OMG You Guys-SO Much Better!!

Based on all your comments from my previous post, I decided to do something about swimming lessons. I called the facility and asked to be switched to a different class. It's at 10 am, rather than 11, and it has a female instructor. I hoped that it would be a good change of pace for us.
We're very lucky this week to have my mother-in-law in town. She hasn't seen Sutton since Christmas, and she has been having such a good time with him. She came with us today to class, too.

When we got there, the owner was chatting with us, and asked how it was going with our lessons. I told her, "Well, we've been struggling." When she asked why, I explained that I felt that our previous instructor was too impatient with Sutton. She apologized, and explained that he was only 19, but that he may need to work on his patience level. But when I told her what he had said ("Wow, he's really a crier, huh?") she turned a little red. She said to me, "Well, he shouldn't have said that, and I apologize for that." Now, I'm not a person who wants to make a big deal out of something, but when it comes to my kid-I'm TOTALLY that person. Who knew?

Our new instructor is named Laura, and she has a kid around Sutton's age. She was so upbeat, and cheerful. All the kids in the class were around the same skill level, so Sutton felt more comfortable. There was even one kid who screamed and cried the whole way through, so I didn't feel so bad. I even think they egged each other on a little.

BUT-Sutton did great!! Yes, there were some tears, and some "Stop It! Stop It!" But he did the monkey crawl on the wall (where they hang on to the edge of the wall) The teacher said to me, "Wow, he did that so fast. How many times has he done this?" I told her, "Never. This is the first time he has felt comfortable doing it."

So, I feel so much better for having spoken up and doing what I think is best for my child. I will never doubt a mother's intuition again.

We also discovered a great Middle Eastern grocery store next door to the swim place, and they have amazing hummus and pita bread. I can totally see that being our weekly routine now.

After swim class, my mom came over with my little nephew Jonas. I got a few pictures before my camera died. Here they are.


He's such a cute little kid.

Water Woes, Part Deux

So today was the second swimming lesson. I had to work last Thursday, so I wasn't able to take Sutton to the lesson. We just skipped a week.
We left the house around 10:20, and we got there WAY early. The place is only 10 minutes away, so I drove around a little to kill time. And Sutton fell asleep in the car AGAIN. So he was cranky AGAIN. So the lesson did not go well AGAIN. He cried or whined the whole time. AGAIN.

Which leads me to my dilemma. Do I just cancel the lessons, since it upsets him so much? I feel like the instructor is frustrated with us. There were more kids in the lesson today, and he spent more time with them. He told me that I needed to do a better job of holding Sutton away from my body, so he wouldn't want to cling to me so much. Any time he would try to work with Sutton, he had a crying toddler on his hands. At one point, he said to me, "Is he always this timid?" Are you kidding? This kid is fearless sometimes. I almost feel like he doesn't like the instructor; maybe that's the problem.

I feel so frustrated and upset. If I'm spending the money each month for these classes, I want it to be worth it. I don't to force Sutton to do swimming lessons, but living in Arizona, you need to know water safety. There are swimming pools everywhere. And I myself didn't learn to swim until I was almost 10 years old. To this day, I still don't like to put my face in the water. I don't want that to rub off on Sutton.

So what do I do?

Sutton

My co-worker reads my blog, and she said to me the other day, "All you do is talk about the negative stuff." That comment took me aback a little. This blog is meant to be an outlet for me. A way to vent some frustration. A way to express what I'm feeling, and know that other moms feel the same way, and have gone through the same thing. I don't want Sutton to read my blog entries one day, and think that I always trash-talk him.

