Slightly Biased Life View

Riding away

Sledding at the cliffs

Shredding with Tony Hawk

Coffee Shop is open for Business

Birthday party with pythons

Improvise

Bubbles

Cast Away

Kitchen Counter

Dinosuars Marching

Dinosaurs Roar

A Thomas Train Ride

Boo!

Diving

The Front Crawl

Butterfly Stroke

A Monster Impression

Getting My Eyes Wet

A Dramatic Reading

Swimming Stories

Happy Birthday

A Reading by Miss Mason

Day at the beach

Sweet Jumps

The Running Song

Fall is Here

Top of the Hill

Warmup at Cape Fear

More from the porch

Playing catch on the porch

Nationals Park Opener - President First Pitch

Pump it Up - after party

Just a lazy Saturday morning

Giggles

Reading and coloring . . . loudly

More hockey

Hockey of all things

Note from swim teacher

From: jeanie <xxxxxx@msn.com>
Date: Feb 12, 2008 10:07 PM
Subject: Re: Swim Lessons
To: Michelle Mantey

HE is doing very well.  I was planning to talk to you because I thought  we were at a bit of an impasse.  He was adamantly refusing to put his face in the water at all, and for a few lessons before today, he was refusing to work on back floats.  I had just about decided to have a conversation about pushing him a bit harder even if he balked, or cried a bit, BUT today he was a very different little person! 

When we started, I told him that it was time for him to start putting his face in the water.  I said he didn't have to do it more than once or twice, and that I would help him.  He said, "okay."  I was shocked!  Usually he goes into a pouty face and says he doesn't want to, but there was none of that!  Then when we were working on his flutter kick I saw a real swimmers kick off and on.  He has a good strong kick, but it has been a bicycle kick, bending at the knee like riding a bike or walking, not like swimming where the kick begins at the top of the leg, not the knee.  He was not consistent, but I was thrilled over the change.  Most of my swim team kids are still doing that bicycle kick.  This is a huge step forward. 

When I worked with him on picking up the fish, and dive rings (That is how I get him to work on putting his face in the water), he did not do any of his previous stalling and balking.  And when he did have to dunk himself in order to reach down, his reaction was very calm and matter-of-fact, not shocked, gasping, or cranky.

Next we usually work on jumping into the water.  He has refused to try from the side of the pool, so I have been working with him from the top step of the ladder.  He holds a noodle and jumps, but usually wants help.  I told him that we should try from the side of the pool today.  At first he refused, but I told him we could start from the step, then I would help him from the side.  He did the step pretty much on his own.  Then I helped him a bit from the side of the pool.  Right now we are still on sitting jumps so it is not a big deal.  He though it was fun, and said he wanted to try again.  I sat him up on the ledge, and before I could get set to look like I was helping him, he had jumped on his own!

We also played a ball game, hitting a ball with a noodle.  He was so at ease with that, that it seems he may be ready to let go of the flotation aids.  Not all at once, but until now he had been very clingy with them.  Today he was  very nonchalant in his attachment to the noodles, almost letting go of them entirely. 

Finally, I have been working with him on "jumps" from the platform to the side and back.  These are actually preliminary work on prone glides, and on getting him used to depending on himself and not me to get across a stretch of water.  He usually wants to be  sure my arm is ready to catch him, or insists I hold onto his shorts as he jumps.  He has not done a distance beyond easy reach without some contact with me, but today he made it from the platform to the side without any help at all-a distance clearly beyond his reach which he  really had to jump and kick to cross.  He was very proud of himself, as well he should be.  His confidence today was a great leap forward. 

I was discussing this with Ellen afterward, and realized that he seems leaner than in the past.  I think he has passed a developmental milestone and is transitioning from babyishness to boyishness.  His body shape is changing (babies are rounder, and more top-heavy, which makes them more clumsy in the water, and only capable of underwater swimming, since they cannot lift their heads enough to catch breaths.)  He is definitely maturing physically.  One thing we look at when evaluating progress is what a child is physically capable of at a given age. 

He was also much more adventurous today.  He is more confident in his physical abilities, so is more ready to stretch his limits and try new things. 

Now if I could just get him to wear goggles....

Just an annual update

I've been letting the videos do the typing so to speak lately.  Holidays are over and gone.  Unfortunately, the tree is still up and drying out and the lights are still hanging on the porch.  Maybe by Valentines they will all be put away.

Action packed around the house everyday.  Matthew's back in school (according to the teacher, he's king of the puzzles) and Miss Mason will be going 2 days a week in the fall.  Miss Mason just had her 18-month checkup and passed with flying colors.  Four shots to the leg and barely a whimper.  She's thinning out a bit and her hair is getting longer by the day.

Tale of the tape -

weight 26. 5 oz 75%

length 33 at 60%

head 18 ¾ at 75%

She's having lots of conversations.  Most not recognizable.  Certainly proud that she says "peez" and "tank yu"; "aqua" means anything in a refrigerator or cupboard and at night she brushes her "tee teeth"

Yum, yum. Ice Cream!!

Two trains are always better than one, no?

"Come On!"

The Afterparty

Dancing a little jig

Do you remember your first baseball game?

I don't remember mine. I do remember at some point going to County Stadium and seeing the guy slide down the slide into the keg of beer and balloons came out. I know my first experience was certainly not on the field watching some BP. What a great time. We didn't get real close to any big names, but chatted with a few of the players. So this kid, Lannan, just came up. I think he won his first start and is going again on Monday. Matthew now has a ball with his rookie autograph.

Put me in coach, I want to play!

Lady is Walking, repeat, Lady is Walking!

14 months to the day!

Throwing rocks

I'd be delightful

Been a while since I wrote anything here.  Video is the new text I guess.  Can't capture everything on video though and the little lady has been suggesting that I update things.  Keeping a handle on these two and keeping all the balls in the air is overwhelming.

I guess though, when Matthew says, "Daddy, if you would play trains with me, I would be delightful." it sort of stops you in your tracks.   So grammatically a little off, but you get the point.

Tale of the tape for Mason at a year:

Height - 95%

Weight - 60%

Head size - 80%

She's standing on her own and ready to take that first step.  Still smiling 92% of the time, eating everything you put in front of her, sleeping like a rock and I think she said "daddy" for her first word.