Just a Swingin'

Today was a great day. B-Boy is starting to feel better, his cough is reduced in both frequency and length, and so we decided to take him to the park to get some fresh air. We had so much fun, we went twice!

The park was mostly empty when we got there the first time. B-Boy had a blast on all the slides, and flew down the swirly slide many times. He even made a friend who clapped for him when he got to the bottom of one of the smaller slides. It was contagious, and soon B-Boy clapped with him.

Later in the day, we scoped out a new location. The elementary school near our house has a playground for the Kindergarten, First and Second grade kids. We decided since the day had warmed up to such a beautiful one that we would see what it was like.

I left my camera at home, so I am not able to share a view of it with you. But I'll just say this, B-Boy loved it. There were several small slides for the younger kids, which B-Boy had fun with. There was also an area for the older children, and space for those in between. The large tube slide was a bit scary for him, so after we went down it together, he was done with it. He really like the intermediate area, the slides were bumpy, and one of them had rumble strips to slow him down. He really liked that one.

The playground even had a sort of see-saw area, with 4 poles spread out from the center circle. A metal saddle was attached to the end of each pole, and you could sit and bounce on it. I sat on one side, and Neb sat on the other until B-Boy let us know he wanted to get on too. Neb held him to get him used to it and then slid off so B-Boy could ride by himself. Neb put B-Boy's hands on the handle, and his feet on the bar beneath it. He smiled, so proud of himself!

He also did really well when Neb let go. He bounced up and down, holding on to the handle and holding himself upright. We bounced for a good while, and then moved on to a large porch swing (minus the porch!).

We sat on the swing as a family, with B-Boy in the middle. He looked around as we swung, and was very calm. The swing made a really loud SQUEAKING noise, which he found really interesting. When we stopped, he clapped as if to say "YAY! That was fun!".  It was a great moment, but that is not my favorite moment of the day.

I took him over to the big kid swing and sat down.

I put B-Boy on my lap facing me. He held on as I started to swing. At first, Neb said B-Boy looked a bit scared, but then the rhythm of the swinging calmed him down and he put his head down on my shoulder. He was so relaxed and "gooshie" (our family's word for what babies do when you hold them and they sink right into you). B-Boy is not often gooshie, so those moments are always quite treasured.

When we stopped swinging, B-Boy clapped. He really like it. So, I started swinging again. When I stopped and put him on the ground, he clapped again. When he realized that we were done, he got upset and tried to crawl back into my lap. So, I picked him up and let him swing facing out. I am not sure which one he like more! Neb got on the swing next to us, and B-Boy found it quite amusing every time we moved past him.

It was hard to stop swinging, both because we had fun and because B-Boy would get upset when I would put him down. We ended up distracting him by running over to the rumble strip slide, putting him at the top, and encouraging him to slide down.

All in all, it was a great day. We hope yours was a fun as ours was!

So Long Swing, Old Friend!

B-Boy, age 6 weeks, in his beloved swing

This weekend, Neb and I packed up B-Boy's infant swings.

The "My Little Lamb" swing from Fisher Price was a godsend when we brought B-Boy home. It was snuggly and cuddly, and would swing either side to side or front to back. B-Boy was very colicky, and there were many nights (and days!) when the only time he would sleep (or stop screaming) was in that swing.

It worked so well, we ended up buying a second one for upstairs.

Add a running hair dryer under it to make white noise, and you have the formula for an hours peace, my friend.

Since B-Boy is so big, he has outgrown the swing. Actually, he outgrew it a few months ago, but I didn't have the heart to pack it up. How has he gotten so long as to be too long for his beloved swing? When he hit the 22 pound mark (the limit for the swing), I relented to pack it up.

And the sad part is that he has also outgrown his Exersaucer (again, too tall), and is almost too big for the Johnny Jump up swing in the doorway. It goes to 25 pounds, but the spring is almost completely at its max when he is in it. He just loves playing in it, and I have NO CLUE what we will do when he finally is too big for the thing. Any ideas?

I know some of you might think I am exagerating (ok, maybe just GranE), but to put this in perspective, this almost 8 month old has almost outgrown his 18 month old sized clothes. Yes, B-Boy is about to move into 24 month and 2T sized clothes.

And his diaper size? Currently he is in a size 4, but is close to moving up to a size 5. Again, he's not chubby or fat, he's just that LONG!!!

So we say goodbye to the beloved swing, and the tiny little B-Boy that went with it. Like it or not, B-Boy is growing up. Next up? Crawling perhaps? Neb is helping him learn how to get in to the position to crawl, and he has started rocking back and forth. We'll see how long it takes.

And me? I will try not to dwell on my baby boy getting older, or how he will never be this size again. I hope to cherish all the moments in the present that I can.

Just a Swingin'

One Friday, not too long ago, I went to feed B-Boy at the Daycare. I am really fortunate that he is just up the hill at my work, in easy walking distance. I am even more fortunate that I get to go see him anytime I want, schedule permitting.

B-Boy's teachers like it too. B-Boy can sometimes be difficult to feed, and so if I feed him one of his two bottles, then they are free to do other things! One more thing you should know... B-Boy has a new habit of squealing at a very HIGH pitch, very loudly.Not only does it bother the humans in the room, waking all the infants, but it can summon dogs!

Ok, maybe not summon dogs, but it sure is close!

So as to avoid waking any of the other children, I took him outside to feed him. On this particular day, it was quite beautiful outside. We usually go to the atrium area inside the daycare, but on this beautiful day, I took him behind the daycare, where there are swings!

After his bottle was finished, we played a bit on the mat outside. But I just could not help myself. You see, I loved swings when I was a kid... and in grad school when I got really stressed, Neb would take me to a park to swing. It always made me feel better to pump my legs, feeling the air fly past my head, getting higher and higher.

And no, I did not jump onto the swing at daycare. I put B-Boy in it! It was the first time I had done that with him (I think he had played in the swing a few times with the other babies when I was not there). He adored it. Back and forth, faster and faster. And everytime he got close to me (I faced him from a bench to push him), he would break into a big toothy grin. (With the two teeth he has!)

Doesn't it look fun?