Move over Ms. Universe there's a new beauty in town
We decided to entertain the children by taking them swimming. Actually, they were just going to play in the splash park, but we could not get it to work other than in one zone. Bubeaner and Laylee did not appear to mind at first, but then they were drawn to the pool. We were concerned about the pool because both little ones love the water and are definitely not afraid of it. In previous occasions we have gone the ratio of adults to children has been in our favor. Today we were outnumbered if Bubita was counted.
We traded the flower headband for a cute, yet functional,
hat once we went outdoors.
We were right to be concerned. We had to keep our eyes on them at ALL TIMES and EVERY single SECOND. At one point Bubeaner decided to walk into the pool and just keep walking. Meme'Licia was right behind him. But we assumed he would stop walking once the water got to his chest, then his shoulders, then his neck, and sure he would stop once it hit his mouth. Nope. Apparently Bubeaner believes he can walk underwater. Now, this all happened within seconds. And Meme'Licia was at hand to rescue him from himself. It happened so fast we are not sure he even swallowed any water. Silly boy! And silly adults for thinking common sense worked on children.
Bubeaner and Laylee playing in the pool.
The rest of the time was a little more relaxing since Bubita decided to take a nap in her stroller. Man-to-man cover was a lot easier. Amazingly after 5 private swimming lessons we could still not get anything out of Bubeaner. He refused to blow bubbles, kick or pretty much do anything. He did, however, enjoy floating on a "noodle" and jumping in the water with Momma. We will just have to continue with the lessons and hope he's learning something.
An exhausted Bubita napping after her first trip to the pool.
Upon our return home, Bubeaner had a meltdown. We are not sure as to the cause but it was not pretty. It was a struggle to change him, rinse him off in the shower and dress him. He only partially calmed down when he got a hold of his lovey. He must have just been exhausted. We were sure he was not going to make it through lunch before falling asleep. We underestimated the power of a play buddy. He not only finished lunch but even went off to play with Laylee afterwards! (Laylee's nap time starts an hour after Bubeaner's.) However sleep eventually won out. After a little while he stopped playing and informed Meme'Licia he was going Night-Night and promptly went into the nursery, got in his big boy bed and went to sleep. By himself!
Bubeaner insisted it was a Cookie Monster towel
rather than a dragon.
It was also an exhausting day for Bubita although she spent most of the morning napping in her stroller. This was her first time in the pool. And she was able to wear her very first swimsuit, a bikini. She looked adorable. And not uncomfortable. However, Bubita was not convinced about the pool. She most definitely did not like the inflatable turtle we had hoped she would use. Bubita would have none of it. She wanted to be held preferably with her body out of the water. This proved a little difficult. Bubita ended up being carried while being covered by her baby towel. It was light enough to not get Bubita too hot but still offering her protection from the sun. Maybe Bubita will eventually warm up to spending time in the pool. She definitely enjoys her tub and even the shower.
We spent the late afternoon finger painting, coloring and playing
with Bubita while she did tummy time.
And that morning nap may have messed up her schedule. Bubita had already refused to go back to sleep after the 6a feeding. Instead she stayed awake until 10a and slept for about an hour. When we got back she slept about an hour after each feeding in the early afternoon, but never took her long afternoon nap. This probably explains why she had problems going to sleep at bedtime. Bubita fought it until 930p; she's usually asleep by 630p-7p. Hopefully she will sleep through the night.
Bubita fuming about tummy time.
By all accounts Bubita should be exhausted. Not only did she spend some time in the pool but we also worked on Tummy Time for quite a while. She HATES it. Absolutely hates it. But we are not discouraged because Bubeaner hated it to until he got the hang of it. And it should be a little easier for Bubita since, even though she does have a large head, it is proportional to the rest of her body unlike poor Bubeaner who at that stage still had a preemie body. But for now, she spends most of her time crying and screaming. It did help a little today trying the play gym mat. Bubita was entertained by the different colors and toys. We also enjoyed watching, and videotaping, Bubita purposefully grasping at different items on the mat.
She never complained during the brakes from tummy time.
BubeanerBubeaner sleep walks. He was standing in his crib sucking his thumb; he looked awake but was completely asleep. Dad just gently laid him back down and covered him up. We are not too surprised since it runs in the family. But we will probably have to put up a safety gate outside the nursery to stop Bubeaner from wandering through the house unsupervised while we sleep. He already gets into too many things when we are awake to worry about when we are sleeping. Today Bubeaner managed to open the pantry door, get the peanut butter crackers, and close the door when he was done. This is the reason we have door locks on some tactical doors. Unfortunately, Momma forgot to lock the pantry door in the morning. And Bubeaner was smart enough to do it while Bubita ate when Momma couldn't really do much.
Bubeaner self-portrait.
Bubeaner also continues to amaze us with his personality. We do not spank in our household as a rule. Though, we do believe there are occasions when a spanking has been, and will be, necessary. Most of the time our approach to discipline revolves around the Love and Logic method (there are consequences for every action) which really means time outs for Bubeaner. The catch phrases we use are "That's not acceptable behavior" and "That's so sad." One of the keys is to always appear in control of your emotions. So these phrases are said in a normal soft tone of voice, never in anger.
Today Bubeaner was coloring with his crayons when he decided to start taking the wrappers apart and coloring on the cabinets in the play room. All Momma did was say "that's so sad" and put the crayons away. When we turned around Bubeaner was not to be found. He had gone to his room and put himself in time out! So we timed him (2 minutes) and then let him off when the time was up. He went back to playing without a problem. WOW!
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