"Mommy, I'm a padpole!"

I mentioned in my last post how we've recently adopted the habits of a school of fish to survive the Texas heat, and can frequently (read: daily) be found around some sort of body of water, be it pool, splash pad or a puddle. That was the case this past Friday, when Ava and I ran to Target to stock up on swim helpers and hit our community pool to work on learning to swim.

This summer Ava has finally had enough of me holding her while in the pool, thanks in part to the shallow end at West Enfield Pool and Ava finally getting a taste of how much better it is to be your own captain in the water. In fact, she's been purposely dunking herself under water, and pretending to be a fishy, so I figured we'd run with it and have a beginner's lesson.

Enter the best purchase I've ever made ($18.99 at Target and worth EVERY penny!):

  Cute model, right?

We also picked up a monkey float, having heard from multiple parents that their kids hated the previously pictured floaty and refused to wear it:

Much to my eternal happiness, it turns out she loved them both, and was so caught up in being able to "swim on my own!", she happily wore them and cried instead when I took the floaty off. Whew!

Ava, swimming on her own! 

Seriously, y'all. My heart is just filled with happiness that she loves the water so much. Drowning is such a rampant fear amongst parents of young children, particularly in Central Texas and other hot climates where pools = a way of life in the summer, and so water safety and learning to swim is so important to me. The fact that she took to it so easily - propelling herself all the way out past five feet and back with my swimming alongside her - is so monumental!

Go, Ava!

An Impromptu Visit to the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort.

Yesterday, we had the great fortune to have a chance to visit with our friend that was visiting from Los Angeles and was nearby Austin with his family! It was an impromptu meetup, which - if you ask me - is the absolute best kind :) Anyhow, the girls and I piled in the car and drove the 45 minutes outside of Austin to the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines to spend the day floating the lazy river, playing on the waterslide and just basically relaxing. And, as impossible as it sounds to relax while in charge of three energetic girls around water, relax we did - it was AMAZING!

I could go on and on about how lovely it was, but instead, check out these pics:


Ava and her Uncle Tyler:

Putting on her "makeup" (facial sunscreen stick):

"want mama"

My baby's pigtails!

Love this picture of my three girls more than anything!

Me & A (ruined by my cheesy smile!):

We took a quick break for some lunch, and Ava even let someone aside from me hold her hand - wowsa!

And for some lounge time on the grass, overlooking the Colorado River:


And, of course, we had some fun out in the water!


There was even an Ava-sized tube!:

Summer is Here!

If there is any time of the year I wish I was a teacher instead of a nanny, it's RIGHT. NOW. School is officially out for summer in sunny Austin, Texas, and while I don't work a rigorous schedule by anyone's standards, I still work during the summer, and wish I didn't ;)

Then again, the rest of my year is pretty fantastic (at least until this fall, when I start my new job...whomp whomp), so I still definitely get the better deal :D



And A's adorable rogue curls:

Water Play!

I have yet to sign Ava up for swim lessons for this summer, if only because she starts gymnastics on Monday (my birthday!) and it lasts through August, but in the meantime, we've been getting down in the baby pool during S's swim lessons everyday:

Chaos, Swim Lessons & Back to Work.

This week has been INSANE, and it's only Tuesday.

Today, after a week of vacation and time home with Ava, I went back to work. Wah wahhhhhhh. Let me clarify - I love my job. I spent the day hanging out at Westwood Country Club poolside with all three of my little ladies and eating lunch, so really, I can't complain. That doesn't change the fact, though, that handling three kiddos at the pool for a couple of hours is draining and nerve-wracking, particularly when two are at each other's throats and one had to be held the entire time. Plus, working from 8-4:30 and then heading over to swim lessons from 5:30-6 and then driving the 40 minutes home (thank you, rush hour traffic) is...overwhelming.

