We have started the process, and just as i though -- Alexandra still hates her survival swim lessons. lol!
I have noticed some changes though.
The biggest change even surprised the instructor Ms. Suzi -- Alex can talk.
So accompanying Alex's screams and crying comes, "NO SWIM!!! I GET OUT!!!"
The up side- this time around Alex is understanding directions more ... and she's calming down the louder my cheers and praises to her are.
Alex seems to remember the flipping-onto-her-back.. and grabbing-the-wall routines... though she looks a little awkward now that she's a little bigger and stronger, fighting some of the moves more.
And as soon as the short lesson was over, she was totally fine -- 'talking' to Ms. Suzi like they were old friends, and watching the next student (victim) fussing during his lesson.
Poor thing- Alex's first refresher lesson wore her out. She fell asleep in the car on the way home.
Overall, I think she did very well. One lesson down, at least a dozen more to go!
I've gotten 2, totally different pieces of advice from friends about the same topic.
Do I warn Alexandra beforehand, what breast feeding is?
One friend of mine was adamant.
With her eyes opened as wide as someone just scared by a ghost during a funeral, Kim warned me -- "YES!! You NEED to tell Alex what breastfeeding is all about!!!"
Apparently, when her 2nd child was born, her older (but still very young) son FREAKED out when mom suddenly whipped out a breast and let baby #2 start suckling away.
Scarred him for a few months, actually.
Not sure how old her son was at the time ... but my best friend Karen just had her 2nd baby -- and gave me the opposite advice.
Karen has a 2-year-old daughter who saw, for the first time, her mother breastfeed over the weekend.
"What's that?" little Madison asked.
Karen said, referring to her own breasts, "There's milk in there for the baby."
Madison was satisfied with that answer, and went about her day ... until a little later, when Madison wanted some milk.
Karen caught Madison squeezing her own chest.
"What are you doing, Madison?"
"I want some milk."
"You don't have milk in there," Karen said while trying soo hard not to laugh out loud.
"Yes I do!" Madison insisted.
"Well, you only have milk in there if you have a baby in your tummy. Do you have a baby in your tummy?"
.........................pause............................
"No."
"Well then you don't have milk in there, Maddie."
And that was that. LOL... too freakin' funny.
So. Which piece of advice do I go with? Explain to Alexandra beforehand what breastfeeding is, or just wait for the questions to roll in?
I was hoping to spare Alexandra the repeat torture, but i just don't see any way around it.
We took a dip in the pool over the weekend, and I checked to see if Alex remembered any of what she learned the summer before about floating on her back, and holding onto the side of the pool wall..
Nope.
The panic in Alex's eyes when I tried to hold her as she floated on her back -- too much ... for me to witness at least.
She's going to have to get refresher lessons on survival floating/swimming.
It was torture last summer, watching Alex FREAK OUT every day for 6 WEEKS of lessons with her instructor, Ms. Suzi.
In the end, despite all the dramatics -- Alex WAS able to flip onto her back and float ...
Flipping back and forth, Alex actually made it to the side of the pool wall, and could hang on -- while still screaming bloody murder. lol..
Fortunately, a refresher course means just a couple of weeks (hopefully) of torture ... but better that than the ultimate nightmare which could happen..
Swim Safe ISR with Suzi Taylor
Death -- it's part of life.
For my 22-month-old, it's already something very final and memorable.
Just yesterday, as she was playing with some toys outside, an oversized-ant crawled up on the toy in her hand.
"Bug!!" she exclaimed, pointing at it while looking at me, waiting for me to do something about it.
Without thinking, i grabbed my shoe, killed it and said, "ok -- it's dead. All done."
Alex looked at it .. then a little closer ... said the word 'dead' ... and went on about her playing.
I say the concept is memorable, because it's been how long since she saw that dead frog in our driveway....? Feels like forever ago.
A very VERY faint mark is still there -- thanks to the vehicle tire that smushed the frog -- and when Alex sees the mark, she says "Dead, fog."
So here's my dilemma.
Our wonderful, loyal, loving dog Lola ... will likely have to be put down.
She has hip dysplasia in both hips, and because of that -- other problems are arising, like tiny ligiment tears.
Lola's on so many pain medications, and in the past week has occasionally stopped using one of her hind legs.
We're going through the motions -- xrays, tests, meds .....
There are surgerieSSSS availible ... which are very expensive, and there's no guarantee they'll even help.
So yes, the closed-door discussions have begun about possibly ending Lola's obvious pain all together.
Even Lola has become much more clingy and needy -- just wanting to be in someone's body space.
It's so heartbreaking.
