summer 2008 -- week 1

i'd like to start off by posting an excerpt from the email buz sent me this morning. i think this should accurately describe our first week of summer.

Great job pretty. One week of summer down. And you didn’t really complain that much about it!!! KUDOS Good job planning events. I forgot to ask about the necklaces last night.

i don't mind telling you it's gone well so far. granted, it's been FIVE DAYS and all, but still. five days with no known structure at bay.

we began the week with the first of four straight weeks of swimming.

a brief history of swimming is necessary at this point. three years ago, i honestly don't know what we did with big h during the summer. i think i probably waited until buz got home or we went on the weekends with the rest of the people in our zip code. i don't remember.

two years ago, i was pregnant with goo. and by pregnant, i mean literally about to pop. like thirty-seven weeks pregnant. (side note: i delivered at thirty-eight weeks.) are you getting an idea of HOW pregnant i was? good.

i don't mind telling you, that i looked so cute in my little maternity suit. i know. i'm serious. why? because i was chubby for a reason. there was a life inside my belly. not just several orders of french fries.

so we get there and meet up with our little friends who were doing this little mommy and me class with us. this was a two week, monday through thursday class through the parks and recreation. for $30. no biggie.

let's just say big h sat on the concrete about six feet from the edge of the pool. absolutely no way was he going to actually get in the water. right. because we were there for SWIMMING LESSONS AND ALL. he sat on the concrete and ate teddy grahams snacks packs. nice.

finally, on the thursday of the first week, he sat on the steps of the pool. baby steps. but baby steps that everyone ranted and raved over.

i was not about to sit next to him on the concrete and share his cinnamon-flavored bears. have i mentioned how pregnant i was?

so i got in the water and just enjoyed my buoying. and watched him and shook my head lots and lots of times in frustration. (i was going to say 'in disbelief,' but due to big h's normal personality, this was NOT surprising.)

the first two days of week 2, he stayed in the steps but was actually in the water. and the last TWO DAYS of our TWO WEEK swimming lesson, he got in the water with me and made me pretend i was dory and he was marlin.

good times.

fast forward to last year. when we heard about a really great swim 'school' further south. but it was going to be at weentrab's house, and i thought it would be perfect. a *little* more expensive, but surely it will be worth it.

the first day there was a mix-up, and we were sent to a different house. i thought big h would flip out. this was NOT a mommy and me class, and the instructors get your child out of the car. totally new to us.

big h was a champ. didn't know a soul. but liked the cute, little instructor. when she put him in the car after the lesson, she was so positive and encouraging. i just knew we were going to be fine. but i thought we should be at weentrab's. so the director let us go to her house the following day to finish the rest of the two weeks at her house. big h didn't care for the instructor at all. at. all. so because i must have sounded so pathetic, the director let us go back to the other pool the third day and stay there for the remainder of the two weeks.

whew. i'm tired just writing it.

but as nice as the cute, little instructor was and as courteous as big h was to her, he NEVER went under water. the entire two weeks.

probably should add (for those of you still following along) that big h (and now goo) has tubes. which require ear plugs. which are a pain in the rear. and incredibly dorky looking, if i'm going to be perfectly honest.

we decided that since big h remembered his cute, little instructor from last year freakish, i know), we would do this same 'swim school.' two sessions. and goo and i would do a session together.

which has required us to take out a second mortgage on our house.

fast forward to monday of this week. big h has talked non-stop about being excited about swimming and being a diver with miss courtney (cute little instructor from last year). my expectations were so low you could scrape them up off the ground. turns out miss courtney doesn't get back from her mission trip until next week. ok. we can acclimate. we're easy going like that. a cute girl shows up to get big h and his goggles, towel, and custom ear plugs, made out of 14K gold. she introduces herself as maggie the mermaid, and big h immediately does his REALLY LOUD laugh, saying "you're not a mermaid. you don't have a fin. mama, she's silly."

yep. she's a silly one, that maggie.

and i have gotten nothing but good reports back from both of the instructors. dude goes underwater. holds his breath. jumps off the side. is definitely noticeably scared but age-appropriate. and he gets a dumdum after every lesson. icing on the cake, really.

my man? he's kickin' butt and takin' names, that olympian.

then, we played with four of the franklin five on wednesday, which was awesome. somehow, both of my children had accidents. the kind requiring them to exit the premises donning only the finest from the franklin clothing line.

good times.

had dinner last night with someone rad. always lots of fun.

and now, because i feel like it's just wrong to make you read any more, i'm leaving you with the most recent pictures on the camera that gets carted around in my diaper bag.

and the dorky music? couldn't do anything about it. and this smilebox thing? only way i could post some pictures tonight without having to sit on my hiney for hours on end. so my apologies. but don't deny it. you love the rockin' music. go ahead. turn it up. jam.

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