Swimming Lessons 102 - Session Five

Carly had her final lesson for this session today. We used stacking cups to have a tea party with, Carly really enjoyed filling the cup with water and then pouring it out. We also kicked and splashed our way toward an inflatable ball. Carly asked the instructor in her non-verbal way if she could start jumping off of the edge of the pool. Once everyone began jumping from the edge, Carly began going under the water. She had a fabulous last lesson until the very end. Carly used her knee to help get herself out of the pool. Unfortunately, while up on her knees her hands slipped out in front of her and she bumped her chin. There was little reaction from Carly until I got out of the water. When I think she and I noticed the blood at the same time. There was not a lot of blood, but enough to leave drops on her bathing suit, towel, and change of clothes. She is absolutely fine now, with just a little scab on her chin.

While today was the last day of our swimming lessons, it is not the last day of our pool visits. We will be back in the pool sometime this week (hopefully before Friday)!

Sea Legs

Carly discovered her sea legs today (or really her lake legs). After her nap we ventured out on the water to meet some friends. I packed a cooler and had plenty of snacks in hoping to entertain her long enough on the boat for Dave and I to each take a swim and have some adult conversation. However, we learned quite quickly that I did not need the food as a treat. After putting on her swim diaper and bathing suit bottom she got in her new inflatable raft and had a BLAST floating around the water visiting different groups of friends. After a nice long while she began requesting to get out of her raft and onto one of the two tubes that the older kids were wrestling and jumping off of. Thankfully, these kids were understanding and enjoyed sitting with her on the raft and later spotting her as she stood and balanced herself on the tube.

Eventually she did want to come out of the water for a snack and to visit with those on the boats we rafted up with. Thankfully while walking on various boats Carly was very steady on her feet. But before we headed home, she did go back out in her raft and on the older children's tubes. We arrived home four hours after our departure with a very hungry and happy little girl.

Too Sweet

Yesterday afternoon Carly showed her compassionate side. While the roofers were here, Jake began to have a seizure. Carly and I had been playing together, but she had been doing really well in short spurts of playing alone. So I left her playing and tended to Jake. During the last few moments Carly stood on the baby gate separating her from Jake. She did begin to vocalize her unhappiness with being on the opposite side of the gate. I originally thought Carly was upset because I was consoling Jake and not paying her attention. I tried verbally explaining this to her; however, was not having much luck in calming and quieting her down.

Once Jake's seizure was over, I opened the gate for Carly to join us. She quickly walked over to Jake and began to hug and pet him. Then I noticed she started climbing up the stairs to where Jake's blanket was sitting. As she climbed back down the stairs, Jake moved into the kitchen. This did not stop Carly's intentions of taking Jake his blanket.

Both of my babies use blankets to comfort themselves. And yesterday Carly wanted nothing more than for Jake to have his blanket during his time of discomfort.

Swimming Lessons 102 - Session Four

Carly and I attended her fourth swimming lesson today. During her lesson we worked on blowing bubbles. Carly was not too eager about this portion of the lesson, but did enjoy later reaching for an orange noodle and later a pink ball. About 15 minutes into the lesson Carly began begging to work on her "jumping" into the pool. With some coaxing, I was able to limit her frustration until the end of the lesson when she was able to jump in many times. Carly also really enjoyed watching the older kids across the pool. She was quite content practicing her floating, as long as I let her keep her eyes on the older kids.

Next week is our last class for this session. Carly's enjoyment has me looking into enrolling her in the next level (19 months - 36 months) towards the end of the summer.

Weekend Fun

This weekend marked the first weekend we were home and it was 90+ degrees here both days for 2011. So, we did what almost every family in our neighborhood did - we played outside with water.

On Friday night we went to our neighborhood's monthly pool and pizza party. Carly enjoyed playing in the pool with many of the other children and her daddy. She even got to borrow a friend's float for a ride around the pool.

On Saturday our outdoor fun continued at the pool. David and Carly ventured down to the pool after some yard work on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, there were not many people down at the pool with them, so by the time I was done cleaning they were on their way home. However, after lunch and a nap we all headed back down to the pool for another hour of family fun. This time Carly did have a few neighborhood friends to help occupy her interest. We did a lot of walking between the two pools, jumping into the water, and playing with various balls in the pool.

