Fun with One

Back in January, I had cabin fever. To combat this, I signed up for various activities to keep Henry busy and get us out of the house. We have had a blast with Henry over the past few months. Although I'm slightly concerned that all of these activities are ending right before a new baby arrives, it just means we have to try harder to stay active, I suppose.  Thankfully the weather will be nice, it being the start of summer and all.

1. Swim lessons. What a lovely winter activity for those who live in the northern regions. A heated therapy pool is just that. Therapy.

Henry is like a fish. He loves the water. He always has (as noted by bath time fun, and antics at the ocean or lake).

In addition, there were two unexpected positive aspects to our Saturday morning swim classes. The first was that *I* felt good getting in the water, despite the dreaded search for maternity swimwear. Swimming while pregnant really is a nice form of exercise and relaxation. Must be something about that "weightlessness" feeling. The second was two-fold. This became more of a bonding time with George, as I was the back up for this activity. It was something George and Henry could do together and really enjoy. And I would occasionally get a Saturday morning at home ALONE!

2. Library Storytime. This is a great activity to continue to reinforce reading, music, and rhymes. I've been taking Henry since we moved here (in an effort to meet other parents and babies) and he was 4 months old at the time. It's within walking distance and it means we're at the library on a regular basis to keep our book supply rotating. We've also been through several teachers, but the most recent one has stayed the longest, and is certainly our favorite now. I love that he has formed relationships with other "teachers" already, and we practice thanking them for their time and energy.

3. Music class. By far my favorite, and currently continuing the longest (two sessions this spring). I love to sing, I love learning new songs, and I'm SO happy to be branching away from traditional "twinkle twinkle" type childhood songs. The class focuses on introducing new instruments, concepts like fast/slow, loud/soft, and movement to accompany the music as well. Henry is amazingly attentive and at home I catch him singing and dancing more, as well as trying to recognize instruments we hear on the radio (classical music comes on after my NPR morning programs). So far everything is a guitar, but on occasion he'll say "heard it" meaning "what's that sound?"

Whew, we had a busy spring. I'm sure our summer will be similar!