Final Day of Swim Lesson Series 1

Today was the last day of our first series of swim lessons. I am so proud of what they've accomplished in only 5 lessons...and so are they! (Each series is 8 lessons, but we weren't in the correct class for Jackson's level on the first day, and we skip on Wednesdays for Bible study.) They have really wanted Jason to come watch during their class, but we have lessons at 9:00 am. Since this was their last class, he made the effort to leave work and watch them swim. I was so grateful that he got to watch them and that he was there to hold Lizzie so that I didn't have to put her in the child care area (which I always feel horrible about doing)..

Allison's coach asked that we have our children jump in the pool with clothes on. She says she always includes this as part of her parent-child classes because she has seen little children who are really good swimmers fall in the pool with clothes on and freak out. Allison didn't have a problem with it, but I understand why her teacher does it. The first time Allison jumped in, her initial reaction was to look down at her wet shirt...and I could tell that it bothered her. I had her jump in several times with her clothes on and then we took them off and did the rest of her class in her swimsuit. She loves jumping in the water. We did that a lot. She's awesome at floating on her back and kicking herself across the water, but she never wants to do it. We used the kick board and she really enjoyed that.

Jackson was so happy to have his daddy there. I heard him several times say," Watch me, daddy!" He jumped in the water as far as he could, changed direction under the water, and then swam back to the wall. He learned to float on his back and glide on his back. He learned to fully submerge himself in the water and hold his breath and also to grab objects from the bottom of the pool. He can now swim under the water a few body lengths before coming up for air. Jackson, I am so proud of you and I am thrilled to see you having so much fun!

After their lesson ended, they opened the slides and the play area for ten minutes. I took both of them down the spiraling slide and they loved it. This has been such a great experience. We start again in a week for two weeks and then I'm slowing things down to only two classes per week in the evenings so that we can all go as a family. After these next two series of lessons, Elizabeth gets to start in the parent-child class. I can't wait! I think she's going to love it.

Proud Swimmer

Isn't it so fun when you watch your child do something, succeed at it, and then really enjoy it because they are so excited they are mastering something?! That's what Jackson is experiencing right now. He loves swimming. I remember this time last year. He was not as fond of his first swim lessons, but he looks forward to these lessons every day. There are only two other boys in his class, so he gets lots of attention, and he loves his coach and does everything she asks with a smile on his face. Monday, they had open swim after their lessons, so the three of us swam a little before I picked up Lizzie from the childcare place. Once I got her, the three of us girls watched Jackson enjoy the last thirty minutes of open swim. He was so excited to show me everything he can do.

He is thrilled that he can swim under the water. He isn't going far, but it's wonderful to see him...

going under...

holding his breath or blowing bubbles and swimming slightly forward...

and then coming back up.

He's also learning how to float and kick while floating on his back.

Jumping in is, of course, a favorite!

One time he jumped in and got a little further out than what he's used to. He couldn't touch the bottom and he began to panic. I was holding Elizabeth, so jumping in after him was not a quick option. I'm so glad that I was holding her so that I could coach him what to do. I told him to hold his head back so that his mouth would be up out of the water. Once he got a breath or two, he realized that he was okay. I told him to move toward the wall and grab on, which he did without a problem. As a parent, I didn't like seeing him scared, but I was so thankful for the opportunity for him to use what he's learned to get himself out of a situation that he initially felt unable to conquer. Now, he'll know what to do next time.

They swam so hard that day. We were there for three hours and they were jumping in and swimming almost the entire time (only about 2 hours for Allison). We left and grabbed lunch on our way to the hospital to have Elizabeth's blood drawn for her genetic testing. As soon as they finished eating, they both passed out in the back of the van.

Swimming, it does a body good!

