They key to success when it comes to three year olds and swimming lessons is they should not be by themselves. I didn't think it would work from the beginning but I gave it a fair chance. It didn't. Good news, today, when we joined a class with 6 other 3 year old, Evan was in Heaven! He loved every minute of it. He was doing everything the teacher asked him; the same stuff she had asked him the day before. It's amazing what a little peer modeling can do for a kid!
TODAY WAS SUCH A BETTER DAY!
Until next time...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Swim class = NIGHTMARE
I am a little upset with the Marshalltown Aquatic center. I have to vent a little bit to get it off my chest. I was looking for fun things for us to do this year. Last year, because we had Bria, Evan was unable to do much. Bria was just too little and it was too hard to go many places when I had to worry about how and were I would feed her. So, we stayed home. We would walk to the playground, play in our kiddie pool in the back yard but that was the extent of it. The years before we would go to Tot time at the aquatic center and swim for an hour. Evan loved it but I just couldn't do that with a newborn.
So this year I decided I was going to try and make it up to him. Evan is a little social butterfly so I signed him up for the 3 year old swimming class. It's not so much to teach swimming, but to get them comfortable and familiar with the water. I was so excited about it. It's a two week long class and that's it. So we showed up on Monday and Evan was all alone. I thought it was strange how they would do that...how could it be cost effective? I'm not one to say much so I let it go. He didn't do a whole lot for his teacher. So, I do what I do best and I talked with Evan about how he needs to listen and pay attention. Tuesday...SO MUCH BETTER! He was doing more, he was having fun, he was listening!
Then came today. Evan did absolutely NOTHING. The only thing that was wet was from his thighs down. He just stood there. The teacher kept trying to get him to do a few things but he refused. So of course, I told Evan how I was so sad that he didn't listen. Because he didn't "please" me, it turned into a nightmare, He cried and cried and cried. We were going to have lunch with daddy, but instead we went straight home. Maybe part of it was he woke up at 5 and even though I kept sending him back to bed, he kept periodically coming back in to check and see if it was time to get up. I can't blame it all on him being tired.
I originally thought they just did one-on-one for smaller classes. Yesterday, when I showed up there were 6 little ones in a group. So it's the fact that no one else signed up for the same time as me. I would think they would have notified me to see if that is OK or if I wanted to join another group. I don't work in the summer, I'm flexible. Being on his own is not working. He wants other kids there. I think if he had other kids around and saw what they were doing, he would be doing everything right there with them. Instead, I'm getting frustrated, the teacher (who doesn't show it) has to be getting frustrated and Evan is just floating along doing nothing and bored to death.
What do I do????? I e-mailed the office to see if we can join another class but who knows if that will happen. The bad thing is no one else locally offers classes to kids this young so this is the only option I have until Evan is school aged. Anyone have any tricks up their sleeves?
It was so bad, I just want to cry with Evan...
Until next time...
So this year I decided I was going to try and make it up to him. Evan is a little social butterfly so I signed him up for the 3 year old swimming class. It's not so much to teach swimming, but to get them comfortable and familiar with the water. I was so excited about it. It's a two week long class and that's it. So we showed up on Monday and Evan was all alone. I thought it was strange how they would do that...how could it be cost effective? I'm not one to say much so I let it go. He didn't do a whole lot for his teacher. So, I do what I do best and I talked with Evan about how he needs to listen and pay attention. Tuesday...SO MUCH BETTER! He was doing more, he was having fun, he was listening!
Then came today. Evan did absolutely NOTHING. The only thing that was wet was from his thighs down. He just stood there. The teacher kept trying to get him to do a few things but he refused. So of course, I told Evan how I was so sad that he didn't listen. Because he didn't "please" me, it turned into a nightmare, He cried and cried and cried. We were going to have lunch with daddy, but instead we went straight home. Maybe part of it was he woke up at 5 and even though I kept sending him back to bed, he kept periodically coming back in to check and see if it was time to get up. I can't blame it all on him being tired.
I originally thought they just did one-on-one for smaller classes. Yesterday, when I showed up there were 6 little ones in a group. So it's the fact that no one else signed up for the same time as me. I would think they would have notified me to see if that is OK or if I wanted to join another group. I don't work in the summer, I'm flexible. Being on his own is not working. He wants other kids there. I think if he had other kids around and saw what they were doing, he would be doing everything right there with them. Instead, I'm getting frustrated, the teacher (who doesn't show it) has to be getting frustrated and Evan is just floating along doing nothing and bored to death.
What do I do????? I e-mailed the office to see if we can join another class but who knows if that will happen. The bad thing is no one else locally offers classes to kids this young so this is the only option I have until Evan is school aged. Anyone have any tricks up their sleeves?
It was so bad, I just want to cry with Evan...
Until next time...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Bria is 1!
I cannot believe it! Bria is 1 year old today. The past year went by so fast. She is such an amazing girl. She has no idea how much she is loved by all her family!
