We’re in our 2nd round of swim lessons for the summer. 
Things were kind of rocky the first time around, so I almost cancelled this round. But this time it seems to be going much better. Elizabeth is jumping in by herself, kicking and paddling, and even floating on her back (with help). And we’re having a blast.
In other news, Chris is out of town again this week, so it’s just us girls.
Elizabeth is still sleeping in the big girl bed, two nights in a row now with no problems. Both nights she’s gotten up sometime in the middle of the night to grab one of her dinosaurs, but she’s done so without waking us up, so that’s all good. The title to this post is her assessment of the new development.
She and I had another swim lesson this morning. I think we showed up a little too early, as we had some splash time before everyone else got there, but then she was tired before we were all done. Still, she kicked like a champ. She loves jumping in, as long as she can hold onto someone’s finger while she does it. And she’s close to blowing bubbles — she will put her face in the water, or she will blow air out. What, you want both at the same time? Picky.
I’m sure we’ll probably be woken up by a crying Elizabeth at 3 am or so tonight. But as of now, she’s been asleep for the past several hours. In her “Big Girl Bed.”
I didn’t want to wake her with a camera flash, obviously, so you get a swim lesson picture instead.
The Apple logo on my phone has leaves on it. So do certain other things.
Elizabeth (and we) had a fabulous time in D.C. Many, many thanks to Rachel, Julius, and family. Elizabeth really enjoyed spending time with you, and will undoubtedly be talking about Lilah and Aaron for some time!
We got in Wednesday, and had just enough time to go see the dinosaurs and then walk down to the Washington Monument. Thursday Chris worked (SliverDocs Festival) while Elizabeth and I spent more time at the Smithsonian, Natural History (bugs and dirt) and Air and Space. Friday he worked again while we went to see the pandas at the zoo with Aaron and Lilah.
Saturday we saw an awesome play put on by Lilah, Aaron, Elizabeth and another visiting friend — many princesses, witches, and a singing pirate. Then the National Building Museum, which has a great play area, and the tidal basin. We went for pizza afterwards and Elizabeth fell asleep on my lap before the pizza even arrived — it’s possible we wore her out.
Sunday we got up and met Niki for breakfast up in Silver Spring, and played in the very nice fountain there, then came back and hung out at the house — Elizabeth got her first real nap in 4 days, while Chris and I trekked to the National Cathedral and back. Then one final expedition Sunday night for Chinese food and chocolate (well, the chocolate was a happy surprise).
We got home last night, and were all happy to see our own beds. This morning she and I had a swim lesson, and now she’s back with her friends at school.
Also, welcome to Basia and Joe’s two new little ones, Maggie and Ben! Careful, the kids outnumber you now.
We’re off to D.C., by way of San Antonio, tonight. Back next week with lots of photos for your enjoyment.
I took the picture on the left today. Then, idly searching my flickr stream for “dinosaur” while Elizabeth watched George, I came across the strikingly similar picture on the right, from a year ago April. What do you think? Should we stage a photo like this every year from now on?
We were lazy this morning. At one point she was playing with play-doh, and told me “I made a lady!” To which I pretty much just said “uh huh” and kept surfing the web. It was only later that I saw the lady in question, made not from play-doh but from three different play-doh toys:
Then, this afternoon I took her to a little natural science museum on the UT campus. It’s not all that big or impressive, but it met my basic criteria: (1) it has dinosaurs and other cool stuff, (2) it’s free, and (3) it’s air conditioned (it’s currently about 100F here in Austin). She liked the pterosaur hanging in the big hall and the mosasaur, and she correctly pointed out the triceratops from a field of different dinosaurs. I am proud. But what she seemed to like the best was where they had little bugs pinned in little magnifying cases. The only drawback is she had to stand on a tall wooden stool to see them. Hey, at least now we know, when my over-protective Mommy side comes head to head with my science geek side, what will win out. (But I promise I was standing RIGHT there.)
The picture above is the first instance of Elizabeth drawing anything that could be recognized as what she was describing as she drew. In this case she told me “I need two eyes… one, two. And I need a mouth, and I need a nose. And I need a head.” Note that the “nose” is actually the thing below the mouth that looks like a goatee. But pretty good anyway, in my book.
In other news, now that school’s out we’re taking potty training more seriously. She’s wearing panties all day now, except nap time (and still diapers at night). We’re still having a few accidents every day, but she’s getting there. I’m hopeful that we’ll be mostly there in time for our D.C. trip next week. Maybe.
Tomorrow, we’ve got two separate parties scheduled — first Basia’s diaper shower (she’s having twins later this month), then a half hour after that, a birthday party for her friend Ailleen (from day care). Should be a fun time, although I don’t see where a nap will fit in, so I anticipate a cranky Elizabeth tomorrow night.
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