Self Discipline

Outside of the door leading to our parking garage is a wooden door stop.  Babykins is obsessed with it.  Every time we walk out of the door, Babykins makes a beeline for the door stop.  We don't let her take it with us, and she refuses to put it down, which leads to an extremely long stand off every time we try to walk to the car.

To help nip the problem in the bud, Hubbykins and I started going out the door first, putting a foot on the door stop, and saying, "Leave it.  No touch."  Babykins would come over, look at the door stop under our feet, then turn and walk toward the garage.

Last week, as Babykins and I were walking back to the apartment to the car, I saw Babykins spot the door stop.  She stopped and stared for a minute, then changed direction and walked toward it.  I held my breath, waiting to see what she would do.

Babykins walked right up to the door stop, looked down at it, pointed her little finger, and gave a stern, "No."  She said, "No" twice more, placed her foot firmly on the door stop for a minute, then turned and walked to the door.

Since then, she's glanced at the door stop ocassionally as we walk by, but has never again picked it up.  That's what I call self discipline.

Another First: Swim Lessons!

We live on an island.  There's a lot of water.  Which is why we recently decided to start Babykins in swim lessons.

Every Sunday Hubbykins takes Babykins to the local YMCA where they have a 1/2 hour less in (get this, East Coast-ers!) an outdoor pool!  There's no cold water, no shivering as you stand in line outside the pool, and very few tears.

The toddler class is a series of fun water games.  They play "Clean up the Ocean" where the kiddies gather up plastic fish and throw them out of the pool.  This is followed by "The Wheels on the Boat" and "Ring Around the Dolphin."  Babykins' favorite game is Humpty Dumpty.  The kids stand next to the pool holding a toy.  They throw the toy in the pool, then jump in after it, into their parents arms.  Babykins could happily play this game all day.  Class finishes up with practice splashing, kicking, and blowing bubbles. 

After 3 classes, Babykins can't swim on her own, but she's started moving her arms and kicking her legs.  Who knows what she'll be able to do after another 3!

First Things First

Babykins has been a busy girl, lately.  Here, a few of her recent "firsts":

Hair Cut
We love Babykins' hair.  She inherited shiny gold ringlets from Hubbykins that bounce when she runs and look good even after a nap.  For months we avoided her first hair cut, opting instead for a steady stream of barrettes and palm trees.  Finally, though, we had to admit - when the baby's hair is flopping over her nose, it's time for a trim.

We took Babykins to Pigtails and Crew Cuts, a kids-only salon where they entice little ones with cheerfully decorated capes and chairs shaped like cars.  When we arrived, Babykins was excited.  She wandered around staring at the other kids in their cars, pointing and ohh-ing.  When it was her turn, she sat right down and began playing with the steering wheel.  Things got even better when the cape went on.  And then, best of all, the hair dresser handed her a cup of Animal Crackers. 

With so much excitement, Babykins barely noticed when the hair dresser first combed her hair, then put it back in a clip.  The first spray of water caught her attention, though, and by the time the scissors took their second snip, Babykins had thrown her head back and was crying and screaming with all of her might.

Luckily, along with fun chairs and cookies, the store also stocks up on hair dressers who aren't phased by screaming babies.  Within seconds, Babykins had a new set of bangs, a lock of shiny hair in a bag, and a (slightly teary) picture of her first hair cut ready to go in her baby book.

Up next: Babykins' first swim lesson