Raspberry Smiles

Noah and Harrison have been taking swim lessons since September.  The first lesson they both screamed for 30 minutes.  That day was most certainly one of the top 10 embarassing moments as a mom.  The next week it was all different.  No screaming, no fear.  Now we’ve got 2 new swimmers in the family. 

I couldn’t figure out how to take a decent photo through glass, and I didn’t think about video until Noah’s class.  I’ll have to take some video of Harry next week.  Oh how I enjoy my little fishes!

Noah can swim a couple of feet on his own.  He just beams in his new goggles, and is starting to learn to dive for objects at the bottom of the pool.  Noah has a good kick and stroke, and can float on his back all by himself.  He has more muscle than fat, so he has to bend his legs slightly when back floating to keep balanced!

Harrison enjoys the water, will jump in at any time.  He has great kick and is able to keep his legs together and not bend his knees.  He’s working on the back float.  He is not a fan of the slide.

We are all underwear all the time at this house.  Day and night.  Pee and poo.

It’s an accomplishment deserving of a huge reward.  The best reward for a 4 year old boy just happens to be a massive dump truck.

Take a look!  It’s so big they can ride in the back.  The first suggestion was baby Joey, but I put the kabosh on that.

We got creative with s’mores.  Exhibit A: chocolate chip cookies courtesy of youth group leftovers, caramel filled chocolate courtesy of Bob, and our own marshmallows.  Might have been a bit too sweet…  I had kids bouncing off the walls until 7pm (we ate s’mores at 4).

You sassy!

It’s been a mild summer, and we’ve been loving every minute of it.  Most of the time, we just hang out at home.  The boys split their time between the front yard and the back yard.  Each yard contains different elements to load up and move around!

2 and 4 are such good ages!  Old enough to exprience lots of fun all around town, but young enough still to take naps regularly!!!  Our one regret is that it has been a No Frog Summer.

It has been the summer of the dilly bar.  Yum!  

 On this particular dilly bar day we celebrated for Baby Joey.  He’s been sick and in the hospital, and the tradition at our house is that whenever anyone gets a shot, we all have ice cream.  I’m sure Joey had way too many shots, so we all had Dairy Queen for Joey!  We love you Baby Joey!!!!

All that sugar makes my men act mighty crazy.

Our best days are when we explore the city around us.  Today we went to River Bend.  We got lost.  It was not planned, but we took our time and discovered some treats.  Noah’s new interest is birds.  This week we’ve been reading about birds and identifying them in our backyard and on family walks.  It was fun to show him actual trees with woodpecker holes.  He thinks it’s too funny that they have long sticky tongues to grab bugs out of the holes they make in the trees.

My summer philosophy is going to be simple fun.  The boys get great socialization and learning at daycare 2 days  a week.  Last week, Harrison’s class did colors.  We’ve been working on them, but he has them down pat now, even weird one’s like orange and purple. 

I used to try to fill our days with activities and group outings, but I’ve come to realize that sometimes it’s just too much stress to rush to get out the door, and then make the kids attend to the task at hand and behave.  Also, my kids, like me, don’t do groups well, and prefer just a few people to interact with. 

It’s more fun to take what the boys are interested in (or what I think is cool) and run with it.  If you want to hang with us one-on-one-ish let us know.  We’re gonna enjoy a simple summer, at the beach, the park, the zoo – exploring all Racine has to offer!

Noah’s officially done with his first year of school.  He tells me the best part was seeing some friends.  I’m so pleased!  When he started back in September, just 2 days after his 3rd birthday, he didn’t have the words to tell me about his friends. 

Noah didn’t talk much until he was 2 1/2.  He had five words at the age of 2.  I think he said duck, truck, dad, garbage and ya.  I didn’t hear a Mom or a NO until he was closer to 3 than 2.  Didn’t mind the latter so much, but I sure did cry the first time he said Mom and meant me.

A year of speech therapy at our house and at daycare gave him the confidence to tell us what was going on in that handsome brain.  We finally got to hear all the observations and musings he had been keeping to himself.  Now after a year in a phonological classroom focusing specifically on sound production so the words Noah says can be understood, we hear a huge difference.

I can understand my little man!  He tells me bits and pieces of what goes on when I’m not around, and sometimes I actually find myself annoyed by the constant stream of chatter.  I don’t stay annoyed for long.  I love hearing what my precious guy has to say.

I read the NPR book This I believe this winter and was moved to write my own.  I probably started with about 4 different topics, some seemed to grand, others too personal.  Through that process, came this:
This I Believe

I believe in the positive power of human touch. Human beings have basic needs: food, shelter and clothing. I would argue that physical touch is the fourth need. My belief has been formed by two important aspects of my life; my chosen profession as a physical therapist, and my life’s joy as a mother. I’ve always been in awe of the human body. Psalm 139:14 states that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I gained an enormous respect for the human body while learning via dissection during Gross Anatomy 101. But it has been in practice with my hands touching hundreds of human bodies to bring resolution of pain or dysfunction that I have seen the power in touch. On a weekly basis I touch babies’ only weeks old, teenagers with their piercings and attitudes, convicted felons, middle-aged busybodies, and the soft wrinkled bodies of the old. I am often told, as a relative stranger, of their lives struggles, of their joys, and of whom they love. Physical touch has the power to disarm, to heal and to connect. Humans are made to be touched.

I held my first son as a new mother, stroking his head as he drifted in and out of sleep. To this day, my son will stroke his hair when tired, and reaches to stroke mine for comfort when he is tired, scared or angry. My youngest son’s desire for touch is so strong that he sleeps in physical contact with me all night long. Every morning I awake with a beautiful little boy on each side of me, with four little hands and sometimes little feet reaching out to connect physically. I believe strongly that it is consistent and kind human touch that empowers these little boys to go out in the world and be confident individuals. They are grounded at home by the positive power of human touch.

Leah Polack 2009