Vance Palace Tales: DAY 2...Swimming lessons, nature excursion, and poop

It was an extra large coffee for me this morning. I had the hardest time falling asleep without Dave beside me last night. Also, I kept waking up thinking somebody had broken into the house and was creeping up the stairs. PLUS, I was up once with Janna, and once with Robyn. Come 6 AM, I think I had about maybe 4 hours of sleep?

Anyhoo, Janna had her first of 6 swimming lessons scheduled for today. This is supposed to be her and Daddy’s special time out, but I decided to take it on, so she wouldn’t miss out on the first one. This involved a whole lot of prior organization. I ended up registering Jesse for a half day of camp at gymtale, and had a friend take Robyn for her morning nap time. I packed all 3 differing bags the night before, but it was still a challenge to be leaving the house around 8:15AM with all 3 kids. Getting the crew dressed, and fed, and washed up, and in the van is always a challenge before 9 am. But, I’m always up for the challenge, and we had enough time to let the dog out for a pee as well. Here are the kids waiting to go, while Cooper does his business in the back yard.

I dropped Jesse off at a gym tale in a very confused state. He has done preschool for a few years here, and just didn’t quite understand WHY he was there. It had taken a while to explain to him that pre-school was over for him a few weeks back. But he finally got it, I think. So, trying to explain WHY he was going back for a morning without mommy was kind of funny. Gym tale is great in the summer. You can register for just a morning or afternoon here or there, even the day of (provided there is space). It’s something that would come in handy at the end of a long rainy week inside, and looking for something for a busy 4 year old boy to do. The kids play lots of active games, do an obstacle course, play on the huge play structure, have a snack, do an art activity, listen to stories, and have some just a tad of quiet play time with a variety of toys. Lately, Jesse really wants to understand all concepts and terms and won’t let things go until he feels he has a grasp on whatever the incomprehensible issue or vocab. The past week he has been trying to understand the term “trust.” I think it finally clicked over the weekend when I explained that I was trusting him at quiet time to stay in his room and not go gallivanting about the other rooms waking up the other girls. Well, yesterday after his quiet time he says to me, “ Mom, I just want you to know that I trust you so much. I just really really believe in you.” I felt a bit flattered and asked in regards to what. He answered something along the lines of, “ I just really trust YOU that I’ll stay in my room at quiet time.” Ok...maybe he doesn’t QUITE know how to use it in a sentence, or fully get it, but he is well on his way.

We dropped off the turkey at Gym tale, and then proceeded to take Robyn to my friend Rebekah’s for her nap. Janna was a bit miffed she didn’t get to go and play with Rebekah’s kids, but I finally let her in on the plan for the day. “ Janna! Mommy and You are going swimming together this morning. Do you want to go swimming?!” Janna squealed with delight and said, “ ya ya ya ya ya...YES!” I was happy she was excited, and started explaining what we might do, and what the “teacher” might show us. She interrupted me at this point, “NO TEACHER!! Want mama. NO TEACHER.” I have no idea where she would have this negative idea of the teacher. But I reassured her I was staying and off we went.

Jesse took this same class last summer with Dave. It was at a different location, and with a different teacher. However, it was city of Ottawa run, and their plans are pretty much the same all across the board. Each minute by minute is planned with songs and games and skills to get the kids having fun in water. Last year, Jesse was a total wreck and hated 25 of the 30 minutes of it. I had much more hope for Janna. She tends to like the water more. However, she is at this 2 year old strange phase, and unpredictable as well. We met our instructor, Nathan, and all piled into the pool. All was going well the first couple of minutes. I couldn’t help but empathize for 2 parents who had clingy screamers. However, a game approached where the instructor camea round “Watering” the little plants. He poured a tiny bit of water over each of the kids heads. Janna was NOT a fan of this, and from there out, she clung to my neck and was as stiff as a board not wanting to do a whole lot of anything for the next 10 minutes. Luckily, she wasn’t crying or screaming, but she wasn’t too sure.

I actually really liked our leader. A big teenage guy (maybe university), he was REALLY great with the little ones, and he even sang the hokey pokey! He didn’t do nearly as many songs and activities as the girl we had for the last sea turtles class. However, I liked it that way. There was more time to engage with Janna in the water, and it felt more relaxed. By the third round of what time is it Mr. Wolf- Janna actually knew what was going on, and was smiling and kicking her legs a bit as we ran away from the wolf. She also enjoyed a game where she got to pick a floaty toy out of a huge basket. She reached for the an orange fishie, and she had to throw it in the water from standing on the edge of the pool , and JUMP IN (into my arms) and go get it. She was laughing and giggling at this point- but then a few throws later, some water splashed her face, and she was miss moody again until the end of the class.