Allison Speech

Allison has always had some funny words that she's come up with since she began talking. She's has great two-year-old speech, don't get me wrong, but she pronounces some things in ways that we find so amusing. Jackson never did this. He almost always said words correctly on the first try, and if he didn't think he was saying it correctly, he'd ask. You could see his wheels spinning as he articulated each syllable. Allison, on the other hand, is just so happy to talk. It doesn't have to be perfect. She just loves living life. I don't want to forget the way she pronounces some things, so I'm recording a few of our favorites. We always say the correct word to her, but we don't try to correct her because 1.) We always want her to feel free to try things even when she can't master them yet. 2.) It's a fun part of life with a small child that will be gone way too soon. Many of these words she can say correctly, but she still uses her own little word.

Berenstain Bears = Banderbend Bears (she LOVES these books!)

Blankie = mank mank (even though she can say blankie, I think this one will stick for a while

Creation = mation

Vitamin = vice and now bite-a-min

Gatorade - galligatorade

Popcorn = copcorn
Cupcake = (she used to say) bake-bake

Allison also LOVES to read to herself. She gets a pile of books and flips through the pages telling stories. This is another thing that is new to me because Jackson didn't do this either. (I enjoy the differences in my kids so much. They are all three so unique and it is amazing to see how God knitted each of them together in His perfect design for the life He has for them.) The other day, she was reading the Bible to me and she said, "Jesus was in a barn in a manger. He died on the cross." I asked her why He died on the cross. She said, "Cuz He took our sins away. He took our footsies away and gave us new footsies." :-)) I asked her, "What is a sin?" She said, "I don't know what that is." I explained that, "A sin is anything that God doesn't like. For example, when you hid in the closet, opened the sprinkles and ate them. God doesn't want you to disobey your mommy and daddy and He doesn't want you to lie."

She was reading to me again today. She told me the same story...that Jesus died on a cross to take our sins away. (I just love that she talks about Jesus many times every day!) This time, when I asked her what a sin was, she said, "When I go in the closet and eat the sprinkles and pour them on the floor!" I love her so much! She has a shirt that says "Fun to be Me." It could not be more perfect for her. She is an absolute blast. Oh, she can cause mass destruction in the blink of an eye and make me lose my mind, but she is so fun because she loves living life. I sure hope I don't spoil it for her!

Special Number 4

Last Thursday, February 9th, my darling and precious gift from the Lord hit her 4th month.

I cannot say how much we love and adore this sweet little girl. She is amazing. I am so honored that I get to be her mother. I am so honored that God chose me to love and care for her as long as we are both living. I am blessed to be the mother of a girl who was born deaf and will, Lord-willing, hear again one day. Seriously! What an honor!! What an honor to be her mommy!

I so desperately wish our families could watch her grow. She is so calm and content. At least one time every day, I thank the Lord for making her my third child because she makes having three so much easier than it could be. She is happy all the time. She never cries unless she is hungry or tired. She sleeps wonderfully. She loves being held and she loves being down. Really, whatever I need at the moment, she is almost always happy to accommodate. I feel so undeserving of her and her contentedness teaches this complainer a lot. :-))

At her 4 month well check, she was 24 inches long, weighed 12 pounds 3.5 ounces, and her head was 16 inches. I don't care about her percentile rankings, but since a lot of us use them for fun, she was 38%, 18%, and 39% respectively. She began rolling over again from tummy to back on her 4 month birthday. (She first rolled a few times at 5 weeks when she was still a tummy sleeper, but then abandoned rolling until just now.) She rolled herself in the paper at her pediatrician's office. We love our pediatrician and he wears hearing aids too!

She's discovered her hands and her ears. It is so funny to watch her stare at them. It's like she's thinking, "Wow! What are these? Are they permanently attached because they are so neat?! They move and wiggle and they feel fantastic in my mouth." She loves to play on her play mat and grab toys. She's also starting to play with toys while sitting on my lap. She reaches out for things and grabs them. I can finally hold her propped on my side, which she loves, and she particularly enjoys grabbing onto my hair that is under the ponytail holder - not the hair that is pulled through the ponytail but the hair that is pulled tight and into the ponytail. When she's not being held or playing on her play mate, she loves being in her bouncy seat. Sometimes, I don't strap her and she quickly assumes this position. One of these days, I know she's going to scoot right off the end.

