Monday, October 15, 2012

Gemma Stands!

Im so far behind in posting so many events. They're happening very fast and I'm also very sleep deprived.  I'm going to back post starting with this major event!  Gemma stood on her own for the first time!

I was putting laundry away. I usually leave Gemma on her playmat and check in on her as I go in and out of the living room.  I came back after 10 seconds to find her doing this!  She was standing on her own. I think what I love the most about Gemma is that she is very aware of her accomplishments and always has a huge smile on her face. She beams with pride. I love that she is so aware, so soon of her progress! 

It seemed she was standing much earlier than Annika. But as I looked back on Annika's diary I realized they're about the same. The difference is on how they approach things. While Annika won't something until she feels 100% confidence she can succeed, Gemma baby steps things until she has it all down.  Completely different approaches. I need to keep this in mind as I teach them each new skills.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Trampoline Dream

"Papa this is my dream come true"- is what she said to Dave when she got to bounce on it for the first time last weekend.  

The Olympics weren't that exciting to P. The one event to capture her attention was the trampoline. After watching the women's event she said "I'd like to have a play date at their house.  Can you call them up and see if they have kids?"  After that, it seemed every kid's house we went to had a trampoline. So, of course she was determined to have a trampoline of her own.  We kept pushing it off because it was so hot. The last thing I wanted to do was set this thing up and then tell her she couldn't jump on it because it was 107 degrees outside. That would have been torture.  So we waited until it started to cool off and finally ordered it.  We pushed it off so much that one day she said "I know I'm getting a trampoline. You don't have to tell me anymore. The question is when?  When will I get my trampoline?"

Thanks to one of Dave's buddies it was put together last weekend. She has had a blast.  Today I jumped for the first time and realized why she's so tired after jumping. It's kind of exhausting after a while. It'll be perfect for the winter months when it's too cold to be in the pool.