And of course you can't go to the pool without yummy snacks!!

On Sunday we decided not to head back to the pool, but rather to have some fun in our backyard and on the lake. After an early nap, Carly awoke to her daddy offering to make her a grilled picnic lunch. She played with her sand and water table while patiently waiting on her lunch to be prepared. After lunch she continued to enjoy playing with her sand and water table. Unfortunately, David and I were starting to get warm and Carly was showing no interest in going inside. David decided to turn on the sprinkler in the backyard for some relief and hopefully some more fun. Carly was not initially sure about the sprinkler, but warmed up quite quickly to it.

Our fun after the sprinkler continued with Kelly arrived for an evening boat cruise and dinner. After a short cruise we found a spot to anchor and enjoyed our sandwiches and pretzels. Unfortunately, Carly was warm and tired so we were not able to stay out long.

Julia's Graduation

The Pictures from Julia's Graduation are finally up.

Full Gallery

Too Close!

Carly had a close call today, that was closer to danger than I hope she will ever be again. She and I had gotten home from running errands when we saw our neighbors outside playing. We walked over to visit and then returned after picking up Carly's water bottle and some sidewalk chalk. Carly was busy playing with her chalk, while her friend was riding his bike up and down the sidewalk, and I was chatting with our neighbor. Carly's friend then asked if he could go across the street to visit with the twins that live near us. Carly heard this and started heading that way too. So the moms got up, I asked Carly to stop when she got the sidewalk (which THANKFULLY she did), and then it happened. A black Dodge Charger drove down our street (below the speed limit) swerving from side to side. He barely missed a car that was parked across the street before swerving up onto the grass patch between the street and sidewalk that was about 2 feet from where Carly was standing. The car then continued along the grass patch and hit our mailbox before continuing on its way. I was out of Carly's reach at the time, and everything appeared to have happened in slow motion. Thankfully the only damage that occurred today was to our mailbox; however, this mommy and her daughter will not be playing near the sidewalk for the near future.

Hint - If you don't have plans for this weekend, then Dave could use your help in the backyard. Carly will be playing in our backyard from now on.

After the police report was filed a neighbor described Carly's luck today as Devine Intervention, and I couldn't agree more.

Swimming Lessons 102 - Session Three

Carly had her third swimming lesson this morning. It had quite the hectic start. Dave called asking for a ride from the car dealer's service shop right as Carly sat down to eat breakfast. So off we went with her now "to go" breakfast. We got Dave to work and got into the pool only a few moments after class began. (Many of the parents were getting into the pool as we walked through the door.)

During today's lesson Carly kicked her legs, reached with her arms, jumped off of the edge of the pool and went under water a few times. We spent a great deal of time this week working with kick boards. Last year she really enjoyed holding onto the kick board, but this year she could have cared less.

Only two more weeks to go of these lessons, but hopefully the weather will warm up soon and she can get to the pool more often.

Grandparent Tour - Part 3

Carly and I have returned from the third (and final) part of our Grandparent Tour. Our final trip took us to Georgia for Julia's gradation from UGA. Dave flew out on Monday morning, so Carly and I departed on Tuesday morning after Carly's swimming lesson. We had a wonderful trip down. Carly played with various books and toys from here to Anderson. We then stopped for lunch and Carly was able to play in the indoor playground. We then loaded back into the car, where Carly proceeded to fall asleep and sleep the remainder of our trip.

On Wednesday, she and I went down to the Georgia Aquarium and looked at all of the exhibits at least once. Thursday, our adventures led us to the Atlanta Zoo. Carly, her Grandma, and I headed to the zoo shortly after rush hour and spent over 2.5 hours exploring many of the exhibits. While she did seem to be more interested in watching the many children visiting the zoo that day, she did try to pull herself out of her stroller while looking at the kangaroos. We also got to see a baby panda bear, 3 baby warthogs, and a baby giraffe.

Carly's excitement did not end with the zoo on Thursday. When we arrived back at her grandparents' home she was able to meet her Aunt Sharon and see her Uncle Jamie again. She was later on able to meet Ms. Emily (Aunt Sharon's mom) and see even more family! Unfortunately this excitement caused some bedtime difficulties. But thankfully she was willing to go to sleep before we left to go get Dave from the airport.