She gets so excited to watch the bubbles. She is very visual. She smiles and kicks her legs excitedly when I put her in. It's so fun to watch her. Her happiness brings me so much joy!

I'm not sure what's she's thinking (or working on) here, but she really is happy when she bounces on here.

Surprise, surprise, I don't get a lot of photos of her, but thank goodness for my phone. We took the kids to Chick-fil-A the other night...I love that place, MSG or not!...and Jason and I had so much fun with her. She is our little sunshine. Our hearts swell when we think of her because she is such a gift to us.

I love to give her kisses. Those cheeks are irresistible! She loves it too. She is SUPER ticklish. When we kiss her jaw line, neck, tummy, etc., she giggles away. There isn't a place on her body that isn't ticklish. She even giggles when I clean her hands with a washcloth or when Allison plays with them. We all love to make her laugh. It's so cute when Alli gets her to laugh because she'll yell, "Stop guys! Watch! Lizzie's laughing!"

Elizabeth loves to sit up. She can't sit on her own, but she is trying. I love to watch her crunch up while she's reclining or even lying flat on her back. I tried taking some photos of her the other day to put in her Valentine frame for Jason. It was so hard. She wanted to sit on her own but kept falling too far forward for me to get her face in the camera. I'm glad I got these pictures though. It's fun to look at her working on it and finding her feet.

It all starts with the neck coming forward and the chin going down...

...then she crunches forward...

...and then she tries to brace herself with her hands...

Sweet girl! She looks so much like Jason's dad and youngest sister...to me anyway. I constantly see his dad in her...in the faces she makes. I wish he was here to enjoy her. I really shouldn't say that because he's where we all long to be, but man, I would like to share our kids with him!

On Valentine's Day, I put her on the floor for a quick second to distract the kids while Jason put out their Valentines. I snapped this picture and it turned out to be a good reminder of how great the Lego table has been for all three kids, even the baby. Our kids play with Legos every day and Elizabeth LOVES to watch them build. The colors captivate her.

We love our Lizzie Mae so much. Jackson calls her Lizzie Mae Mae or sometimes just Mae Mae. Allison calls her Lizzie Maers. We all call her Lizzie, but Jason and I still try to call her Elizabeth. I always thought we'd call her Elizabeth and occasionally use a nickname, but Lizzie seems to be sticking. She's experienced a lot of firsts in her first 4 months of life - ABR tests; four airplane rides; hearing aids; an MRI; blood taken; ear molds every two weeks; swimming; church, Bible study and aquatic center nurseries (which she seems to enjoy), snow... We are so glad she's ours. I cannot say it enough, I am so honored that God chose me to raise her.

And we have another cause for celebration on the same day Lizzie turned 4 months. This blog had it's 4 year anniversary. Whoa!!! Four years of blogging! I can't believe I've stayed with it. I didn't even realize it had been that long until I read a post from a friend who (I didn't know at the time) started blogging the day after me. Some years have been better than others. Moving and new baby years have had about half the posts of the other years, but the average is 90 per year. If I keep this up (and I'm not holding my breath because life just gets busier), my kids will have 1800 posts to read when they turn 20. That's a lot! I have now freed myself to stop beating myself up for not recording everything. They'll never read it all anyway! :-)) I just hope I record the important things. And most of all, I hope they look back and see the hand of God at work in our lives. I'm so grateful for this little blog. It's been my way of scrapbooking. If it wasn't for this blog, my kids would not have a single scrap of their childhood except what they remember because I'm T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E at scrapbooking. I don't know how scrappers do it anyway. I can't keep up as it is. But this blog is a perfect fit for me because I love to tell stories much more than I like to cut paper and stick stickers.

