Swim Team

Today we started something new with swim. Nicco had reached a plateau where he wasn't really showing much improvement in his swim lessons. The company where he has his lessons also does a swim team and kids can join when they are 5. One of the skill requirements is that they are able to swim a whole lap without assistance. I asked his swim teachers if they thought he would be ready for that, and they assured me that he would have no problem.

So now, instead of 1/2 hour lessons twice a week, we have 1 hour workouts 3 times a week. Then in June and July, there are morning and afternoon practices, plus competition on Saturdays.

We arrived at the pool and introduced ourselves to Mr. Shane, who wasted no time getting Nicco into the routine. They start out doing stretches, push-ups, and flutter kicks:

Nicco didn't like the stretching part. I think I'll pull out the Wii fit and work on some yoga and push- ups with him.

Then Mr. Shane assigned the kids to lanes and told them to swim 4 laps freestyle to warm up. Yep, my little 5 year old boy, whose main skill requirement was that he could swim ONE lap, had to swim 4 laps. For a warm up. And he did it. My goodness. He struggled a little, but he did it. Then, after resting for about 10 seconds, Mr. Shane gave the kids kickboards and said "4 laps of flutter kicks. GO!" Part of me wanted to just grab my little boy and pull him out, and maybe have him go back to regular lessons and start this serious stuff next year. The other part of me knows that he has to do hard things to get better. After 4 laps of freestyle and 4 laps of flutter kicks, they got another 30 second break and did two more sets of 2 laps of freestyle. They got a little break while Mr. Shane showed them the proper butterfly form, then back to kicks and freestyle. I lost count, but I know he did at least 12 laps, and I think it may have even been as many as 16. They had about 15 minutes of fun time, but since Nicco was the littlest and the newest, Mr. Shane worked with just him while the other kids played.

His form is far from perfect and he had to take some breaks in some of those laps, but I was impressed and amazed that he stuck with it without whining or complaining.

I expected him to come home and want to snuggle, but his dad was already home, so they teased and played a while. However, when he finally stopped moving for 2 minutes to sit down to dinner, he could barely keep his eyes open. When I tucked him in, he was too tired to even drink his sippy. I think it will be a good, long sleep for him tonight!

Encore

We managed to communicate correctly this week and arrange a second trip to the zoo. When we got there, these monkeys were just singing and yelling away. It was crazy! I've never heard this kind of monkey sound before.

As you can see, the noise was a lot to take for the tender ears of the youngsters, or something.

I like this picture of the giraffe and peacock together.

I realize that the free roaming zoo birds are probably accustomed to being hollered at and chased around the park, but I was still nervous for both the birds and the boys. I envisioned an avian attack.

This peacock appeared to be showing off to a pigeon. Nicco was very excited to see its feathers up.

Having fun climbing around one of the many rocky hills and caves scattered about.

The zoo playground

Two little desert tortoises

A bunch of animals were on display in the conservation center. I don't know why this picture is sideways. It isn't like that on the camera...Anyway, you can kind of see the cute little hedgehog in the sawdust. Nicco was brave enough to touch him. He's pokey, as one might expect.

I was really surprised that he pet the snake. Twice.

But he wouldn't pet the ferret. Weird.

Another messed up picture. These two armadillos chased each other all around their pen. I snapped the picture just a moment too late...Nicco touched them too.

Hide-n-seek in the dinosaur egg

Counting steps (there are 20)

Another one of the cool statues in the park part of the zoo.

The boys had fun. It's always more fun to do things with friends than just with your boring old mom.

Guess What Today Is...

That's right, 70 degrees in the pool. Swim time, baby! Nicco was driving me (and Frankie) bonkers, so when the temperature read just a hair below the 70 degree line, I decided to toss the kid in. He was a little timid at first, considering the last time he went in the pool. See, our friend Dan is a little crazy. He jumped in the pool when he was here a few weeks ago and the water was only about 62. Nicco, however, figured if anyone could go in, everyone could go in. He is a little young to process Dan's philosophy. Nicco quickly and miserably realized that 62 degree water is freakin' cold. He cried as he dried.

Today, he splashed his feet and played on the wading ledge for a while before he decided to go for it. He did eventually decide to go for it--all in! Jumping, swimming, diving. Yay!

Now he is snuggled up watching a show. 70 degree water isn't exactly warm, you see.

Mama can only dip her toes.

(Those pale legs will probably remain pale. I'm practically 40 after all, and not interested in skin cancer.)