Friday was a low key morning, but we made sure to make up for it after nap time. Dave and I departed for Athens to watch and celebrate Julia's graduation. Carly stayed home and played with her cousins Benjamin and Samuel (thank you cousin Jessica and Ms. Emily).

Saturday started quite early (especially since the "middle generation" didn't get home until 4am); however we had a wonderful second celebration for Julia's graduation.

Swimming Lessons 102 - Session Two

Carly spent time in our neighborhood swimming pool on Saturday and Sunday, so I was very eager to see how she would do with today's lesson. Thankfully, she did quite well. The water was cool when we first got in, and unfortunately she was not able to get in as slowly and gradually as she did over the weekend. The kids were in their life vests for the first half of the lesson trying to get comfortable with them. During this time Carly slowly loosened her grip of me, and by the end of our life vest time was floating on her back without holding onto my fingers. (Even though we will not be using the vest next week, I do hope to get Carly in our neighborhood pool with her vest on.) In this week's lesson she also worked on her kicking, splashing, and reaching. She was not interested in blowing bubbles. We also spent a few minutes letting the kids "jump" off the edge, Carly REALLY enjoyed this. She was even willing to go underwater after every third "jump" from the wall.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there, and especially to our Moms, Grandmothers, and Great-Grandmothers!

Our home had a relatively calm day. Carly and I went to church while Dave stayed home and worked on school work. We then played and had a yummy grilled lunch. While Carly napped I ran a few errands and Dave continued working on school work. Then Carly and I headed to a nice relaxing hour at the pool while Dave did some yard work. (He trimmed our neighbor's bush which was over taking our driveway and sidewalk, along with the hedges in the front of our house.) While working in the yard he was also smoking some ribs. My Mother's Day dinner included smoked ribs, grilled corn and asparagus, and macaroni & cheese... YUMMY!! I also received a beautiful rose bush that will be moved into the yard (with last year's rose bush) when it is finished blooming!

Grandparent Tour - Part 2

Carly and I ventured out on the second portion of our grandparent tour this Wednesday morning. Carly started the day off bright and early with a 7:30 wake up. This left us ready to go by 8:45 and playing outside for thirty minutes waiting on the trash company to come so that we could put away our trash can before departing. Unfortunately, the trash company did not show by 9:15 and this eager mom and daughter duo were tired of waiting. We were able to sought out help from a neighbor who agreed to put our trash can away for us, and away we went. Our first stop in Columbia was to my favorite education store in search of some fun for Carly. Unfortunately, the items I was interested in were not currently in-stock...BOO!! We left there and headed to 5-points to meet my mom and brother. Robert was getting a pre-hooding ceremony haircut, so we thought it was a great excuse to meet for lunch. The remainder of our day was low key, but only in preparation for Thursday.

Thursday morning, Carly decided to start the day EXTRA early. She woke up before 6:30 and just stared at me. I awoke at 6:30 to the feeling of two little eyes staring at me. Hoping she would got back to sleep, I did not move. Finally around 6:45 I turned my head slightly, which of course she saw and began grunting and pointing. She apparently thought her diaper was too wet for her liking. After our early morning start we headed out to Riverbanks Zoo with a friend of my mom and her grandson (who is 1 month older than Carly). The two of them really enjoyed their time at the zoo; however, I am sure they both wished they could get out and run (instead of being confined to their strollers). Our early and long morning resulted in a nice 3 hour nap, which thrilled my dad. Carly woke up at 5:00 and was very fresh when he arrived home. They played together until almost 8:30. Carly especially enjoyed throwing her softball with him and begging for candy.

Thankfully, Friday morning did not start quite as early as Thursday morning did. Carly had a calm morning playing while I tried to help my mom as much as possible in preparation for Robert's hooding ceremony later in the afternoon. Dave was able to make it to my parents' house just in time to wake Carly up for her nap so that we could head down to the ceremony. Carly was very well behaved for the first portion of the ceremony. She really enjoyed watching the graduates walk into the auditorium and clapping during all the introductory remarks and awards. However, once the guest speaker began the Commencement Speech - she was DONE! Dave walked her around for a while, then it was my turn, then Dave came back to relieve me, during which Carly enjoyed climbing various sets of stairs and hugging the many other toddlers who were playing outside of the auditorium. This allowed me to watch Robert be hooded with my parents (my mom got AMAZING seats), while Dave and Carly watched from afar. After Robert was hooded and was done shaking hands, the Orr contingency departed from the ceremony. We were able to meet up with my parents for a quick Rush's dinner before getting on the road and heading back home.

