A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Super Duper excited!!!

We signed both kids up for swimming lessons today! I'm soo excited! Tomorrow I will put Maddie's swimming suit on her to make sure it still fits her. If it doesn't, I'll be ordering her a new one when I order Luke's swimming trunks. I've decided to go with suits that have the cloth swimming diaper in them so that I don't have to buy those expensive ones that Pampers or Huggies makes. They are a pain to get on and off anyways.

They start their lessons on November 1st and go every Saturday for 6 or 8 weeks (can't remember off the top of my head).

That is cool, Jenn. Swim lessons even for the tiny ones teach good skills. And they are just fun. Will you be in the water with each of them or at all?

I love the water. Good idea for the babies.

Yup! For the weeks that Stephen is working, his mom will come with me to help. Each child needs to have an adult to hold them. We were able to go into the pool area to see what it is like and to see the changing areas. It was really warm in there, so I think the water will feel like bath water. It's really nice, they have a family changing area besides the men's and women's changing areas. So, Stephen and I will both be able to change in that area with the kids. When it comes to bathing suits and wet little ones, the more hands the better!!!

That's fantastic Jenn. I bet they will love it!

that is great, Jenn !! I just know you will all love the experience. And I agree with Sheri, it is a good thing to do.

I just ordered new swim suits for both kids. I can't wait until they come....they are soo cute!!

It'll be so nice Jenn...with it getting so cold and the water will be nice and warm and steamy.....I wish I was going to swimming lessons just for the warmth of it. I guess you'll just have to make sure they are super dry before you take them outside in the cold air.....

They are going to :ding: it!

I am wondering if there is anything I can do to make sure they don't get ear infections....guess I need to look up the cause of those since I really don't have any experience with them. That is my only concern about taking them over the winter for the lessons....if the lessons go well, I'll want to sign them up for the next session.

I haven't had any personal experience with swimmers ear or infections from swimming. I have known a few people that needed to wear plugs to keep water from their ears but that is the total extent of my knowledge.
Ted swims in an indoor pool 3 times a week at school in his current school and he did in his grammar school too. (Special Ed schools). They keep the ambient air temp and water temp even a much as possible. It is much like a tepid bath. They are great for beginning swimmers because you are not fighting cold water along with plain old fears. I hope you have a lot of fun doing this.

children have short eustation tubes, and they tend to get conjested when they get sick.
--beyond keeping their ears coverd if they are prone and properly dressed so they do not get unnecessarily sick, I do not think there is anything to be done.

My Valarie never went out of the house without a sun bonnet-(it covered her ears) on and a sweater (if the weather called for it), and she still had ear infections constantly until her tubes lenghtened.

and I am sure you already take excellent care of your kids. so just common sense and prompt medical care are all that is necessary.

I would sak your Dr. what he suggests

about the swimmers ear---there is a product called swim ear---When she was done with her lesson, I pulled on her ear lobe to make sure any excess water was out and thne if she or I thought there was still water in her ear (she was 3 and could help me when she began swim lessons) I put a drop or 2 of the product in her ear and it dried up any excess water---wondereful stuff.

It of course comes with directions--I got it at the pharmacy

I will talk to the pediatrician about stuff. We visit him next week anyways. I never know if she has an ear infection.....she has only had one and I had no clue. She seems to be constantly teething and she pulls on her ears every once in a while because of the teething, so using that as a cue for an ear infection doesn't work with her.

I just saw the CUTEST hat at Gander Mt. yesterday.....but was not about to pay $30 for it. I'm going to look for a pattern for it and make one for both of the kids. Then both of them will have covered ears this winter.

are the lessons at your YMCA?

valarie's "bonnet" was a homemade one. It was a "Laura Ingels" hat.--red with white cotten eyelet cloth overlay on the "bill" for decoration.

I can still 'see' my baby walking around outside with that on, that and her pink button down sweater.

if I could raise my girls all over again I would in a minute.

This is why I started a second family in my 40's. I love kids. Today I shopped for baby items because one of the nurses in the chemo suites where I take John found out she was having a boy. I will be delivering that booty tomorrow. I also love tiny baby clothes.

perhaps one day I will be fortunate enough to have some grandkids......

yup!! And I would LOVE to get a membership there so that I could workout and swim and stuff. But our budget does not allow for it right now. I did find out that they offer scholarships, so I am in the middle of filling out the paper work for that. I need to lose weight badly...being pregnant for 5 years straight was awful for my body and walking the kids around our tiny town just isn't enough exercise (it is less than a square mile!!!).

The hat that I saw was a polar fleece...which is what we need right now. It was actually flurrying lastnight when I took the dogs out!!! Yippeeeee!!! Altho, I'd much rather be in Alaska. Stephen's dad is working there right now and he said where he is there is already snow and he has been ice fishing this week!! The ice is *only* 4 inches thick, so they can't put a sled on it yet, but they can walk on it just fine. ...and this is not on a lake where the water is "still" and calm...this is on the river!! I'm jealous.

You should see some of the little clothes Maddie wore when she came home from the hospital. She was barely 5 pounds then and we had to get preemie clothes and even those were too big on her!

jenn: Valarie's red hat I described was not a winter one.

she wore it mainly in the spring & fall and occasionally in the summer if it was extra windy, or she was "under the weather".

Both girls had regular winter hats, not unlike the material you described.

When they were smaller these hats tied under their chins, and when they were older they just pulled down over their ears.

ya....the hat that I'm going to make has a velcro strap that goes under the chin. Maddie's coat has a hood also. We don't do much for Luke since he is still in the carseat that you can just carry from the house to the car and back again. We put a heavier outfit on him and then just fold a blanket and put it over him and tuck it in all over the place around him until we get to the truck. I had a cover that went over the entire seat for Maddie....like a kind of cocoon, but it is pink. I suppose I could dye it a boy color.

My MIL won't admit to it, but I think she had hoped my DH would be a girl.

When my 2nd DD was born, (Emily) she brought over the cutest "pink" blanket. Told us she thought the baby could use her Daddy's baby blanket.---I said oh you thougth or hoped he was going to be a girl?? she said no.--well really--who buys a new 'pink' blanket for a boy?? She could of just told me the truth.

OK, funny story aside, why not buy some blue binding and re-do the binding on the blanket---then it will be both pink and blue?? You could also attach a blue applique of some kind on it, perhaps in a corner. I think it would be cute.

Well, it isn't really a blanket...it kind of looks like a giant cloth shower cap. It is kind of like this carrier cover but without the zipper and mine has a little flap that will cover the face hole for if it is windy outside. I suppose I could make one easy enough....just some fleece and elastic, really.

Jenn thanks for showing me that--I did not know they exsisted. very nice indeed. Could you even buy the materilas for $19 ???

Oh...wanted to add...I didn't originally want to make one of those covers because Luke won't be in the infant carrier for much longer...I hope! It is really heavy when he is in it. When he can sit on his own we will be switching him to a different carseat...like the one that Maddie is in. The one she is in can rear face to 35 pounds and then we can just turn it forward facing.

Probably. I doubt it would take more than a yard...MAYBE a yard and a half of material. Then elastic and that would really be it. The one I have isn't that nice...like I said, picture a giant shower cap!