Swimming Champion!

Lexi and I have been doing mom and "tot" swim classes for several sessions now at our local YMCA. She enjoys being in the water, but she is timid, and has never been confident in her ability. However, over the past several months I have slowly been able to convince her to move from three, down to two, down to one bubble. Each time we move down I make a deal that she only has to try it for five minutes, and if it's too hard we'll go back up. We've never had to do that. Once she gets in and starts swimming around with less support, she is up and swimming in no time and has a blast.
The past two sessions we've gone to have been with a wonderful instructor, Mary Ann who encourages the kids to try swimming without their bubbles from 6 feet away to the wall almost every week. Lexi never wants to do this, and has refused to try up to this point. I don't push it because what's important to me right now is that she enjoys herself and has fun in the water.
So, last night we wandered into our last swim class of the session. Hand in hand we walked over to the bubble baskets and started looking for a good bubble. I saw that they had a few bubbles that had been cut in half, and suggested that we try one of those tonight. Lexi enthusiastically agreed, so we put it on. I joked with Mary Ann that if she did well, maybe next time we would try just using the belt! So, we hopped into the pool, and Lexi set off swimming and doing a great job. A few times her head went under, but she handled it well, and just worked harder to get herself out of the water. We swam around like this for awhile, while I tried to get her to realize that she needed to keep her butt up in order to move forward in the water. She was doing a great job. Then, Mary Ann told us to take off the bubble. I took it off and placed it on the side of the pool, while Lexi argued that she couldn't swim without it. I said to her, "Lexi, look at that little bubble, and now look at you. Do you think that tiny little bubble is holding you up in the water?" "Yes." she said quietly. "NO!" I laughed. "Who do you think is holding you up in the water?" "Mama?" she asked. "No..." "me?" "Yes!! You are holding yourself up! That little bubble can't hold up such a big girl!" I said enthusiastically. So, we went out 6 feet from the wall and made a deal. I told her I would hold onto her bathing suit to keep her up. She agreed, and as she started getting her arms and legs moving I held my own breath and let go. And I'll be damned, that girl swam all by herself to the wall. My little girl...the one who I once worried might never walk, swam BY HERSELF to the wall. And then did it again. Because she could. Proudest Mama Ever.

Language Explosion

Along with teeth, of which he now has at least nine (four on the bottom, three on the top front, and two molars), Zach has had a language explosion lately. It's not just what he is able to say that has improved, but also what he can understand. We have finally come to a point where we can exchange a few words back and forth and actually understand each other. He can successfully ask for a ball, juice, cheese, or crackers (which he also calls cheese) and I can successfully understand. I can tell him that I'm going to change his diaper, or bring him downstairs before "num-nums" and he also understands. He also follows directions pretty well now. I can tell him to "Go find Lexi", "Go throw it away", or "Let's go take a bath/brush teeth/go upstairs" and he definitely understands and follows. Speaking of Lexi, he now has a name for her...it sounds a bit like "Betsy" but it's clear when he's talking about her or looking for her.
He now plays and interacts with his friends and family like a regular little kid. He says "hi" and "bye" to everyone and everything (including balls), plays games with other kids, dances to the music, and wants to do everything that Lexi is doing. If she's coloring, he's coloring. If she's brushing her teeth, he wants to brush his teeth. If she's eating, he has to eat. And the worst, if she's crying, he's crying...he might not know why, but he will cry his eyes out if Lexi cries. It is "Monkey See Monkey Do" with everything in our house. But it's not a bad thing. Lexi is teaching Zachary all sorts of wonderful things, and being such an angel of a child, I'm pretty happy to have her as his role model.
Yup, my baby is growing up...both of them actually...and it just keeps getting better. Last week Lexi asked me if I wished she was still a baby. I told her that while I loved it when she was tiny and I could hold her in my arms and snuggle her anytime I wanted, I would never go back. I love it now that she's old enough to have conversations with. She's become my buddy...we shop together, cook together, play together, and have fantastic conversations. I love watching the world through her eyes...and now Zachary's as he is able to express his opinions as well. I love it when Lexi says things like, "Soon there will be more arm where my hand is now!" and "Lightening is more frightening to me than thunder". I love listening to my children talk, and I love having conversation with them. Babies are great, but this time is so much fun. They're growing up and we're having a ball...or "bawwwwl" as Zach would say...and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Slow As Molasses