Ewww!

I will admit that something much more disgusting could happen and will happen, but tonight's actions did result in an EWWWW from me...

During Carly's bath time she was busy playing and pretending to bath herself. After giving her a complement, I asked for a kiss. She began to lean in, so I did too. Then when she was just a few centimeters away she SNEEZED! Thankfully it was a snot-free sneeze, but it was definitely not a dry sneeze. She was not phased by her actions at all, and backed away just like she had kissed me.

Just some of the joys of motherhood!

Swimming Lessons 102 - Session One

Carly started swimming lessons today!! Learning from last year's mistakes I did not get to the pool area 15 minutes early like requested. Instead, I was in the locker room 15 minutes early, got Carly all suited up and walked into the pool early 5 minutes early. We were still the second family to arrive and the first to double check our contact and emergency information.

The instructor asked to use Carly to help show the other parents how to get into the pool, which Carly was not happy about... The idea of someone else holding her around water was not quite in today's comfort zone. The instructor quickly picked up on these signals but unfortunately left me with quite the clingy toddler. We did have a few tears upon entering the water, but she quickly began to enjoy herself. She kicked, splashed, and put her mouth in the water (when she was supposed to be blowing bubbles). Carly also went underwater twice during today's lesson.

I am excited about next week's lesson because we will be using Carly's toddler life vest during part of the time. :-) Hopefully, this weekend's weather will be nice and we can venture down to the pool for some practice time!

Waiting in the Locker Room!

All Done!

Well, today is the day that Carly is all finished with her frozen milk. I never in my wildest dreams thought that Carly would nurse for over a year, or that the stock pile I created would last until she was 18 months. Around 11 months we transitioned Carly from nursing to drinking thawed milk in a sippy cup, and I was down to pumping on occasion since I had resigned from my teaching position and would not need to be sending milk to daycare. Then around 1 year we began introducing whole milk, which slowed down the depletion of frozen milk supply. When Carly quit nursing at Christmas we began thawing two bags a day, she would use them for nap times and at bedtime. Between December and now she has begun drinking less and less at nap time and bed time (and dropped her second nap), and as a result 1 bag has lasted two bedtime routines and the nap time in between. Well, last night I thawed our last bag and tonight she finished the last 2 ounces.

And then there were Four

Carly's fourth tooth (upper right canine) arrived tonight!! She had been a little temperamental today and finally it was there right after her bath. Hopefully, she will be able to sleep through the night. She has a big day tomorrow - swim lessons start up again!

Kick Off to the 2011 Boating Season

Today marked our families kick off to the 2011 Boating Season! Dave prepped and "tested" the boat during Carly's nap time, before returning home to eagerly await her awakening. Thankfully, he let her be and she finally awoke after a 2.5 hour nap (which is about an hour longer than usual for her). As soon as she began to stir he jumped into action, getting her out of the crib, changed, and ready to go. After some sunscreen and putting on her hat and crocs, Carly was ready to head out.

Like last season she was not so sure about going slow through the no wake zone. However, this did change after she realized how she could wave to other boaters on the water and people on the docks we passed. Once we were out of the no wake zone and Dave was able to get us moving she really began to enjoy herself. She continued to wave to other boaters, while also waving to her daddy and dancing to the music. (Which made us realize, she could be quite the boating handful during her teenage years... dancing on a boat is cute when you are 18 months, not so much at 18 years old.)

About half way through our ride, Carly got into Dave's lap and was given a chance to help him drive. She loved sitting in his lap, holding the steering wheel, and being higher up than she was on my lap. Unfortunately, she did not quite understand why she could not continue helping her daddy drive the boat for our entire return trip. However, she was able to help Dave out through the no wake zone back to our slip. Thankfully, her thirst captivated her enough during the docking process. She sat very patiently in the second captain's chair drinking her water while Dave parked the boat.