Our Valentine's Day

We love holidays at our house and I really enjoy Valentine's Day. To be honest, I don't even know why we have it, but I love the colors, the homemade treats, the candy, the hearts, the expressions of love, and the CHOCOLATES! When I was a little girl, my dad always brought us home a heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates. I loved them! I loved biting into each one and finding out the surprise filling. When Jason and I got married, I always told him not to get me any because I was usually feeling the need to eat better after the poor eating that often lasts from October 31st - January 1st. This year, I decided that I didn't need to deprive myself from this one indulgence and apparently, Jason did too. I got my first box of chocolates this year (without us talking about it) and it was glorious! Godiva. And I ate every single one of them - {it was a small box} - on Valentine's night!

Jason, on the other hand, was not a box of chocolates fan when he was growing up. He liked those conversation hearts, which I think are cute but taste yuck. Knowing how much he loves these, the kids and I decided to make him a picture frame using his favorite Valentine candy. Believe it or not, I could not find the original ones on the day I went shopping for them, so we settled for this other kind. They are tart and tangy, and while I like the taste much better, he still prefers the original ones. I wish I could have found the original ones...for his sake and for the frame's sake. I think they would have made a cuter gift with the message written in a contrasting color.

{Please forgive my photography these days. I'm just lucky to get pictures at all.}
The kids each made their own. I made Elizabeth's frame, of course. They loved sampling as they created. Many of Allison's hearts have dark patches on them from where she licked them. It's perfect! Jackson wanted his to be perfect. He kept trying to get me to do it for him but I assured him that his daddy did not want perfection. I think they did a fabulous job.

They decorated their bags to hide their creations...or as Allison calls them, "mations." I got some of these ideas from Better Homes & Gardens. Here was the front side of the bag:

And then on the back, we did conversation hearts. We cut out hearts from card stock. I wrote a message using a white crayon. The kids put water colors over the message so that it would show through. It didn't work quite as well as I thought. I just had to write the message several times to make sure the crayon was on thick. It was fun nevertheless and Jason loved it!

Jason and I got sushi for dinner and experienced a family first. All of our kids went to bed by themselves!! We gave Elizabeth the Cloud b Twilight Constellation Night Light for Valentine's Day. We thought it would be a great thing for her to have since she will always be deaf at night when she sleeps. Well, all three kids loved it. Allison was so fascinated with it. She has never gone to bed without me lying beside her. I gave her my phone so that she could play toddler games while Jason and I enjoyed some quality time together. She did play a few games, but she was fascinated with the ladybug. They all sleep in our room, so they all enjoyed it as they went to sleep. It was truly a miracle!

Winter Poolside Fun

The kids are taking swim lessons right now (yes, in the middle of winter) at an aquatic center. We decided to put them in now hoping that they'll be swimming once summer arrives around here.

Jackson is doing very well. He loves his class, smiles the entire time, and participates in everything. This is a welcome change from last year's experience with swim lessons. He was swimming under the water after his first class and he is SO proud of himself. He's so excited about how well he's doing that he cries in frustration when his class ends and we have to leave.

Allison is doing pretty well herself. She beautified herself for her first lesson...just as we were walking out the door, of course.

She and I are in a Mommy-and-Me class. She's a little timid and doesn't want to jump into the water for me to catch her unless she's holding my hands, but she took to floating like a duck to water! I was amazed. She can float on her back and glide across the water on her back without me supporting her. It is so cool!

The kids have lessons Monday - Thursday mornings. Since we are committed to BSF on Wednesday mornings and can't go to swim lessons (mornings are the only times they can both go), I took them to open swim on Wednesday afternoon. Jason met us there after work so that I could have help watching them and so that I could put Elizabeth in the water. She seemed to enjoy her first swimsuit and pool experience. She was her usual calm, content and happy self, and the 12 year old girls LOVED her too!

I couldn't get anyone to look at me. They all wanted to look at the playground that was in the water. I can't blame them!

P.S. I know it's just a fad, but I love all of the fun things you can do to pictures using the Camera+ app on my phone! And thank goodness for my phone. I get tons more pictures of my kids because of it.