Staying Cool

People act surprised to find that we've been out and about every day since Margot came home.  People forget that we have a two year old, so staying at home all day every day is like child care suicide.  People also forget that both of us are home for the summer, so it's really not too difficult to pack up the car and head to Target for the morning.  It takes some planning.  For Margot's first doctor's appointment I didn't even remember to pack a diaper bag for her until the very last minute before we had to walk out the door, so I just threw some newborn diapers into Sylvia's tiny backpack that we use as her diaper bag.  When I had to strip Margot down to her diaper in that cold doctor's office I could have kicked myself for not bringing a blanket, or even a burp cloth, to cover that child with!  I wrapped her up in my long shirt and stood there like an idiot until the doctor was finished.  Oops!  We're better at getting out of the house now. 

Margot is very portable these days; all we really need are some diapers, my nursing cover, and a blanket or two.  She sleeps ALL the time, so we're taking advantage of it while we can.  Last week, when folks were ranting about this insane heat wave on it's way, we took both girls to Aunt Dar's pool for one last early morning dip before it became too hot to even go swimming.  Check this out:

My baby is swimming!

Look at her go!

 Okay, she's not really swimming, but thanks to our new friend Bella, we've been introduced to the amazing PUDDLE JUMPER!  It's like a set of swimmies (or floaties, or whatever you call them), but they're made of foam and there's an extra foam band between them that goes across the front, so it teaches your kid to lean forward in the water and kick their feet, instead of a life jacket, which just teaches them to bob up and down and spin in circles.  I was skeptical.  Techically Sylvia is just a few pounds shy of the requirements for the Puddle Jumper, but we got her one anyway.  Here she is getting in for the first time - that's Bella next to her, a seasoned Puddle Jumper professional.

It took her a few minutes to get the hang of it.  She kept flipping on her back and getting stuck, so Sylvain had to teach her how to roll over onto her stomach.  She quickly figured out that if she kicked her feet the right way, she could get herself to be straight up and down, treading water.  Here's where she figured it out and here's where I was SOLD on the Puddle Jumper.  This thing is amazing, I'm telling you!

Once she had it figured out, that girl was kicking and paddling all over the pool.  Sylvain was always close, but she was definitely "on her own" and it was really fun to watch.  Way to go Nugget!!

Margot was not impressed:

Just give her some shade and a soft spot to lay.  Girl is one happy camper.