In Which I Ponder Family Roles, Chores, and Self Sufficiency

I have started reading a chapter in a little chapter book to Nicco before bed. We read The Magician's Boy and we started Stink, The Incredible Shrinking Kid. I was sick one night last week, so the Daddy had to take over story-time duty. Nicco also happened to get a nosebleed while I was kneeling at the porcelain altar, so the Daddy had to take on nurse duties as well. The next day, Nicco suggested that we give Daddy reading lessons so that he can read "more better." Also, Daddy-sized fingers don't plug small noses as well as Mommy-sized fingers. So Mommy is Reader and Nurse in our house, and Daddy is Gamer and Builder. That's fine. We fit those roles best.

Nicco is growing up and his role in our family is evolving. He's getting big enough to contribute to our home in new ways, a.k.a., chores. His chores are small...things like putting his own dishes in the sink after a meal, putting his clean and folded laundry in the proper drawers, dusting, picking weeds, and taking care of the cat. She is his cat, after all.

So now that I'm making Nicco help take care of his part of the house, I realize that I don't make him take care of himself much. I brush his teeth, I dress and undress him, I wipe his bum after a "sitting one." I remember when I potty-trained Nicco in the two weeks between the end of school and the beginning of summer camp when he was two. My friend Nikki was surprised and amazed that Nicco accomplished the task so quickly, and she confessed that she wasn't especially ready to address that particular task with her son. She's a bit of a control freak/germophobe, and it was just so much easier and cleaner (and controlly) for her to keep changing diapers.

While there are many benefits to having an only child, I think that is something of a disadvantage to having only one kid. Without a new baby to baby, the older sibling is not forced to do things on his own. It's easier and cleaner and more efficient for me to dress and clean the boy myself, and otherwise do things for him that he is capable of doing for himself. I do realize (metaphorically, of course) that if I don't start making him wipe his own bum, he'll need me to do it for him forever. He needs to grow up and I need to let/make him. Ugh.

Going to the Zoo

The mom of one of the boys who used to go to Nicco's school e-mailed an invitation to a spa party, with no obligation to buy anything of course, just come hang out and relax. Ish. Not wanting to be a complete jerk, I lied about my plans for the date of the party then suggested we get the kids together at the zoo some time soon. Some time soon was today. Nicco and I arrived and waited for a few minutes, then decided to just go on in and call to let our friends know where we were. She didn't answer her phone and she never called back, and we never saw them. I fear we may have had a small miscommunication because I said let's go on Friday the 26th. Nicco and I were on our own to enjoy the zoo.

Nicco loved following the map. He located each habitat on the map and made sure we were looking at the right animal.

He loved the tiger. We went back to visit him a couple of times. He was pacing and even growling, so that was cool.

There were really cool little statues all around the zoo grounds.

They have giraffe feedings at 10:00 and 2:00 every day. I didn't mention this to Nicco, because I didn't want him to be disappointed if he didn't get to do it. It is spring break here, and when I saw the group of kids wanting to feed the giraffes, I decided to just skip it.

This zoo is quite a bit smaller than Denver's zoo, but it is really neat. It was a little surprising how close you were to the animals.

Checking out the zebras.

And the rhino

He chased after these little ducks and wanted to pet them. I told him that's probably not a good idea. I guess he was not scarred for life by his prior goose and emu attacks.

This polar bear refused to jump in and swim, in spite of Nicco's pointing and scolding.

These birds were so loud, it was a little painful on the ears.

Nicco said "Even when I close my eyes, the noise doesn't go away!"

Here are some of the cool animal statues in the park part of the zoo.

Skipping along the path on our way out.

I feel bad that we missed our friends, but we had a good time. I like watching my little monkey.

Car Talk

I always ask Nicco about his school day in the car when I pick him up. He even usually tells me something about his day. Today, in a small deviation from the norm, he asked me what I did while he was at school. I told him that I made a smoothie, talked to Aunt Di, and did the dishes. He listened to my boring list then said, "Let me guess. You didn't play wii."

Public Service Announcement from Nicco

Watch Out for Steamrollers

If you get crushed by a steamroller, your bones will be flat. Your guts will be flat. You won't exist.

Because you'll be dead.

And So It Begins

Spring time. We have little white balls that will soon be blossoms popping up on the orange and grapefruit trees. Sadly, the lemon tree needs major surgery to survive, so says our landscape friend. We are lucky, apparently, because when citrus trees are in nurseries they are frequently grafted with lemon trees. So people get upset if their orange tree dies in a freeze and they have to cut it down to a stump and when it grows back, it produces lemons. I guess if our lemon tree grows back, it will still produce lemons.

It is also that little window of beautiful weather when it's not too chilly and not too hot to have the windows and patio doors open. Which means bugs. The other day, a little flying bug came in and made itself at home in our lampshade. Frankie went out of her mind crazy trying to climb the narrow pole of the lamp to get to it. Another day, there was a little flying bug buzzing around above the cabinets in the kitchen, which also made her totally nutso. She leaped from the island (bad kitty, she's not supposed to go up on the island!) to the top of the fridge. Even though it was naughty, it was a pretty impressive leap. She has a good eye for bugs, which leads me to believe she will be a mighty huntress of scorpions.