All the adults in the family understand what's happening .... but how do you explain to a not-even-2-year-old ... that the one "person" who never gets mad when Alex tries to run her over with a highchair -- might suddenly disappear?
Right now, Alex knows Lola's "leg hurts" and has a "boo-boo," and that's why we say "poor Lola," but that's about it.
I don't want to tell Alex that Lola's gone because of her boo-boo. Don't want Alex to freak out the next time a scratch (boo-boo) appears on her own finger.....
Do i want to say the word 'dead'? Or would that conjure up images for Alex of something violent happening to Lola (like the ant i killed with my shoe)?
I would like to incorporate God and Heaven into the equasion, but Alex's Bible stories are just that -- stories....
We could pray for Lola -- Alex knows how to say her prayers...
Then again -- maybe i'm over-thinking the entire thing.
Just really trying to think of what to tell Alex when she screams for LOOOOOLAAAAA! -- and Lola's not there.
Yeeeeaaah.
Momma needs to slow her roll.... lol.
Ok, so Alexandra's got going #1, down -- no problem. We started giving her little stickers to stick on the back of her hand when she goes. She didn't even need them.
#2 - that's going to have to wait a bit.
Well actually, my hubby claims Alex DID go #2 when he was watching her.... walked into the bathroom, slamed the door shut behind her, and went.
Hmmmm. I have yet to witness the amazing event. :)
I saw Alex had to go #2 yesterday -- the pushing, and all else related -- so i "coaxed" her to her potty.
Ugh.
I think i created a stoppage. She wouldn't go!!!
Fortunately it all came out when she woke up from her nap later on.
Ah well. 1 outa 2 ain't bad.
Who knew such strides could be made in just 24 hours?
Not only did Alexandra pee-pee in her little potty.. on her own.. on day-2 of "potty training" (i guess we've started... lol!) -- she actually AKSED to go yesterday afternoon!
I was actually changing Alex's diaper when she blurts out, "Pee pee!"
"You have to pee-pee?" I asked.
"Yah!" she smiles.
"Do you want to use your new potty?"
"YAH!"
So, Alex walked her naked little butt over to the potty, opened the lid again, sat down and peed right away this time!
Not so perfect when it comes to her poopy... Oy.
Yesterday it was obvious she had to go #2, so she "played" on her potty -- up and down, up and down, up and down -- for like 10 minutes.
Nada.
Suddenly, she goes tearing off to the living room where the dog was.
What else do you do but hurry to get a diaper and chase after her ... but in that short amount of time, Alex returned to the bathroom and says, "Lala pee-pee .. Lala pee-pee!"
Well, "Lala" (Lola) is our dog.
"Sooooo show me where Lola 'pee-peed.'"
Off she trots -- with remnants of #2 on her little butt -- to the living room ...
Lying near Lola, are 2 small mounds of baby poop. HAHAHAH!
Oh boy.
Well, at least she told on herself, i guess....
And after all-- she usually runs to hide in the living room when she goes #2.....
Mental note for next time: Let her go #2 in the bathroom without an adult hovering over her. LOL....
OH .... MY ..... GOODNESS.
I was so excited, I almost peed!
Alexandra used her new potty ALL BY HERSELF!!!
I mean, i had to show her how to sit on it from the front instead of trying to swing her leg over the entire potty like a man flipping his leg over a horse in an old Western movie ... but other than that -- SHE DID GREAT!!!
See ..... I had bought Alex a potty some time ago -- very plain, white, no frills -- that matched our bathrooms.
She would "play sit" on it ... occasionally.... but that was it.
I just thought she either wasn't interested, or it made her nervous.
I never pushed her, but i explained to her how "the potty" works every chance i got.
Well apparently she's been listening.
For Christmas, I bought Alex a new and improved potty -- that makes a little "magic wand" sound when you "flush" the potty lever, and it has a lid she can lift ....
Hubby made fun of me, btw -- buying a toilet for our baby for Christmas. Whatevs.
Like any new toy, she's played with it when she happenes to remember it's there ... but nothing more --
UNTIL LAST NIGHT !!!!
Just before a bath, I asked a naked Alex if she wanted to use her new potty.
That itty-bitty walked right over to it.. lifted the lid .. sat down (with a little help) and started playing with the wand-sounding potty handle, just a-laughin' like there was no tomorrow.
I offered her a towel to wrap around her while she sat -- didn't want it.
After about 45 seconds, Alex stood up. I said, "All done pee pee?"
She said nothing -- just sat back down and starting playing with the handle and giggling again..... when suddenly -- what sounded like a broken water spicket bursting at the seams.....