Ahren has long berated me for finding The Great Molasses Spill of 1919 to be one of the more amusing tragedies of our state's history. I know the actual details of the event are not even slightly funny, but when I hear the event name I can't help but imagine this slow motion mountain of molasses chasing people down the street and it makes me wonder how they couldn't outrun the substance known for how slow it moves. Perhaps he and Lexi are now in cahoots to show Mama just how tragic molasses can really be.

Lexi has reached a whole new level of slow in the morning. If you could imagine someone going through each step of dressing so slow that you would say, "Now that's just ridiculous...no one could be THAT slow" and then slow it down a bit more, then you might be able to imagine Lexi's routine in the morning. She literally moves at such a pace that her movement is often indecipherable from non-movement. This morning it took her 45 minutes to get out of bed, use the potty, take off her nightgown and put on her shirt and pants. 45 minutes. FORTY FIVE MINUTES. I dare you to try to take 45 minutes to accomplish only these 5 things. But we're not done there! No, once we finally get dressed we have to go downstairs and eat breakfast. As we are heading down I'm prepping her, "Lexi, I want you to go right to the fridge and get out your yogurt, get a spoon, and go to the table to eat, okay?" "ooookkkkaaaayyy mmmooommm. (she even talks slow in the morning)" So we get down, and she wanders slowly to the table with a dazed look in her eyes. I clap loudly (learning from Fadia) and say, "Lexi! Yogurt!" As she wonders back to the kitchen she stops at a toy and starts telling me which ducks are her favorite. Is this kid for real? 30 minutes later we give up on breakfast (Zach and I had plenty of time to eat. Lexi claimed she was done but had only eaten a few bites) and head to the car. Once in the car I get to control the speed so everyone is much happier. But once at school she informs me that I'm walking too fast. I have about 36 hours worth of "stuff" to get done in each 24 hour period...and I like to sleep, so walking slow enough to allow a snail to pass us is a little crazy making for me. The worst part of this is that trying to rush a 4 year old is like trying to get a fire to go out by fanning the flames...it only makes it worse.

So I ask you, should three hours be enough time for me to get myself and two kids out the door in the morning? If I concede that the Great Molasses Spill of 1919 was completely tragic, and not at all funny, will it make my 4 year old move faster in the morning? I'm willing to give that a try...

Adventures with Lexi and Zach

As it has been since I went back to work after Lexi was born, Mondays and Fridays are my days "off" from work...which really just means that they are the days that I can wear jeans and pull my hair out at home, instead of in my office...where it's quiet. While I often reserve Fridays for fun, and less pressure for getting stuff done, Mondays are my prep days. I try to get enough done on Monday so that I can simply survive Tuesday through Thursday without anything major falling apart.
Yesterday was a pretty "regular" Monday, all things considered, but despite the amount of chores and errands, and playdates I chose to cram into the day, Lexi and Zach apparently made it their mission to make mom laugh. The amusement started early and just kept on coming...

Zach: (7am) Heads toward the kitchen pointing to the cabinet and saying, "cheese? cheese?" I realize that he now thinks that crackers are called "cheese" since often when I pull out the crackers for a snack, Lexi comes bounding in saying, "I want some CHEESE!" I find it hysterical that he calls them "cheese", and I would probably feed him a pound of crackers just to hear him ask for them. :)

Lexi: (1pm) While Zach was napping, she offered to help me clean out my car. I lost sight of the floor mats several months ago...thanks in large part to the 5-10 pieces of artwork that come home from school each day. So I handed her the stack of no less than 50 pictures and asked her to go through and pick out which ones she wanted to keep, and which ones we could get rid of. The very first one off the pile she announces is trash. I think, "Hmm...this is going to be great. She actually wants to throw some away..." So back outside I go, leaving her with her task. 10 minutes later she arrives on the porch to announce that she's done. "I picked one that I want to throw away, and the rest I want to keep." Oh boy...

