Relaxing in the Pool

I had a feeling that swim class was going to be different today even before we got there. Alan, Mayte, Nolan, and Kayleb came to visit us this weekend so we were up late hanging out and catching up with them. On top of that, Kaylani decided to wake up around midnight which meant that Mommy had to nurse her back to sleep (we don't let her cry it out when we have guests over). Thankfully she went back to sleep easily, but it also meant she slept until 6:30am instead of waking up sometime before 6. That meant our morning plans were out the window.

We thought we had it all figured out last week. Up before 6, breakfast before 7, in the car at 7, napping by 7:30, up by 8:30, nurse until 8:45, then swim class at 9. Today, it was up at 6:30, breakfast at 7:30, nursing at 8:30, out the door at 8:45, swim class at 9. The key thing missing there was the nap. Mommy's experience during the week with Kaylani has been that she could make it through morning events without a nap. Daddy's experience is kinda different.

We had a different instructor at class today (I didn't even catch her name), so we were more off of our normal Saturday routine. From the get go, Kaylani was a little sluggish in the water. She had her death grip on me and wasn't a big fan of anything that didn't involve her clinging directly to me. You'd think that I wouldn't have dunked her, but I did (she didn't cry which was good). The really odd part of the class came when we were practicing floating on our backs.

Normally, Kaylani would freak out and squirm a lot. Today, she just laid there with her ears and her hair in the water. All of a sudden, she started to close her eyes. I looked at her unbelievably and said "are you going to fall asleep??" She looked at me one last time, closed her eyes, and she was out. Sleeping. On her back. IN the water. I couldn't believe it.

She stayed that way for the next 20 minutes. We did ring around the rosie, and the hokey pokey, and more float on our back time, and the whole time, Kaylani slept floating on her back. At one point, the instructor said we should have them lay on their back and be as still as possible so they learn to relax. The key was to teach them to balance a toy on their belly or their forehead. Kaylani aced that one. She didn't even move when I put a crab toy on her head.

I guess it's a good thing that she felt relaxed enough to sleep in the water. Next week, we're going to take a nap BEFORE class though. Otherwise, it's just no fun (for me that is)!

Weekend Forecast: Busy with a chance of rain

Ahh the weekend. This week consisted of 5 very long days at work which meant that this weekend couldn't have come soon enough. Finally, it's here and it's time to relax. Time to sleep in, sit on the couch all day, take a few naps, and just relax. Oh right, we don't do stuff like that anymore.

Weekends are family time now. They're my chance to make up all the time I missed spending with Kaylani during the week and I love them. I get to spend 2 full days with Kaylani, which is way more time than the two to three hours a day I get during week (if I'm lucky). But this weekend, we've got much more in store for us. This weekend, Abuela and Abuelo are in town. Titi Briseida and Tio Carlitos are in town. And Titi Glenda, Tio Pritesh, and Primitos Alisha and Rohan will be in town. And it just happens to be Mommy's birthday weekend, so that means its PARTY TIME!

Okay, we don't actually party anymore. Just like weekends aren't for relaxing anymore, our parties aren't really a party. Instead, it'll be a family BBQ in the backyard where we pass Kaylani around and try and enjoy the weather. Maybe we'll take a trip to Princeton in the afternoon. Maybe we'll go out for breakfast on Sunday morning. Maybe we'll just stay home all weekend (except for the trip out to Kaylani's first swim class at the YMCA tomorrow morning)! I don't really know what's in store for us and frankly I don't really care because it's the weekend!

Not surprisingly, there's a forecast for a bit of rain tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it's rained at least 5 times a week over the past 2 months so none of this is new. Sometimes I feel like our house was relocated to Seattle, but that's besides the point. Just like the plethora of plans we have, a little rain isn't going to change anything because it's the weekend! So bring on whatever you got. I'm ready for ya!

Taking It All In

After particularly long days, I find myself taking a step back from everything and just staring at Kaylani. She brings a level of calm to me that I've never had (or noticed) before and I think it's because she is a symbol of things during a less complicated, more relaxed time.

There's very little that Kaylani has to worry about or even do. To her, life is whatever she wants it to be. It's the same every day for her and so different all at the same time. Every day, things take on different meanings, or she learns that she can do something new, and it's an amazing thing to watch her go through. And it's exactly what I need every now and then.

Tonight, Kaylani spent 20 minutes in her Jumparoo, and for 20 minutes, I sat there and watched her play by herself. She's grown so much since the first time we put her in that she now uses it for different purposes. Originally, it was to stare at the lights and listen to the music. Then, it was to bounce and flex her legs. Now, she still does all those things, but takes a moment to take in her surroundings. She seemed to notice every toy and feature on the jumparoo and played with each for a little bit. But it was her ability to take everything else in that caught my attention.

She ignored the music and the lights, and instead focused on the walls around her, the toys next to her, the legs of the jumparoo that were holding her up. Sure, she stole a few glances at me staring at her, but she just went back to her own thing. Play with the toys a bit, look around. Jump a little bit, look around. Stare off at something only she could see, and then look around some more. 4 months ago, she couldn't even stare straight ahead. Now, she's staring at anything she can.

Sometimes I wish I could spend my life just taking it all in. I wish that I had nothing else to do but analyze my surroundings, and then move on to the next thing that came my way. There's nothing simple about taking care of a baby, but life sure is simpler being a baby. And oddly enough, it's the baby that makes life feel so simple after all.

If you don't believe me, take a look at this video of Kaylani I posted to our YouTube page. Take a step back and just look at how simple life can be, and I bet it makes you feel as relaxed as I do right now.