Add to that the fact that we get home between 6:30-6:45, and Ava typically takes her bath at 7PM, and then nurses immediately afterwards, and I'm a basketcase at best. I'm sure you'll notice that feeding Ava dinner has been conveniently left off the schedule. As you know, I really struggled with my decision to introduce solids a couple weeks prior to the six month mark, but felt that she was ready, as she sits unsupported, has teeth, chews constantly, is fascinated with our food and reaches for it, can hold her own spoon, etc. She's hitting and exceeding all the milestones generally associated with starting solids. That doesn't, however, indicate that her digestive system is ready and has matured, so I went back and forth with the decision, finally deciding to give homemade sweet potatoes last week. She started off eating a few bites total, and then worked her way up in a couple days to eating full servings that I had prepared in an ice cube tray. That's where we left off. Over the course of that time, she began having diapers that were reminiscent of when I discovered her milk allergy/sensitivity, although less watery and more mud-like, for lack of a better description (aren't you so glad you tuned in today to hear about my baby's poo??). Anyhow, while I'm not certain it's a reaction to the solids, between the diapers and our crazy schedule, I've pulled solids back off the table, and will begin again next week or the week after, depending on how her tummy and our schedule seems. If I've messed anything up, I'll feel so guilty :(

On a more positive note, here are some cutie pics of Ava hanging poolside:

Ava's First Trip to the Pool!

We took our first trip to the pool today for a friend's Memorial Day pool party! It was SO much fun! Seriously - what a great time! Ava loved the water, just like I knew she would. It definitely helped that it was a heated-ish pool, so it wasn't a big shock. When I initially put her in past her swim suit bottomns and her little tummy got wet, she gasped slightly, but after that, she quickly adjusted and had a great time. She didn't cry once! She just splashed and splashed while daddy helped her to "swim" around - she was smiling so big!

Happy baby!




She wouldn't keep her sunglasses on :(




Me & my favorite girl on my birthday!


All that swimming made for a tired baby!

After the pool party, we headed over to Santa Rita for dinner. Mommy loves her dairy-free, unbreaded chicken tacos and Mexican martinis with fresh-squeezed lime juice!!!!

Little Swimmer.

Ava is growing up so fast! She wore her bikini for the very first time on Monday to the pool during S's swim lessons and looked absolutely adorable!


She has loved putting her feet in the water, but was a bit skeptical about sitting in the water with her belly exposed to the cold. She would sit down and then her eyes would get really big and she'd stand back up. So cute! I consider it a successful first venture, though! Since then we've been back with our feet in every day, but not full body dunking again just yet :)

She then proceeded to pass out as soon as she was in her car seat. Such a little cutie pie!

Swim Lessons!

Hello, friends!

I am very, very excited this morning. Why, you ask? I have just registered Ava and myself for swim lessons this summer!!

We're going to be taking them at the beautiful West Enfield Park, from June 21st-July 1st! So exciting! S has been taking swim lessons the past two weeks and while we watch her, I've been putting Ava in the baby pool to splash and feel the cool water. At first I was worried she would hate being dunked in the cold water, but she LOVES it!

They're even letting us start in the class a week before Ava turns six months old, which is the age requirement, so thank you City of Austin!!! AND, while some of the private lessons and swim shops in Austin charges upwards of $200-300 for two weeks of lessons, City of Austin Parks & Rec only charges $55!!!! What the what?! That's amazing!

On a side note, can we all please have a good chuckle that the West Austin Neighborhood Group is self-entitled WANG? Ha! That's awesome.

Now for a serious question - is it tacky for me to wear a bikini to the lessons? Clearly not a flashy one, of course, but I do not own a one-piece swimsuit, nor do I plan to unless absolutely necessary. And maybe a little bit, but just a wee bit, I'm proud of the fact that I am a mother and still can wear a bikini. That could be contributing just slightly. So is it tacky? Feel free to be brutally honest - I am far more concerned with looking like an idiot than I am having to purchase a one-piece swimsuit!

Thanks, ladies!