WE HAVE SPLASHDOWN!!!
I was so excited! Started cheering!!! Startled Alex a little because the spraying water sound stopped for a second... then she realize I was cheering for her ... lol .... and she finished!
Totally emptied her bladder in her little pottie, then stood up ... i gave her some toilette paper which she used to rub her butt (i helped her do it the right way) ... and finally she joinined my celebrations, throwing her arms up in the air yelling, "YAAAAAAY!" while running around the bathroom.
It was a beautiful moment i wish i had my cell phone cam nearby to capture! :(
Now if she'll only do it when she has to go #2..........!
Now try explaining that to a 21-month-old! HA!
I tell Alexandra -- especially when she wants "up" but i can't deal with her kicking and fidgeting -- that there's a baby in my tummy.
....Silence .....
Blank look on her face ......
Then she says, " 'Gain?" ..
Translation: Say it again mommy because you make absolutely no sense right now.
I try all different approaches..
Alex likes to flip through my cell phone pictures of her -- yes, all 500 of them -- so she came across a sonogram photo of the baby-to-be.
"That?" she asked.
I said, very excitedly, "That's a picture of the new, teeeeny-tiny baby in my tummy!".
After telling her that a few times, Alex started using her high-pitched "baby" voice to say "BABY!" every time she comes across that picture.
Not sure she gets it yet, but i think we've broken ground!
I've had it. And it's only just beginning.... lol.
Alexandra has decided to not only ignore my do's and don't's ... she defies me while laughing!
Unreal. I just don't get it.
I tell Alex to stop stepping up on the arm of the couch and launching herself like a flying squirrel onto the couch seat ... and she laughs, doing it again and again... until i get over to her ... then she stops and sits (still laughing, of course) ... and scrambles back up on the couch arm to jump again as soon as i walk away.
Daddy sees her do the same thing and says something -- Alex covers her eyes or starts crying... and doesn't do it anymore -- as long as he's around.
WHYYYYYYYYY ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Annoying.
She knew something wasn't right.
Alexandra stood there yesterday afternoon -- staring at this dead, smushed frog in our driveway.
Alex kept asking me, "Dat?" and pointing at the frog. She asked, like, 15 times ... like she usually does when she's trying to learn and remember something.
Knowing that Alex knows what a live frog looks like ... I explained she was staring at a frog in the driveway, but this frog was dead.
She didn't like that too much.
Alex didn't cry or fuss at all, which is good.
She did, though, keep backing up away from the dead frog as she asked again and again what it was. Backed up, right into me... and would walk in a wide circle around the dead frog any time we were out there.
Guess that's as good a first lesson on death as any!
Just last week, my husband and i realized Alexandra could climb on her own.
Our kitchen table is bar-height, as are the matching chairs.
I usually sit Alex on a chair next to me if I'm working on something at the table, then -- when i'm done, she's off the chair, so she can teeter around without being tethered to my side.
One of those times we were finished at the table, i literally turned and took a few steps when i heard Alex laughing. She had scrambled up from the floor, back on top of a chair ... and was wiggling around on it, trying to stand up.
WWWWHHHHHAAAAAATTTTT !!!!!!!!!!
I almost had a heart attack.
Ever since then, she's been trying to climb or stand on everything -- ottomans, grocery carts, people...
And her confidence is growing.
Fortunately, the though hasn't seemed to occurr to her to try to climb out of her crib... i think she's a couple inches shy of being able to do that.
When she can, though -- watch out!
Hm. -- i wonder what that will mean for hubby & my sex life... lol!
WHAT ... is the DEAL?!?!?
My husband and I were just celebrating the fact that Alexandra didn't want to be rocked to sleep at night anymore -- basically because she's getting too big and can't get comfortable in my arms -- but now, she's started another bad habit.
And I think it's my fault.
When I lay Alex down in her crib at bedtime -- she thinks it's a game.
She stands up-- then throws herself back down on her mattress... she pretends to sleep-- then snaps her head up, looks at me and laughs......
Even when i leave the room, and she screams and cries hysterically ... i come back-- thinking that was a big enough threat for her to knock if off -- and the games start again.
When my husband comes in to "take over" ... Alex is O-U-T in 2 minutes.
He says i have to do better at "taking control" of bedtime ... lol.....
Hubby also doesn't like how I threaten Alex with the ol' "I'm going to tell daddy!" line when she does something wrong.
I don't know why i say it ... i never planned to ... it just kinda, rolled off my tongue the first time, when i couldn't get Alex to stop trying to flip off her changing table while i was changing her diaper.
My husband's right -- and I'm not one to admit that often.. hahah!
