Lil Water Bug

The big news is that I am walking and talking now. Ok, you caught me - happy belated April Fools Day. I didn't get around to posting last week so I had to throw in an April Fools joke today. Although I babble when I'm happy and when the dog is around, I'm not quite saying words yet. And walking - heck, I'm not even crawling yet. I roll to get places and sometimes I do a sideways, butt in the air "scootch" when I want to go somewhere. Despite my lack of crawling coordination, I can get from point A to point B if point B has a favorite toy waiting for me.

The actual big news is that I started swim lessons last weekend. Or as mom likes to call them, "water acclimation" lessons. Whatever. I was swimming. I wasn't too sure about the big ol' pool at first, but after about 7-8 minutes of being in the water, I was ready to kick and splash. Can't say I was grinning ear-to-ear (in fact, I had my infamous serious face on for most of the lesson), but there were no tears (at least not while in the pool) and I did smile for Michaela and her grandma. She was the only girl in the class so I will have to be really charming to get her attention. So far she seems to like me - she kept coming over by me in class. I guess swim lessons are already paying off - I enjoy my baths even more and have a jolly ol' time splashing around in the bath. In fact, I think I got daddy pretty wet last night with all my splashes.

During swim class we sang songs, practiced safe exits and entries out of and into the pool, used the kickboard, and had some free time to play. I chased balls around the pool during free time. We don't have class this Saturday, but in two weeks, daddy and/or grandma will be coming with us so that will be fun. There was another daddy there last week taking pictures. I like cameras a lot, probably because I see one almost every day. At one point during class, I kept looking at the daddy taking pictures instead of paying attention to what mommy was trying to teach me. Maybe next time mommy or daddy will take pictures so I can share some with you.

Although I was tear free (and as mom is relieved to point out, poop free) during class, I did cry before and after class. Mom turned on the shower before class to get us wet and I did not like it a bit, even though she was just gently splashing water on me and didn't even have me under the running water. She diligently tried again after class to rinse me off, but I was not having it. That's ok because I got a nice bath when I got home so I got clean.

Last week was very busy for me. I was up in West Bend last Tuesday with grandma and grandpa. Then Wednesday mommy and I hung out together, ran some errands and took Jesse to the doggy doctor. He was brave when he got his blood drawn and all his shots. He didn't even cry. I wish I was that brave. Then aunt Mollie came over on Thursday and played with me.

Friday I went and played with my friends Katie and Ally. This was the first time I met Ally. She is two months younger than me so it was nice being around someone my own age (and not being the youngest!) Being the gentleman I am, I held her hand while we were both laying on the ground. And then I tried to poke her in the eyes while grabbing at her face and if that wasn't enough, when she was getting changed, I tried to eat her sleeper while it was unzipped. Yes, always the gentleman.

Saturday I got to share my gentlemany antics with Bella. She's the cutie sitting in the chair with me in one of the pictures posted. She gave me lots of hugs and enjoyed petting my head. Apparently I was quite the ladies' man last weekend between Katie, Ally, Michaela and Bella. This week has been a little quieter which is fine by me since I have not been sleeping well and am kinda cranky.

I did get to go to the park yesterday. I swung in the baby swing while a cute little girl showed me how to use the big kid swing. Her older brother showed me how to use some of the other toys and even raced mommy and me down a slide. We won. My favorite slide is the one that's enclosed so it feels like you are sliding down a tube. It was also the longest so we got to go a little faster. Plus, as we slid down it, all the colors of the tubing whizzed by so it was neat to watch. I wasn't even scared being inside a tight space. Maybe daddy can go to the park with us tonight so one of them can take a picture of me on the slides. Mom did get a picture of me in the swing and as you can see, it was a pretty nice day yesterday.

A few other fun notes. I discovered how to pull the elastic straps off my diaper. Last night I even tried doing it through my clothes. That will be fun for all if I start doing that regularly. I am also learning how to wave. It looks more like an arm flap, but I will "wave" back at people. I am also trying to figure out how to sit up from a prone position. I can get about 30% of the way up, but then either I'm not quite strong enough to sit up all the way or I simply don't know how to finish the task. But I'm pretty strong-willed so I imagine I will figure it out sooner rather than later.

And of course, it's baseball season!!! I watched part of the Brewers first game on Tuesday with our neighbor Patty. That was until I took over the remote and changed the channel and then she didn't know what channel the game was on (we have 300-some channels so it's not exactly easy to find) so that was the end of my baseball watching for the day. Good thing though as they lost the lead shortly after I changed the channel. Yesterday's game was much better. My namesake hit a home run to give the Brewers a lead and then mom's favorite pitcher not only pitched well, he hit a 3-run homerun. Of course I didn't get to see this game since it was on so late. Maybe I'm bad luck so I better stop watching as long as they keep winning.

I added one more food to my list - egg yolk (hard-boiled). Not a fan. It has a funny, dry texture. When mom mixed it with a little milk to make it less dry, it became sticky and icky. I'm all about texture and will cough and cough and cough to make my point when I'm eating a food with a texture I don't like. But at least I tried it.

Well I'm outta here - got a big day ahead of me. I am taking it upon myself to celebrate my Uncle Tom's birthday on my own since I won't be able to see him until June. I think the festivities will include another trip to the park, some singing, and some cake and ice cream. Ok, so the last part is probably wishful thinking, but it never hurts to ask, right? You never know what sleep-deprived parents will say yes to! Happy Birthday Uncle Tom and hope your special day is as fun as my day will be.

Love,
Cameron