Swimmin' Lessons

I have not yet blogged about the "pool incident" I've been dreading since I realized I had a phobia of drowning when I was four years old (not only of drowning myself- of ANYONE I know and love drowning) Well, it actually began as a fear that my Mom was going to be eaten by a shark when she went swimming in Galveston, but eventually evolved into a more general fear of drowning. Drowning while being eaten by a shark is now just one of many ways of drowning that I fear. But I digress. I was waiting to discuss this dreaded "pool incident" when I had a happier note to sign off with- which now I do! :)

Casey's parents have an amazing backyard with an amazing pool- which we enjoy thoroughly. A few weekends ago, we were grilling out outside and playing in the yard with Ada. Casey turned his attention away from her for a split second (actually just to grab the ball that they were playing with together), and OF COURSE she half fell/half jumped into the water.

*You would think with all of my swimming/swim lessons/lifeguarding/swim coaching experience I would not be such a water-phobe- but with experience comes knowledge and I know how dangerous one little water aspiration can be to a little body like Ada's.*

I did not see her actually mid-air, but I SWARE I heard her swooshing in before I heard the splash. (Mother's instinct? Sixth sense? It didn't hurt that I heard MiMi scream "SHE'S GOING IN!") I felt like I was moving with Matrix-like speed and agility- I made it across the patio, yard, and to the opposite side of the pool in the same amount of time it took Casey to kneel down and scoop Ada out. She did so great- she probably had to linger midway down for a few seconds waiting on one of us to snatch her back into the oxygen rich, breathable air- and she didn't inhale one ounce of water. They say that that's instinct for babies....

Almost scarier than those 5 seconds, however, was Ada's reaction: Unscathed. Unshaken. Fearless. Proud? I knew she'd seize the next opportunity for another dip. And the next. And you get the point.

Which brings me to the reason for this post: we started our first day of swim lessons today!!! They teach the following things through fun songs and games: breath holding, bubble blowing, back floating, and swimming to the edge of the pool to hold on. It was such a blast, and I'm so looking forward to the next 7 classes over the next two weeks! Ada did awesome, of course. Here are a few adorable pictures of my little fearless minnow! (I couldn't narrow the pre-lesson pictures down to just one, so I'm including all of them!)

Too Cool for School

I'm missing my girl today while I'm at work!! So I thought I'd post a quickie before lunch duty. We got these shades for Ada yesterday, and she is obsessed with them! She is so adorable in her carseat sportin' her "gasses." She pushes them up her nose like I do with mine when they slide down, and she wears them on her head like I do when I don't need them. It's too adorable!

Park Play Date

I have a Special Education co-teacher first period- Caitlin Atlee... and I LOVE her!! The kids think its hilarious because we act like "BFFs." We have a great time in class, we love the kids, and we all make each other laugh by acting like idiots, poking fun at each other, and playing practical jokes on people. ("We" inlcudes myself, Caitlin, and all 30 of the students. You would not believe it was a functional learning environment if you were a fly on the wall. But it works!)

Anywho, she has a daughter- Olivia- just a few months younger than Ada. (I think I blogged about going to her birthday party back in December?) We always intend to get the girls together but never make it happen- so today we spontaneously met up at a park in Old Town Katy (on a weekday- gasp!) and the girls had a great time! These were the only decent shots I got, but you get the gist. Hopefully more playdates to come with Olivia (and Caitlin) Atlee!

Sick and Tired?

Sick and Tired: An Interpretation by Ada Grace Dowell.

(Please excuse the backyard- it's under construction!! The Dowells are getting us a sprinkler system and new grass!!)

Butt in a Tub

This video cracks me up- it began because Ada was doing really great with her colors (purple, yellow, green, and blue!), and it quickly digressed to what you are about to see. It is kind of long, but I didn't have the heart to splice it because her giggle at the end is just too adorable!!!

Teacher's Pet

Ada moved up to the "Older Ones" last week- she's hanging with the 18-24 months old now! She's the smallest one in her class (she was anyway; but now factor in some of them are 6 months older and she really looks like a shrimp!), but keeps up with the big kids (say her teachers!). We really love the new ladies, too- April and Virginia.
Ada's teachers have always told me how much they enjoy her- she's super laid back at school(surprising, I know!), and keeps them entertained with her quirky personality. But, we got this note the other day on her daily report (under the "Notes" section at the bottom), and it just made my heart swell! It's so nice to know that she's loved and well cared for during the day when I can't be the one doing it!! Needless to say, this is hanging on our fridge front and center, and will be until the next note home!!

Garden Growth!

I haven't killed the plants, yet!! In fact, some of them are doing great. I'm pretty impatient, and was getting kind of fed up with waiting for something to happen- so these sprouts and blooms came at a great time! Here are some pictures:

Zucchini-

Unripe Raspberries-
An Onion Bulb (in the back corner!)-

Gargantuan Peas-

Future Blueberry-

Avacado Sprout (planted this from a pit months ago- 'bout time!!)-

My girl in her outfit of the weekend- Elmo pajamas that she only took off for about on hour to let me wash them on Saturday.

Happy Birthday/Get Well Soon

It's Andrea's birthday, and Christian's back in the VA. So we swung down to the Med Center to kill two birds with one stone!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy AnDi!! -and- GeT WeLL SoOn "Kursht!"

Pretty Pink TuTus...

Everyone knows that Ada is mildly obsessed with her $5 clearance cowboy boots from Wal-Mart. I think they bring back fond memories of her Rodeo days; and they are her gardening footwear of choice. Now we've added another clothing obsession- the TuTu. This is her 1st Birthday Party TuTu, so the 6-12 mo size fits a little snug... but that does not stop Ada! Here she is in her favorite get-up:

And this is the root of the TuTu obession:

Debbie Downer

I am overworked. And underpaid. And I'm not a fan of this disproportionate ratio! That's all I have to say 'bout that.