Swim Fan!

BUY US! We're cute and lonely.

Oh, look--TY!

A cultural pair!

WHINNEY!

No new pictures of my boy this week, sadly. The only shots I've taken lately were of stuffed animals that I plan to sell. I totally over-prepared for the arrival of our first child. When our store closed, I stowed away one of each of our stuffed animals, in anticipation of my unborn child's entertainment. Let me just say that you CAN have too many stuffed animals. And they apparently multiply when you leave them alone too long. We have SO many. I gave a few to my friend, Carmen, whose son, Harper, apparently didn't experience the onslaught of stuffed goodies in his first year. I put a few of Paxton's favorites around his room, and displayed a few of my favorites on the ledge above his closet. That still left me with about a dozen that, while adorable, need a new home, stat. Perhaps I'll post their pictures here! They're all in great, pretty much brand new condition, but we just have no place in our home for them, no matter how adorable. Take them off my hands for a steal! :)

Though I lack pictures, I did want to comment on Paxton's much-improved swimming abilities this summer. We have a membership to the local pool, which is just down the road from our house. I think we've reached something like fifty days over 100 degrees here already this summer, so the pool has been our only real relief. Amazingly, it's nearly empty most of the times we go. Is it possible to be too hot to swim? Not from where we're standing, but we seem to be in the minority. We even brave the hot pavement and walk to the pool, towing Paxton in his little red wagon. Also along for the ride, his water wings, some towels, LOTS of sunscreen, a magazine, ice water and a "treat" to lure Paxton out of the pool.

Despite his rash guard shirts blocking the sun, and his SPF 50, Paxton has still developed a little tan. It's very strange seeing this on any child of mine. But surprisingly, even I have darkened a little. I know that no dermatologist would pat me on the back for this, but I find it to be a terrific novelty. Tanning is not something I have ever excelled at. Then again, before this summer, going outside was enemy #1. I hate the hot Texas summers. I am constantly hot, constantly tending to the beads of sweat forming above my lip and on my brow. But this summer, one of the hottest on records, I'm having a darn fine time. I credit Paxton and the pool membership, above all.

Paxton is a student of everything he lays eyes on. And don't think for a minute that he isn't paying attention. The kid can spot a butterfly a mile away. He can hear a motorcycle across town. He throws in prepositions before his nouns, just because he hears us do it enough that he's probably got a chance that he's right. The kid is on it like Harry Connick. And at the pool, floating around in his water wings, he is studying all. For that reason, when he jumps into the water from the side of the pool, he now pristinely puts his hands together in front of him, bends at the waist and does the toddler rendition of "diving". He's seen enough of the older kids demonstrating that he's actually better than I have ever been. And though he doesn't have his counting down exactly, he prefaces every dive with some sequence of numbers. Often he throws out "one, two, three", but sometimes he mixes it up for effect. "Four, five, TWO!" SPLASH!

The water wings (sometimes known as "floaties") were the best purchase we made all summer. Before we got them, he would try to squirm out of our arms, pushing his giant baby feet off of our stomachs, practically guzzling pool water in an effort to score a little independence. He didn't realize that cruising off solo in the pool wasn't a real possibility for a three-foot-tall person in a pool that starts at three-feet in depth. He resented that we were trying to 'keep him down', while we were actually trying very hard to 'keep him up'. We offered him little rafts and secure inner tubes, but he wanted none of it. I even got a little swimsuit that has the floatation device built in to it, but it didn't do much more than make him look really awkward. He still tipped forward in the pool, swallowing water.

I have seen countless kids in water wings, but I always kind of frowned on them. I rated them right up there with holding your nose when you went under water. They were a crutch that stopped you from learning the right way to do things. But for a kid who is a year-and-a-half, treading water isn't going to happen. Water wings are the perfect solution. Since we started putting them on him, he now feels comfortable enough in the water that he can swim where he wants to go (including the steps to leave the pool, and the ladders), lower his head to blow bubbles, and experiment with floating on his stomach or back. He is so comfortable in the water, it's like he's been swimming for years. Other pool visitors comment on it all the time. I'm so glad that he loves the water as much as Chris and I do. It's such a fun family activity and it's really brought us closer!

Not since high school have I been sad to see summer go. We're already a week into August, and while this summer has been hot enough to have Native Texans grumbling, this Pennsylvania girl has loved just about every minute of it! I never thought I'd say that. For years, I've been scheming to leave our hot state, but now I'm dreading the cold days of winter to come. Only my blue-eyed baby angel could make me love the hottest months of the year. He truly is a miracle!