week ending Aug 19.2007

This week the kids got brave in the pool. Early this summer they saw a kid with goggles and they asked me to get some for them. I said that goggles were for kids who put their faces in the water and that once they learned to put their faces in the water they could have goggles. This week they both got brave and decided to try it so I took them to Target and bought goggles. The set with kids sized mask, fins, and snorkel wasn't appreciably more expensive so I got one for each of them. Alex wore his mask and snorkel above the water for a quite a while and then gradually he'd dip his chin in the water and then a little of his mask. He was so proud of himself! Chloe won't even put the mask on and I originally thought it was because we were having trouble getting the proper tension on it and it was getting caught in her hair as she pulled it on and off between me adjusting it, but today she told me she was scared because she couldn't breath out of her nose with the mask on. At least now I know what we are facing. She did get brave about swimming with her life vest on. Both kids would kick around the pool while in an inflatable doughnut, but this summer they decided to try swimming with life vests on. At first they were scared because the vests didn't hold them as high out of the water as the doughnuts did, so they'd hold onto a couple of pool noodles, but then Chloe got used to it and let go of the noodles. Their vests have a buoyant flap behind their heads and today Chloe decided to try to float on her back with the flap holding her head up. After Alex saw her do it, he tried it too (they'd both previously refused to try it). We are down in Chincoteague today and there are no pool noodles, so Chloe was kicking around the pool in just her life vest and Alex decided to get brave and he did it too. I think the mask and snorkel experience earlier this week helped because he was used to the feeling of the water on his chin where earlier this summer he'd panic when the water got up as high as his shoulders. We were going to go to the beach today, but the kids remembered the park with the pirate ship and wanted to go there. Chloe made instant friends with several kids and the twins wore themselves out and never asked to go to the beach. Earlier in the week I took the kids to Daddy's new office building for lunch and to see the Capitol building. The kids said they wanted to go inside and Daddy told them it was for grown-ups, but I wanted to see the inside too, so we signed up for a free tour. In the 40 minutes that the kids lasted in the tour we only saw 3 rooms, so it was too slow for them and we ducked out early. I don't suppose there is much value in their seeing it at this age, but I think that even after 25 years in the area I'd never seen the inside, so it was good for me! Another milestone for the trip was that I didn't bring the stroller with us. Previously I liked having the stroller with us so it is easier to keep both kids contained, but as they're getting more mature they are better and better about sticking with me.