Addie's musings

Addie started swimming lessons yesterday, and it was her first time in any kind of instructional class. She did really good, although she did get a little restless sitting on the steps waiting for her turn. Most of the kids will go on to be in the neighborhood swim team, so their parents have them in goggles and swim caps. Addie borrowed someone's pair today, and she actually kept them on the whole time. On the way this morning, she said, "Mama, I don't like people." I said, "You don't? How come?" and she said, "I just don't like people." I snickered to myself and said, "Well, there are people at swim lessons, so we can go and be nice to people at the pool." She thought about it for a minute and said, "I want to do swim lessons, and I don't want to see people." I told her that she had to see people to do lessons, and she said, "I don't want to do swim lessons, I want to play in the baby pool." I told her that even if we don't like people, we still are nice to everyone. I don't know if it sunk in.

This afternoon, we were upstairs going through stuff and Ryan was touching everything that Addison was playing with, and she was having zero patience, even when I sharply reprimand her. After pouting for a bit, she said, "Mama, I want to play downstairs, and Baby Ryan can play somewhere else." I said that Ryan had to come with us, and she frowned and said no, he needs to play somewhere else since he can't share toys (I tell her that sometimes). On the way down the stairs, she said, "Baby Ryan can play with doggies," and she ran down and got her big box of plastic dogs and set them all up and said, "Mama, you put Ryan here and he play doggies and you come in here with me." Miraculously, Ryan is still in the other room while Addie is playing with a set of nesting dolls I had.

Ryan has been in a fantastic mood lately. His first bottom tooth is finally breaking through, after about 5 months of teething-related fussiness. Addison had two teeth the day she turned 5 months, so he is about 3 months behind. However, twice today, and a couple of times over the past few days, he has let go while he's standing up and tried to balance on his own two feet. He has been pulling up for over a month, but hasn't been cruising much. He's still pretty stationary and prefers to crawl. But I don't know where this letting-go thing came from. He can only balance a second or two before grabbing something or falling. I wonder if he'll be an early walker. Addie walked two weeks after she turned one, but she'd been pulling up and cruising since 7 months old.