Water Baby

Merry Christmas week, sweet friends!  I cannot believe it’s here!  It’s finally here!

So today’s post might be a little hodge-podge-ish, but I promise it’s good!

First, I want to tell y’all about Reynolds’ swim lessons he’s been doing the last month and a half.  And gush a little about this sweet little man of ours.

Six {or more?!} weeks ago, he loved to be in the water.  He always did so well at our friends’ pool, the ocean, bath, etc.  But he hated getting his face wet.  HATED.  As in, complete and utter melt-down if his face got wet…washing the kid’s hair was always so much fun!!!  NOT.

Anyhew, I really wanted him to have swim lessons earlier this year, but it just didn’t happen.  I feel like the options for swim lessons are very few {at least in Columbia…?}.  He was on a waiting list at one point at the YMCA, but then it just kept filling back up.  Being that we weren’t members we were like LAST on that totem pole to get in.

October rolled around and that super long to-do list that I just keep carrying around made it’s way to work one morning and I perused it to see what I could do that particular day while at lunch.  “R swim lessons”.

I checked the Y’s website and there was a class starting in November.  I called.  Six spots available.  And by doggy, one of them was going to be ours!

I put it on my calendar as a to-do to go by and sign him up and pay {had to do it in person}, like, 3 times that week.  We went that Saturday morning.  Better late than never, right?

Please know, the YMCA that we’ve been going to is a 27 minute drive from our house.  Again, why are the options so few?!

So every Saturday morning at 7:45am we’ve left our house to get to the Y in time for that 8:30am lesson.

By the 2nd week we had to go under…as in, full head….ALL of you.  Just once.  I may have panicked in my heart a little….

He flipped.  Screamed, cried.  The whole emotional breakdown, for about 30 seconds.  But recovered easily after that.  And then all day long told people that he’d gone under all proud and excited-like.  I wanted to tell him he was such a faker.  And be like, why can’t you be excited WHEN you have to do it?!

Hello.
So the 3rd week we had to go under twice.  Daddy and Eliza Jane came to that one because the following Saturday I was going to be out of town {Abundance!!} and Daddy was going to be partaking in the lesson that Saturday.

The first dunking was near disaster.  Our instructor, Mr. Fred said, “Alright, Mom…your turn.  You need to do it with him this time so he can see that it’s ok….”

But…but I wasn’t ready.  I don’t want to get my hair wet.  We had plans for after…  I didn’t bring a blow-dryer.

Suck it up. MOM.

R was saying over and over how he didn’t want to do it again.  I looked at Andrew…I blew hard in R’s face and we both went under.

Back up, he was screaming like a wild banshee.  I was desperately trying to get the water out of my face and telling him he was ok.  He saw my wet face and hair and busted out laughing, “Momma!!! YOU WET!!!”

Really?  Really, is that all it takes?!  I’ll go under every time, you crazy, sweet thing!!

We blew bubbles in the water and he was fine.

He’s learned how to kick, “scoop”, lay on his back, blow bubbles, and tell me who’s the first to get in the water:  Mommy, Daddy, DJ and Dana…and Bella {their dog}.

Right!

He’s come a long way from that first water baby lesson and I am so proud of him. Everything {save the 6:30am wake-up call on Saturday} has been a bunch of fun and great learning for both of us.

Saturday was our last day and he got his certificate of completion.

Way to go little dude…your Momma sure is proud of you!

 

So next thing, I wanted to share with y’all some festive things real quick!

1. The Peanut Butter Fudge I linked y’all to last week – I made this Sunday night and um, it’s AMAZING!  So if your family is safe eating peanuts/peanut butter, you have to make it!!!
2. I adore Lucy over at Craftberry Bush and she has just the cutest →Christmas tag printables← {everything she creates is cute!} – check them out!
3. I was looking for something yummy for breakfast on Christmas morning…thinking of a french toast casserole or something easy like that and wouldn’t you know it, Julie Blanner posted these last night for me: →Meltaway Muffins← that I am totally going to make, along with my standard sausage balls!
4. Anyone looking for last minute gifts?  Brit + Co has such fun and interesting things!  Including really cool online classes!! {not like calculus or physics or anything non-fun like that!}

I think that’s all I have for today!  Happy Monday, Merry Christmas week – I hope you all are celebrating the joy and wonder that this time of year brings!!