Zach: (4:45pm) While shopping at Target Zach spots a ball on the ground. "Ball? Ball? Ball?" Yes, I see the ball, and for the next 5 minutes he and Lexi try to convince me to hand them the ball so that they can play catch with it in the cart (Uh...no.) A few minutes later I was done in that spot so I said to Zach, "Say byebye to the ball, Zachy" and he says in the saddest baby voice ever..."byebye ball....sigh..." and put his head down on the side of the cart as though I'd just given him the news that balls have now been banned in Massachusetts. Poor, sad baby. You'd never know he has at least 37 balls at home...in different sizes, textures and colors...more than most babies could ever imagine.

Lexi: (4:50pm) Still at Target, now in the soap section, Lexi spots Princess Soap (God help me, could we please have ONE product that does not come with a Princess on the label?? I'm waiting for the day they start making Princess Tampons!). "LOOK!! MAMA!!! PRINCESS SOAP!!!" "Yes, Lexi. I see the Princess soap. Very cool." "Do you think it comes out like a princess, Mama??" "Um...no...I think it comes out looking like soap." "Do you think it helps you to prepare to be more like a princess, Mama??" "No Lexi. The only difference between that soap and the rest of the soap on the shelf is that that soap has princesses on the label." Ahren later told me this was mean. I suggested he might think differently if he spent more time shopping with her.

Zach: (5:30pm) Paying at Target, Zach sidles up to the checkout "bar" and babbles to the cashier something that sounds very much like, "What are you doing?" to which the cashier responds, "Did you ask me what I'm doing?" Zach says, "Yea" so he replies, "I'm ringing up your stuff." and Zach replies in a tone that screams "that is SO boring", "Oh...wow."

Mondays can be stressful, but this day was filled with laughs. My kids are such joys, and they really make my days at home so much more fun.

Easter and More

Life has been good for the Lippman Family in the last few weeks. Busy...but very good. After two or three "hundred year storms" that came just about every two weeks, the sun finally emerged right before Easter, and we've been thrilled to get outside and enjoy our yard.
We hosted 15 people for Easter this year, and the weather was so amazing that we were able to do an egg hunt for the kids outside. They had a blast, and I think the adults enjoyed watching them.
Lexi was finally able to go back to school this week after two weeks off due to the flooding in her preschool. They are temporarily at a Little Sprouts about 15 minutes from the house, so it's quite a drive to bring her there, but we're enjoying it. We take back roads and drive by some swans, horses, and the ever famous "Killer Bees" sign on Salem Street. She was a little bit overwhelmed on her first day back in such a big school, but she quickly settled in, and now she's very happy to be back with her friends and her teachers.
She's still in swimming lessons and has become very confident with only one bubble. Her teacher is very impressed and would like to see her move on to the individual class, but she is still too nervous to go. So, we'll continue on until she turns 5, and figure out what to do from there.
Zachary is a walking, talking, climbing machine. He's entered such a wonderful phase now where he's more interested in going off on his own to explore and play with his toys. He is thrilled at the wonderland he's discovered in our yard this year. He can now independently climb up the ladder AND up the slide, and come down on his own. He also enjoys swinging in Lexi's swing rather than the baby swing. There is nothing he won't try, and I have to do my best to let him go, rather than panic with every move he makes.
Fadia tells me that he has quite a crush on a little girl at daycare. She is younger than he is, and she tells me that he brings her toys, tries to make her laugh by dancing and singing for her, and he always puts his arm around her and tilts his head so gently. It's adorable. In the morning if I ask him if he wants to go see Aileen he gets all excited and starts "talking" away. I assume he's asking me to pick out a really handsome outfit for him so that he can impress her.
Everything is going very well, and we're all looking forward to more nice weather so that we can enjoy some time outside. I'm hoping things will settle down for us over the next few weeks...but until then, here are some pictures for your entertainment... The first couple are the kids on Easter morning, the rest are the kids in the yard.