Kaelin’s Domain

We haven’t watched much of the Olympics, but the first event we saw was the women’s synchronized diving. Kaelin really enjoyed it, as you can tell (more than the gymnastics!):

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Since the last update.. well, as you’d hope and expect, Kaelin continues to grow.. learning, growing, changing. Her favorite things to say at the moment include “I want a new and different such-n-such”, “all kinds of neat stuff”, and “I don’t like such-n-such any more.” (’any more’ meaning ‘right now’, of course)

Her favorite activities would have to be painting (she paints almost every day for an hour or more), computer games (Curious George on PBSkids.org is a great favorite), and playing with the “Purple Lady.” As I know you are going “Who??” I shall explain. A few weeks ago, Kaelin had a playdate at a friend’s house where the 2 kids helped make puppets. One of hers was a bunny and the other was a mostly purple person with googley eyes, long purple hair, a pink ball nose, a pink tongue, and pink and purple balls and spots on her body. Kaelin LOVES this puppet. But not for her hands. Mama or Daddy (usually Mama) gets to “play Purple Lady.” The focus, attention, and affection given to Purple Lady could make a Henson puppeteer weep with joy. Purple Lady takes (pretend) baths or swims with Kaelin, watches her play, tries her cooking, helps with puzzles, and says “WOOOOWWWW!” a lot And there are lots of giggles all around.

In other news, Gymnastics continues to be fun and a highlight of the week. Every week, the instructor comments on how very ready she’ll be for the ‘big girl class.’ And yesterday, I signed her up for the new class starting September 4th. (Hold me…) It’ll be her first class of any kind without Mama by her side. I know she’ll be shy, but I’ve been watching the instructors. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get her in a class with Coach Lisa (our current coach), but I found one (Coach Cheryl) that seems to be very good with the kids and to have a natural ability to connect with even the shy ones. She’s very happy and bubbly and welcoming, but still able to control a group and teach well. Hard to think that Kaelin and I only have 3 more classes together.

Sadly, we haven’t done much swimming since the end of swim class. I just wear out so fast and the heat has been horrible in the past 2 weeks. I’m hoping that, as the weather cools down, we’ll be back to swimming soon. But we do still talk about and (as land lubbers) practice the things we’d learned. So that’s at least something.

And lastly, Kaelin has started talking about her birthday (after going to parties for a few friends). She has requested an orange cake. The rest of it (friends to play with or presents) seem to be of less interest than the cake She’s also started mentioning Christmas and presents. The presents ARE the focus of the Christmas discussions So she’s got that part down (thank you, Boowa and Kwala) (and actually, I’m pretty sure Boowa and Kwala have affected the birthday thing too!)

Portions of today’s programming are reproduced by means of electrical transcriptions or tape recordings:

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Press the play button (right-pointing triangle) to begin the audio. There are three tracks, all of which are Kaelin, of course! The first is The Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the ABCs and I’m a Little Teapot. Enjoy!

Kaelin has grown up calling me “Mama.”  I love it :)  I’ve never been a huge fan of “Mommy” (tho we use it occasionally) because it sounds VERY young to me.  I’d like to remain “Mama”.. but I can see one day becoming “Mom.”  I think, as a child, I consciously made the switch saying from “Mommy” to “Mom” and “Daddy” to “Dad” when I was about 9.

But Kaelin has suddenly started calling me Mom!  It’s a bit of a shock.  I’m not 100% sure where it came from.  All her friends use “Mommy.”  But last night, I think I witnessed the light bulb.  She started to say “Mama” and clipped off the last “a”.. there was a bit of a pause and a look of deep thought on her face.  She started saying it without the last a.  (So more like “Mahm”)   Today?  It’s now full out “Mom.”  I think maybe she’s heard the use of “Mom” on Clifford and made some kind of connection.

I’m hoping it’s a phase :S  :)  But as long as I’m her Mama/Mom/Mommy, it doesn’t really matter, does it?

This week we started something new. Two something news actually, but we’ll focus on the first right now. Kaelin is now taking swimming lessons!

I should have started her in a class last summer but just never did. As time went by, I could see (especially from talking to other moms and watching other kids) that, while many classes for kids under 3 are a total waste of time (don’t even get me started on KinderMusik), swim lessons seem to make a real difference!

