Swimming Lessons

For two weeks during the month of August the boys, along with their cousins Mateo and Jasmine, were in swimming lessons for 1/2 an hour each day. They really enjoyed the time in the pool, save for having to do things on their backs or with a life jacket, and I didn't even mind having to sport a maternity bathing suit for 2 weeks straight since by that time summer had finally arrived (though it has long since vanished). And although by the end it had become somewhat repetitive by nature (singing the same songs in a circle, rocketship glides, starfish floats, etc.), that's what practicing skills is like (so they'd best get used to it since daddy expects all three to be professional hockey players!). Anyhow, just thought I'd post a few pictures of their time in the pool (hopefully we'll have our own one day, but for now we've signed them up for lessons again next summer).

Here they are on day one, "painting" their bodies with water in order to ease them into the pool (which most days was refreshing since we lucked out with warm weather):

Of course we couldn't help but capture some back work (Braylon nearly ripped my earrings out each time, he dreaded back starfish float):

Isaiah didn't mind the life jacket so much, though by the second week he wasn't fond of having to swim with the instructor as he'd long since learned mommy was in the pool with Braylon and he should have a chance with mommy too:

Both boys loved jumping in off the side, quite possibly Braylon's favourite thing to do. He would leap like nothing and if you didn't help him back up quickly to jump in again, you'd better watch out! Here are a few pics of them jumping:

And we played a few familiar games, such as drip-drip-drop:

Overall it was worth the money we paid for them to just get in and used to the pool, beginning to learn the basics. It will be hard to practice in our inflatable pool with 1' of water, but hopefully by next year we'll notice a difference when we get them in swimming!

Play equipment

This summer, the boys have been obsessed with play equipment. It's been nice to get them outside to enjoy the equipment we (and many of our family and friends helped) purchased for them in our backyard, but they've also been able to use some town equipment sets too - here in Strathroy as well as in Grand Bend.

Braylon favours swinging, though he quickly mastered climbing the stairs so as to go down the slide. Isaiah learned quickly from the neighbour girls how to do things the "big kids" do, like climb up the slide barefoot. He's a master of the rock wall and has little fear of steep slides. We'll have to keep an eye on him! Both of them thoroughly enjoy spending time in the sandbox too, though I can't say I prefer when the majority of the time is spent there simply because they're very dirty boys when they're done playing, and if you know me you know I'm a neat freak. Anyhow, I thought I'd post a few pictures of them sliding and swinging - they had a playdate with their cousins yesterday on our equipment but I haven't loaded the pictures we took.

Here's Braylon ready for take-off down the slide at Strathroy's new equipment:



And big brother Isaiah is starting to show interest in the "activities" on the equipment there:


Isaiah is launching off down the slide on our equipment:


As Braylon follows suit:

Playing together in the sandbox:

Isaiah is quick to pick up what the big kids are doing:

Teeter-tottering together:

Going down the twirly slide:

Due Date #2

No wonder they call it expecting... for all three pregnancies, I've expected to go into labour much earlier than I have... or will in this case. I'm now officially at due date #2: September 1, and there is no baby in sight. Of course, as is typical for my cervix, I am closed. Not that that means a great deal - I'm not one of those types of women who dilate weeks in advance. In fact, with both past pregnancies I showed absolutely no sign of starting to labour the day before. So there is some sense of hope left that I will not be having a mid-September baby; Caleb could potentially still make an appearance today in fact. However, yesterday I had a stretch and sweep done, as I was apparently "favourable" despite being closed, and yet there's still no Caleb in sight (I'll spare you the details, but it's supposed to work in about 10% of women... apparently I'm not so fortunate to be one of those lucky few). I've a feeling all three boys will make a record with their 10 day late arrivals... just a hunch.