On Sunday, we celebrated her birthday. We had over 20 people over in our house. I've been hinting at a new house so maybe that will help. That was a lot of people in our little house but we made the best of it! Ryan smoke some pork loin like he has done every year for Evan's birthday. Like always, it was delicious. That really helps me out that he does that because then all I have to worry about is a salad, potatoes and a bread. Make it a lot easier for me! So we all ate a fabulous dinner. Then opened presents. Being a girl, Bria got a LOT of new and ADORABLE clothes. She is very fashionable at 1 year old! It's too much fun for mommy though! ;) She got a picnic toy set and a tea party toy set. Soon, I'm sure Bria will like them, but for right now, Evan is really enjoying them! Bria also got a cute rocking horse. G-Ma and G-Pa must have thought we needed two and that they couldn't share Evan's because we have another one! I like giving them a hard time. They will enjoy each having one of their own! The last present Bria got was a Bitty Baby (made by American Girl). Bria was cute when she opened up. Her face lit up and she wanted to play with it so badly. She likes how the eyes blink and she keeps feeling the eyes. She was also giving baby lots of kisses! It was adorable! We also got quite a bit of money that we will put towards Bria's college fund. Smart parents, I know. ;)
After we opened presents we moved onto the cake. A girl from work started a cake business and made Bria's. It was adorable, matched my theme perfectly and it was delicious. When Bria was given her individual cake she started off really slow. I didn't think she was going to get that messy. After a few minutes she proved me wrong! She was a mess. The cake was a disaster and cake was EVERYWHERE. Oh well, you only live once! I was fun to see her having so much fun eating her cake. After this, Bria had had enough. Unfortunately, she had woken up early from her nap so she got grumpy a little early. I put her down around 8:15 and she slept hard until 8:30 the next day. She was all partied out!
Here are some of the things Bria can do/likes at a year old:
Eating only table food - she has been doing this for nearly 3 months. She LOVES table food because she does not want to be fed.
She has 5 (almost 6) teeth.
She is crawling! OK she just started this today and it is really slow going, but she's doing it! Before she army crawled EVERYWHERE!
She can get herself back to the sitting position and she thinks she is hot stuff that she can do it. She will do it over and over and over again and cheer herself on while she does it. Quite cute.
She can start crawling while she is sitting.
Now that I'm off for the summer she is sleeping nearly 12 hours. While working I always had to wake her up at the 11 hour mark.
Bria is trying so hard to pull herself up. If something is low enough, she is successful.
Bria doesn't talk a whole lot. She says the traditional mama, dada, baba, ect. But she isn't a babbler like most babies.
Bria likes to scream (only at dinner time of course).
Bria is a Mommy's girl! :) I like this.
Bria loves to have small toys to play with. She likes to have things in her had all the time. I gave her an old cell phone and you would think that is the greatest toy ever!
Bria likes to cuddle.
Of course, mommy loves her more than she will ever know!
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY BRIA!
Until next time...
On Sunday, we celebrated her birthday. We had over 20 people over in our house. I've been hinting at a new house so maybe that will help. That was a lot of people in our little house but we made the best of it! Ryan smoke some pork loin like he has done every year for Evan's birthday. Like always, it was delicious. That really helps me out that he does that because then all I have to worry about is a salad, potatoes and a bread. Make it a lot easier for me! So we all ate a fabulous dinner. Then opened presents. Being a girl, Bria got a LOT of new and ADORABLE clothes. She is very fashionable at 1 year old! It's too much fun for mommy though! ;) She got a picnic toy set and a tea party toy set. Soon, I'm sure Bria will like them, but for right now, Evan is really enjoying them! Bria also got a cute rocking horse. G-Ma and G-Pa must have thought we needed two and that they couldn't share Evan's because we have another one! I like giving them a hard time. They will enjoy each having one of their own! The last present Bria got was a Bitty Baby (made by American Girl). Bria was cute when she opened up. Her face lit up and she wanted to play with it so badly. She likes how the eyes blink and she keeps feeling the eyes. She was also giving baby lots of kisses! It was adorable! We also got quite a bit of money that we will put towards Bria's college fund. Smart parents, I know. ;)
After we opened presents we moved onto the cake. A girl from work started a cake business and made Bria's. It was adorable, matched my theme perfectly and it was delicious. When Bria was given her individual cake she started off really slow. I didn't think she was going to get that messy. After a few minutes she proved me wrong! She was a mess. The cake was a disaster and cake was EVERYWHERE. Oh well, you only live once! I was fun to see her having so much fun eating her cake. After this, Bria had had enough. Unfortunately, she had woken up early from her nap so she got grumpy a little early. I put her down around 8:15 and she slept hard until 8:30 the next day. She was all partied out!
Here are some of the things Bria can do/likes at a year old:
Eating only table food - she has been doing this for nearly 3 months. She LOVES table food because she does not want to be fed.
She has 5 (almost 6) teeth.
She is crawling! OK she just started this today and it is really slow going, but she's doing it! Before she army crawled EVERYWHERE!
She can get herself back to the sitting position and she thinks she is hot stuff that she can do it. She will do it over and over and over again and cheer herself on while she does it. Quite cute.
She can start crawling while she is sitting.
Now that I'm off for the summer she is sleeping nearly 12 hours. While working I always had to wake her up at the 11 hour mark.
Bria is trying so hard to pull herself up. If something is low enough, she is successful.
Bria doesn't talk a whole lot. She says the traditional mama, dada, baba, ect. But she isn't a babbler like most babies.
Bria likes to scream (only at dinner time of course).
Bria is a Mommy's girl! :) I like this.
Bria loves to have small toys to play with. She likes to have things in her had all the time. I gave her an old cell phone and you would think that is the greatest toy ever!
Bria likes to cuddle.
Of course, mommy loves her more than she will ever know!
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY BRIA!
Until next time...
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