I got up early-ish this morning and while my two boys were still sleeping, I took out the trash and finished up the dishes that were left soaking in the sink. The dishwasher was open as I was arranging and rearranging, trying to fit the last couple of dishes inside. Suddenly, a startled Frankie jumped and bonked her head on the door of the dishwasher and I felt a tickle on my foot. I looked down and there was her prey, a nasty little scorpion on my foot. I jumped and squealed but managed to get a big shoe to squish it in spite of my panic. Frankie spent several minutes carefully circling the spot where it died, and several minutes licking her paw. I think it may have stung her.  If it did, it either wasn't a bad sting, or cats are immune after all. She's a little cautious and defensive this morning, but showing no other signs of poisoning or swelling in reaction to the sting.

So, a few things. One, she DID spot the scorpion and possibly saved me from getting stung on my toe, doing dishes, unaware of its presence. Two, she tossed the little bugger right onto my foot! Three, she may not have come out of her first scorpion encounter unscathed. The way she was circling it and keeping her distance after I killed it makes me think she learned to stay away from them. Darn. I guess we'll see. In any case, it's time to get the exterminator back.

Getting "Old"

On the way home from swim, Nicco said, "When my Papa's a grandpa, I sure hope he still knows how to play Mario." His musings about grandpas and old age went on..."Will my Papa be old when he's a grandpa?" I told him it depended on when he becomes a daddy. He said, "Well, you know, my Grandpa isn't old, he's just silly."

The moral of this story is if you ever feel like you're getting old, tell yourself you're just silly. It works on so many levels.

Signs of Spring

Yesterday, Spring Fever struck our house. Nicco and I saw a quail pair bobbing along a wall on our way home from the grocery store. I pointed them out and said "The Quails are out, it must be spring!" Nicco got excited for the fresh new season, so we went on a "Signs of Spring" walk around the yard.
This is the sadness in our yard, leftover from our winter freeze:

I am not yet convinced that our little lemon tree will survive. I plan to nurture it with loving care, but I'm not known for my green thumb.

The organ pipe cactus died a little. Apparently, we can just chop off the frozen dead part and it will regenerate.

We did discover some signs of spring in the midst of the winter sadness and death:

Green stalks in the center of the palms,

Fresh, green baby leaves on the other two citrus trees,

Green poking through the limbs of the ocotillo, and even some little green leaves,

One blossom!

I raked up a couple piles of dead leaves. Other than picking weeds and skimming the pool, this is the first actual yard work I've ever done. I hope my husband is proud of me!

This is what the boy did while I raked leaves. Lounging on the hammock isn't necessarily a sign of spring, just ask Papi!

And, little miss Frankie stared longingly out the window, wishing she could join us in the fresh air.

This Totally Makes Up for the Snow

It is 72 degrees, a very slight breeze, we're sitting on the patio watching the sun go down...

Again, with the Naughty Words...

Nicco L-O-V-E-S to play games. All kinds of games. It drives me bonkers, because he's totally bi-polar with games--when he wins, it is the highest of highs with peals of laughter and jumping and squealing. When things don't go his way, it is the lowest of lows, and nasty little tantrums ensue. He cries and screams and hits things and throws things and calls himself and whatever game he happens to be playing all sorts of names, like "loser" and "doody head" and "shabadoodle."

Today he was playing a game and he made a mistake that almost pitched him into the depths of despair, but knowing I will turn it off and take it away for a week if he cries and throws a tantrum, he contained himself and just muttered a single insult. "Urgh!..." he said, "I'm an organic hippie!"

(I am not making that up.)

P.S. This morning, Frankie was chasing Nicco (who was dragging his soft blankie behind him...) down the hall. When she jumped at the blanket and got his foot, he cursed at her saying, "Leave me alone, you little skeleton!"

P.P.S. Add "fergus pants" and "ficus" to the list of insults.

P.P.P.S. Nicco has a few "cr" words too: crumb, crud, crap, and cratch.

Potty Talk

Nicco was sitting on the toilet singing "I'm a little naked head. I'm a little nudie. I have a bum."

It reminded me of the time when we were living in Arvada (I was probably Nicco's age, if not younger) and I ran down the hall either to or from the bathroom singing "poopy and pee pee, poopy and pee pee." I got in trouble. I don't know how my mom managed to stifle her laughter long enough to scold me and make me feel like I was in actual trouble for saying "naughty" words.

Getting Closer...

62 degrees in the pool today. That is 8 degrees away from swim time!