As of starting the class, Kaelin was not really comfortable with anything more than a tub or wading pool. She hates being splashed and would not put her face in the water at all. I’ve done a few things with her that I’ve been told they teach in these classes.. working on kicking and paddling. At our trip to the pool last week, I showed her how to hold onto the side of the pool and use her hands to “walk” the edge.

In order to be ready for the next class, she’ll need to be able to put her lower face in the water and blow bubbles, paddle her arms in the water, kick, and allow me to help her float on her back (which she hates). Until then, she’ll need a Mommy and Me class. Which is why we’re doing a 2 days a week. I know that 3 classes a week (2 swim and one gymnastics) will be a bit of a strain.. but I also know that it’s going to be impossible for me to do this with her after her baby sibling is born. So we have 3 months. 3 months to learn those skills and be ready for the “big girl class.”
So here we are. 2 classes down. And I may be biased.. but I see a HUGE difference. I mentioned where we WERE. Here is where we ARE 4 days later. She still has the kicking down, she’s learning the alternating arms.. she does it “right” about half the time. She’ll now let me submerge her up to her mouth (briefly). And while she won’t blow bubbles in the water, she will now “kiss the water.” (An imaginative brainstorm there. WOW. She’s willingly putting her mouth in the water.. that’s a BIG step forward!) She also tries (and does a pretty good job) of kicking while “reaching” with her arms. She’ll also allow me to help her float on her back - though she still hates it. Double wow!

So today I took her to our neighborhood pool to practice. We stayed TWO hours and she was still begging to stay. The most amazing thing? She’s jumping into my arms in the pool. Last week, she’d kinda hop/step from the shallow end to me (in the deep end) if there wasn’t much space between us. Today it was more like super leaps off the wall and into my arms. Going in up to her chin/mouth each time, laughing like a maniac when she would splash me in the face And saying “I’m sorry mama, I didn’t mean to.”

We had a BLAST and hope to have many, many more fun days at the “big pool”.

Actually, it’s both

Right now, Kaelin’s all about saying “No, I’m not.”  Or “No, you’re not.”  Or something similar.  For example, I said “The paper is lost.” and she insisted “NO, it’s NOT lost.”  That kind of thing.

She also likes to show her displeasure by pointing and saying “NO CAKE!!”  We haven’t figured out the ‘cake’ part of that yet.. but it’s definitely an interesting take on the “No phase.” 

Kaelin truly is growing up fast. Until 2 weeks ago, she wanted to be with Daddy or I at all times. Now, she’ll wander off to go play alone in the living room. It’s a bit of a shock in a way. While it is nice that it’s easier to get things done, I do miss being wanted so much. Probably sounds silly But, as with all things, it’s a mixed blessing.

She loves to pile the pillows in the living room floor (not new) and pretend to swim in them (very new!). Usually the giant rubber ducky must join her.

In the past 2 months, she’s developed an interest in the baby doll some friends gave her. “Baby” sleeps with her at every nap and bedtime (the other plush friends are now stuffed down between the bed and wall And that’s EXACTLY where she wants them.. she pulls them out to play with them sometimes and then shoves them back there before going to sleep at night. Her sippy cup is her other best friend. It goes with her everywhere - even the places Baby doesn’t go. She treats her Water like a person.  She hugs it, puts a blanket or paper towel around it (calling it a Water Sweater), and requests that we sing to it at night.

She loves everything outdoors. She loves splashing in water, everything you can find in a park, gardening, running, leaves, plants, flowers, rocks, dirt, mud, all of it!

She loves to cook - both in actuality and in play. In play, she makes us cookies, cookie pie (cookies in a pie pan!), smoothies, strawberry ice cream, and strawberry coffee. She’s made other things too, but those are what come to mind. I recently re-discovered my own cooking toys from childhood, and she has most of those now too. (A few of them are very obscure or are duplicates of what she has already, so I didn’t bring them into the fray.)

