning to Mary whenever she wakes up. The other day I took him shopping for a Spiderman shirt. For $8 I totally made his week. He loved picking out the color and design of the shirt. He told everyone about it, just has he did with his new shoes a few months ago. He is growing a tomato plant and he loves to go out and water it with his special watering can. If he loses something, he is overjoyed to find it. He likes to hold hands with his friends, and share his toys, snacks, and hugs. He is just so happy about everything.

Today Garrett and I were going to a birthday party. On the way to the party he told me, "I love you, mommy."
I said, "I love you too, Garrett."
He said, "You're my sweet mommy."
I said, "Aw. You're my sweet, Garrett."
He said, "You're my sweet, good girl. And Mary is my sweet baby."
Garrett loves to tell me about the people that he loves and he wants me to know the names of all his friends. Lately he wants to tell everyone to have a good week.

I dread the day when Garrett's heart is broken. I think everyone has their heart broken at some point. Most of us experience grief. When Garrett's turn comes around it will be the saddest moment ever. Because I have already known sadness, Garrett's joy and sincerity is precious to me. I am so grateful for the balance he has brought to my life.

Now Mary is a different child entirely. She hugs me, smiles at me, and tries to engage me in silly little games, and loves to be on the move. But I also deeply suspect that she is on a top-secret mission to rule the world. We are not permitted to know her true objectives. We are supposed to fall for this baby act she puts on while she gathers data for her true superiors. Personally, I love how purposeful and motivated Mary is. Whether she's rinsing toothbrushes in the sink (for 20 minutes at a time), arranging herself in a chair after selecting a book, trying to fake me out in the mall and taking off in a different direction, or moving her food from her plate to the table to the floor, she does everything with resolve and intention. She doesn't just wake up in the morning and wait to see what the world will give her; she wakes up with a plan. One day very soon, she will be discussing the plan with me. I can't wait to hear it.

Even though Mary is just 18 months old, she reminds me about how important it is to be passionate about what you do. I am so excited for her that she was born with a natural talent for finding passion and following through.

I'm sure that Garrett and Mary and I will have many challenges as we are all continually growing and changing. We may not always understand each other, but I hope that we will always appreciate each other. I hope they will always know how grateful I am that they are my children and that my love for them is boundless.