This week we've had company three times :) Tuesday was a monthly 'get together' with other young families that are local. The families that can come, do, and we've had 6 or 7 families participate in the last 3 months. This time there were 3 other families and ours, totaling 5 adults and 10 kids. Brianna and Kristopher being the oldest by a good year and the other 8 kids were all (almost) 2 to 4 years old! We had a great time, though, and lived to tell about it...
Then yesterday we had Mike's birthday with 2 sets of grandparents. Not a lot of company, but when 6 becomes 10 it's still a full house :)
And today, we had the CHAOS directors over with their families to swim and "Hot Wash" (go over how the program went and what we liked and didn't like about it, suggestions for change, etc..). There were 8 kids and 7 directors, and I asked two friends to come and help with my kids- one in high school and one that's college age.
Believe it or not... it was fun :) I am VERY grateful for L and B for coming! They made it work!! Three of the kids could swim well, 2 could 'somewhat' swim, and then my 3 littler ones don't swim at all. And instead of all the directors getting IN the pool... we sat in the sun (nearby the pool to watch the kids) and sweat :). Not exactly sure why we did that... but we did. So having L and B there with the kids to monitor them in the baby pool (outside the babyguard pool fence) and to bring them into the big pool one at a time... it was wonderful! THANK YOU L AND B!! (Oh, and as you'll see below, Mike came home for a long lunch and hopped in the pool with the kids too... and tried out Emma's new float)
Also, our PT loaned us a "head float" for us to try out with Emma. She has such a long torso that she can tip every floaty that we've tried her in. The infant ones and even one made for 3-5 year olds just don't cut it. She's WILD. And, believe it or not, she's STRONG! I'm so glad to be able to say that :) But, she's also FEARLESS. She'd put her head under water and not come up again even if she could do it herself.
On Wednesday evening Emma's PT brought the float by and we have it to use with her for a week to see whether it's something we want to "invest" in for Emma.
So... what do you think??
I am glad you have had a busy, but lovely week. I think Emma loved that float. She was kicking and moving. That is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWow! When I first saw the "head float" thing, I thought, "ACK!!! The poor child!!" but then I saw her using it and it looked like a great idea! What great exercise!!!
ReplyDeleteShe really enjoys being in that water. That will be great exercise for her. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteShe seems to really enjoy it! it seems like a good investment! Good sensory stuff.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a lifevest gone wrong, lol, but I really think it's great! Anything that will keep her safe and allow her freedom and exercise. I'd say it's worth the investment.
ReplyDeletewow, she's going to have great leg muscles from the kicking. Hope you guys had fun tonight Mom
ReplyDeletevery cool!
ReplyDeleteThat's what Xander needs!!!! He loves the water but he too will put his face under and not come up. It makes me a nervous wreck. I'd love to find a way for him to be more independent in the water. It looks like Emma is loving her new float!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great float idea. She seemed very happy.
ReplyDeleteJan
It seems like she really enjoyed the float! Does it seem comfortable on her?
ReplyDeleteI think the float is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI get the feeling that Emma loved it!
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith,
ReplyDeleteYour posts are so entertaining! I enjoy watching your children learn and grow! My name is Erin, and I am a college student with mild cerebral palsy. I’m a special education major and have hopes of becoming a disability services director of a university after graduate school. I have just launched a blog that is still getting started, but with the title “Empowering People and Changing Lives,” I hope that it will provide a wealth of resources for people who care for children, specifically those who are affected by disability. I will also be chronicling some personal experiences and will be sharing some thoughts about those along the way. Your blog has also been included in my blogroll, so I hope that together, we are able to collaborate to provide resources to those who are in similar situations. The blog’s address is http://empowerpeoplechangelives.blogspot.com. From there, you will be able to read the posts I have written, find out all about me, check out my blogroll, eventually look at many resources I have gathered, and contact me.
Look forward to reading many more of your posts! Happy blogging!
OK, it looks like a great idea but why couldn't you find a regular lifevest that has the head support thingie in the back that holds a higher weight? I've seen them that go for 50 pounds and under. I guess then though she'd be stuck laying on her back though.
ReplyDeleteSomething we do for my older girls (not LF) is to take a regular pool noodle and thread it through the straps of the swimming costume so that it comes up at either side and then around the back of the neck. It supports the head and stops it flopping back into the water, and gives a bit of independence as having the ends of the noodle sideways makes it harder to accidentally roll over. Not impossible though so the child still needs someone around ready to grab a ponytail in an emergency!
ReplyDeleteShe does look as though that is fun though!
Tia