The Good Stuff

    Jr. has some new feats tucked under her belt! At the end of every Aqua Stroller class the instructor has the moms take their babies for a little swim. We seat our baby on the ledge of the pool and get them to come to us. Jr. doesn't fall for that trick! She just sits there shivering with a look on her face that says, Are you crazy?? So when all the other babies are leaning toward their moms I have to take Jr. in my arms or else she'll stay there the entire time. Then we take them for a little swim and then back to the ledge where they're supposed to hang on. The teacher said that this is teaching them basic survival skills, to grab hold of something while in the water. Unfortunately, Jr. has this thing about touching stuff with her hands. It takes her a good 10-20 seconds before she'll even consider taking a toy from me or even holding onto my hand. So holding onto a cold, wet ledge? No way! By the time she's ready to hold on, the other moms and their babies are already off to the next activity: going under water with your baby! The last couple of times I didn't do it because by that time Jr. had shivering blue lips and was crying. This time she seemed to be enjoying herself so I decided to try it. The trick is to blow into their open mouths right before you go under so that they're forced to take a deep breath. Also, you're not supposed to take them directly down in the water otherwise water gets up their nose, so it's better if it's sideways and up. When we both came up she had this shocked look on her face like, What the hell just happened?? I don't think I liked that!! But after some cooing and smiling and telling her what a great job she did, I managed to avoid any tears. So we did it again! Pushing my luck, right? Actually, she was just as good the second time! Yay!

     The other talent she now has is to babble. It's not just sounds now but actual syllables! She has the "ock" sound and "dadada". I love hearing her "talk". I wonder what she thinks she's saying...

     I'm always amazed when I realize that I am witnessing a new ability. It's almost miraculous. Yesterday, she had never been under water before. Today, it's a whole new world! Two weeks ago she couldn't (or wouldn't) hold the bottle by herself. Now we can give it to her in the middle of the night in her crib and she can drink its entire contents.

      It really is fantastic. These are the good moments. These are the things I cherish.