She loves our playdates. 1-3 times a week we get together with others. Sometimes it’s just a 1-on-1 playdate with a friend. Usually it’s a Playgroup activity. For example, Tuesday we did a playdate at a gal’s house. They had a splash pool (about 1 foot deep inflatable pool) and the kids splashed and played for hours. They also played inside with the biggest basket of toy cars I have ever seen. Today we went to a “Preschool Letter of the Day” playdate. One of the moms used to be a school librarian (heretofore called “B”) and does the neatest activities. For example, today was for the letter P. We sang the ABC song, doing the sign language for ‘P’ when it came up in the song. B read a story that went along with the theme. There was a game with a Parachute and a P themed craft. And so much more. And best yet? It was a blast for all of us! Moms AND kids. So we make as many of those playdates as we can. Kaelin gets so excited when I tell her that we’re going to a Playdate

And she still loves tennis If only it wasn’t so hot, I know we’d play a lot more.

She’s also developed a love for the Pink Panther and a strong attraction to Tweety Bird (though she’s only seen him in a few cartoons).

June 5, 2008 - Kaelin gets her first tennis racket.  Wow!  Kevin stayed home, and we went for breakfast.  Then we went looking for new tennis shoes for me.  Mine were at least 2 1/2 years old and while still intact.. they were bad shape.  We finaly ended up at an athletic store and at one point, while I was trying on shoes, Kevin disappeared.  When he returned he announced that they didn’t have the size racket he wanted to get her, they had the next size up.  Maybe if she could manage it, we’d get her one!  So Kaelin got a new tennis racket and some low pressure balls!

Daddy took her outside when we got home and was tossing the ball to her.  She’s already got a great instinct for it - and best yet LOVES it.  I’ll post a picture or two here when I get some

Today marked the end of Kaelin’s 2nd month in Gymnastics! We’re really liking the new place. We had tried another school, but when our coach left (quite the surprise!) after the first month, I began looking for a new school. This one is perfect. The class is 50 minutes long and includes a warm up, floor exercises (introductions to rolls, handstands, springboards, etc..), and the balance beams (stepping over things, walking forward/sideways/backwards, rolls on the beam, fancy balancing on the beam, etc..). Then we do the bars (bars, parallel bars, rings). Then jumping on the loooong trampoline and into the pit of blue blocks.

As she gets older, Kaelin gets bolder. Today she did a handstand (the toddler version where you walk your feet up a surface) alone for the first time. She also boldly took a huge leap into the foam blocks (it’s usually more of a step). She seems to do significantly better in one or two areas every time we go.

For now, it’s a Mommy and Me class (I get quite the work-out too!!), but once she turns 3, she’ll be in a solo class (eek!) I will only be allowed to watch from behind glass.. 15 to 150 feet away.. (double eek!) But I know she’ll be able to handle it. She’s doing SO well! We’re so proud of her!

Check out the gallery to see pictures of the class today! (Click the 2008 album and then the May Gymnastics sub-album)

This past weekend, we started the massive task of rearranging the entire (almost) 2nd floor of the house. The plan was to give Kaelin her ‘big girl room’ and the larger bed. Her old room and twin bed would be kept for her baby brother/sister due this fall. Part of the inspiration for this change has been her fascination with the guest bed.

She. Loves. That. Bed.

Her favorite upstairs past time was to dash from whatever-room-we-were-in to the guest room, throw herself on the bed, and get snuggly in all the pillows and blankets.

So with great effort and sacrifice (mostly on Daddy’s part as he gave up his pool table AND moved all the furniture), the room that once held his music studio (which is painted a very deep green) was emptied of its contents and given a new purpose. When she got up from her nap that day (she didn’t actually sleep, of course!), I asked her if she wanted to see her new room. With a tone full of wonder she said “The GREEN Room??” and ran to the new room and new bed.

This picture might give you a hint at just how much she loves this new room. This was her first snuggle in the new digs:

She is still, 5 days later, talking about her “Green Bed.” (The bed has no green on it anywhere, but of course she can call it her Green Bed if she wants too )

But this picture best capture just how small and sweet she is in her very very Big Girl Green Room:

We still need to decorate the room. The fixtures behind her in this picture were previously over a couch, but now make for fantastic reading lights. The music-themed items on the wall will be moved, and Kaelin-esque things will go up. Probably, for the present, it’ll be a Winnie-the-Pooh room (as her old room was). But I have dreams for all that lovely dark green :)  It definitely needs some purple, don’t you think?