So, in honor of Mother's day tomorrow, here are a few of the things that I love most about my little button.
1. How he loves our dog Auggie. He always calls for him, and wants to hug and kiss him. It's cute to watch them lying side by side on the rug together.
2. His developing language. I love to hear him mimic what we say. As he was eating his dinner tonight, he yelled "Auggie, eat your kibble!" Of course, in his language, all I could really hear was "Auggie....kibble!" But I could put the rest together.
3. His passion for electronics. This started from an early age. He has always loved remotes, and stuff like that. At about one year old, he could turn on our DVD player by himself. Today, he turned on Tivo, and selected the show that he wanted to watch. Dave and I just stand there with our mouths open.
4. His little face.
5. His smile.
6. His sense of humor. He cracks me up sometimes, with his silliness.
7. How cute he is with his little friends at school. He runs down the hall to see them, yelling "C'mon Mom! Let's go!"
8. How he LOVES to watch movies and snuggle in our bed. He climbs up, and covers himself with the covers. Then he leans back with his hands behind his head, and waits for us to start the show. So stinkin' cute.
9. How crazy he is about my mom. When she walks in the house, he's so excited to see her. He yells "Bubbie!" And he constantly asks me, "Mom? Where Bubbie?"
10. His love for his duckie and blankie. It's adorable to see how these items comfort him. He rubs his face in the duck, and that's how I know he is tired.

Of course there are lots more things that I love about my boy, but those are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Water Woes

I signed Sutton up for swimming classes and today was the first lesson. I was kind of excited to have an activity that guaranteed that we would get out of the house. Like his dad, Sutton is perfectly content to lounge around the house, watching TV, eating snacks and hanging out in his jammies. But when you only have one day off during the weekdays, you try to pack as much as you can into the day.

I bought a new swimsuit, because I only have tankinis, which I didn't think would be appropriate for a little kid swimming class. Sutton is in level 2, which has the parents get in the pool with them. So I got a black one-piece from Old Navy, and figured I was set.

This morning was the big day-first lesson!! We left the house pretty early this morning, since I wanted to run some errands before the class. I picked up some Mother's Day stuff at Target, and we headed over to the swim center. Wouldn't you know it, on our way there, Sutton falls asleep in the car. Now, when you wake a sleeping Sutton, you get a grumpy Sutton. Sure enough, as I park the car, he wakes up and starts crying. I haul my purse, our swim stuff and a crying Sutton and go inside the swim center.

They give us a brief tour, and I get a key for my locker. I quickly change clothes (how hard is it to change clothes or use a public restroom when your toddler knows how to open the door!!) and get Sutton changed. The center requires that non potty-trained kids wear reusable swim diapers, not the disposable ones. So I bought this one that looks like a little pair of swim trunks. But they have a swim diaper lining. So cute!

By now, Sutton is a whiny, clingy mess. He only perks up then he notices the HUGE box of Dum-Dum lollipops by the check-in desk. Of course, he wants one. As he put it, "Want one NOW!" I tell him that he can have a lollipop after swim class. Cue the crying and mini-tantrum.

Finally, it's our turn for class. There are only two students in the class-Sutton and another little girl. The instructor tells me that Sutton can walk down the steps into the pool, until the water reaches too high for him. That was as good as it got. After that, Sutton refused to let go of me. The entire time. He cried and whined the whole time. In between whines, he told me, "Stop it!" (I was holding him under his arms, as per the instructions. Sutton kept telling me that it hurt.) At one point, he told me, "Want go home!!"

The other little girl? Floating on her back, kicking her legs, blowing bubbles, etc. Sutton? He just wanted to squirt me in the face with the water toys. That is, when he wasn't clinging to me like a spider monkey. I asked the instructor, "Do you think he's too young for this?" He told me "Nah. He's probably just a crier. We can work through that." Thanks for telling me that my kid is a whiner. Appreciate that.

After 30 minutes, the class is over. We get out, and shower off. That part-Sutton liked. He liked the water spraying him in the face. Go figure. Oh, and he LOVED the lollipop at the end.

And my swimsuit? Epic FAIL. When Sutton was scared, he tried to climb my front. His foot got caught in the neckline of my swimsuit and he pulled it down to my stomach. Classy.