After our swim, we had a snack at a table near some windows that looked over the rink. We watched tons of girls practicing their figure skating, and Janna kept saying, “ SPIN! Girls Spin. Wook mama!” She said she liked swimming, “wike wimming!” but then screwed up her face and said, “wet face. No wike.” I really enjoyed my time with the munckin, and getting just the 2 of us ready in a change room, was SO much easier than juggling all the kids with Dave.

We hung out with the Potters for a while after, and then picked up Jesse from preschool. He told me all about some big boys hitting a little girl, and said, “ MOM! I just dealed with it! I just went over, and I dealed with it.” I asked Jesse how he dealt with it. He responded, “ I just ran over and shouted, No hurting her. That’s not nice. And they stopped, and I saved that girl. But then they did it again, and so I told a teacher. They had time-outs.” Aw, I was proud of him for standing up to 3 bigger boys!

We came home and decided to spend some time outside and do a late lunch. We went for a little nature walk around the back pathways and then spent some time climbing rocks and exploring a tiny patch of lawn beside our townhouse. Jesse was excited by climbing rocks, finding sticks to whip into trees, blowing dandelions, and by competing for the most intense smile ever award...

Janna went for the pinecones and yellow dandelions. She also enjoyed hugging trees here and there. She would squeeze a tree and yell, "GOTCHA!"

And then she'd see a bug. And her world would quickly spin apart.

And then mommy would throw some distraction pine cones on the ground and say, LOOK JANNA! Some more pinecones...

Robyn, well she just tried eating everything. Here is Jesse trying to pull some grass out of her mouth.

And we have her discovering a dandelion......I LOVE LOVE LOVE being able to see the wonder in the eyes of a child as they explore. It makes creation feel fresh and new

and last picture before mommy had to put down the camera and stop Robyn from eating it...

After lunch and naps, we had a nice read and snuggle before an early supper. I had a chiropractor adjustment and progress check-up, and so Katie came by to hang out with the kids for the last little bit of the day. The kids were very excited to see her. She got a hug at the door from Jesse. An excited, “ HI KATIE. WOOK!” from Janna as she waved her arms and showed Katie her supper. And even Robyn who has been back to my happy baby today, gave her big grins and leg pumps! I was really grateful for this, as supper, bed, and bath is one of the more challenging times of day. Mostly, it’s just that my patience is dwindling by this point. Thank you Katie Vance!

I’m now home and snugglin’ with Janna while I type. Janna asked me to leave when I got home! LOL. She wanted me to go, and when she realized I was staying, she asked me if she could go with Katie, who was putting on her shoes at the door way. If only she was a bit older and Katie didn’t have to work in the morning! One day she will have these auntie sleepovers.

Speaking of Aunties, my sister in law is due tomorrow! This is Josh’s wife, Kari-leigh. I can’t wait for the little one to arrive. Ever since I was little, I have felt this anticipation about becoming an aunt. Even with having kids of my own it has not left. Unfortunately, they live in Toronto and it’s not like I’m going to be able to see my niece or nephew every week, but I’m hoping they will move to Ottawa! It has potential.

Well, I must put Janna to bed, and then get onto my organizational task for the evening. Yesterday I finished one off my list. Tonight I have to create a filing system for all of our stuff! I have the cabinet. I have the files. I have a sharpie. I need to go and collect papers from the 16 places they are stored throughout the house, and get them all together and organized. Normally this task would exhilarate me. I’m feeling a bit pooped though. Speaking of poop... Janna has gone 6 times since yesterday in the tub! Dave told me the day before he left, “ wow- her stomach is really big. She’s got stuff stored up in there!” Sure enough, he was right. How timely of him (or should I say her) to unleash the day Daddy is gone! I am thinking perhaps that is why she was being so stiff and weird in the pool. She was holding it in. THANK YOU JANNA! I would have been mortified if it was my little sea turtle who “fouled the pool.” Oh and how foul it would have been. I feel like a blog post doesn’t go by without the mention of poop. Maybe I’ll try for one tomorrow. Like seriously, there can be no more poop in this child! Jesse did his business on Monday, Janna is surely caught up after today, and my darling Robyn is regular. So, we’ll see.

I heard from Dave briefly today via email. He arrived safely last night, and enjoyed his professor today. Yesterday, I had the kids take a picture “smiling for daddy.” This morning, I asked them to each take one, “making a funny face for daddy.”