It's funny... I'm really not a superstitious person, nor do I believe in the moons (yes, Tia Connie, I know you're likely going to be right regardless in that he won't come until Friday at the earliest) or any of that, but I do think he has reason to wait (besides that my womb is apparently a warm and cosy comfortable abode). That is because we don't have a middle name. We've yet to settle on one we both like, and Greg is stuck on a list of three that I'm not too fond of or I just don't feel suit this baby. Here's some of the ones I've looked up that I like, though none of them "speak" to me as "the" middle name to give him: Jaxen, Avery, Levi, Asher, Korbin, Halden, Emil, Milan, Rowan, Julian, Kaden, Nicolai, Ephraim, Ewen, Ayden, Malachi and Finley. I don't know... I like when the name flows well, but we're pretty darn stuck. Hence Caleb's reluctant attitude about joining us in person! :)

Anyhow, I'm hoping he decides to make a natural appearance rather than having to be induced, especially as SMGH favours drug inducement (though they're closed this weekend so should he decide to arrive on the long weekend we'll be travelling into London for the delivery). But I hate the waiting game. I'd love to know why our brains aren't able to tell our bodies when to have a baby (or at least be informed via the inhabitant of the womb when he is ready to make his appearance); it boggles my mind at how much we have absolutely no control over! How can I have no clue whatsoever when my labour will begin? It's my body!!

So I'm trying all the natural methods I can think of, save for castor oil, to get this labour started... the boys and I went for a nice long walk today to feed the ducks to see if gravity could play a hand, but as of now I'm feeling little else besides the same low pressure and the dying cramping effects of the stretch and sweep yesterday.

Oh well, soon enough we'll be a family of five (well, six if you count Raider... our fish have long since passed, by the way). I'll be sure to post as soon as it happens, so stay tuned!!

Traditions

So, for the past few August long weekends, we've been making a tradition of heading to Vanessa, where Greg's family's cousins own a ginseng farm. They've a gorgeous property and, when the weather cooperates, we're fortunate to enjoy the time to use their pool (especially as we're nowhere near being able to afford one for our backyard any time soon). They've actually got the perfect backyard set up - though were we to have the same thing, we'd have no grass area elsewhere as what they have in pool and gardens alone is the extent of our entire lot. Anyhow, as I said, they've the ideal pool area (and hopefully one day so will we, particularly as - unless year-round schooling settles into our board too - the boys and I will be able to use it every day of summer holidays... or unless it's a summer much like this that is rainy, dreary, and cooler than I'd like most days).



Isaiah was very interested in swimming and I think I'll be getting my money's worth when he begins lessons Monday. He had to be coerced into using the floatie, though - necessary when we all tired of helping him swim or when I had both boys to myself - but otherwise wanted to be swimming - mostly independently if he had his way. Hopefully the lessons help teach him to swim by himself fairly well because he is a pretty stubborn boy when it comes to wanting to be in the water. His lips were blue half the time - despite the 89 degree bath-like water - because he refused to come out of the pool and dry off for awhile in the sun.

Braylon, on the other hand - and much like everything else, had to be coerced into swimming itself, though eventually he took a liking to it. Isaiah and his cousin Mateo were "swimming" in the fountain at first, but Braylon was content to amuse himself while they sorted rocks and caught the falling water in the trucks. Once we were in the big pool, though, Braylon enjoyed lounging in his floatie, safe amongst the many aunts and uncles lounging on their pool noodles. Yes, I think we'll have to invest in a pool at some point... our efforts to convince my in-laws to put one in are fairly pointless, I think! So one day...

Anyhow, we didn't just swim and sun bathe... there was much entertaining to be had. It's nice, despite my lack of having caught on to Portuguese, to just sit around and enjoy one another's company. Quite a few of Greg's aunts and uncles go up (and usually so do their kids, though this year was slightly different), so there's plenty of conversing to be had. And there's always an abundance of food to be consumed... even if it takes 8 hours for the lunch spread to appear on the table (I shouldn't complain - and I'm not really, I'm more noting a fact - as I don't yet help much in the way of food preparation). And they've beautiful grounds, as I've mentioned.



And so marked the middle of our summer holidays, which are passing rather too quickly (though at least I'm not returning to work come fall). Already another weekend half-over and, with the anticipation of the arrival of our third son, I'm assuming the rest of August will fly by as well. Hopefully we keep busy and I can post our adventures in blogs to come!

ExpectNet Baby Pool

So I finally set up a baby pool for this pregnancy. If you'd like to play, follow the link on the side OR go to www.expectnet.com and search for our game: RebeloBaby3. Good luck with your guesses!