Adventures in Solo-ing

Baby Bear is now a bicycle rider. Here was here inaugural voyage. (A neighbor friend was the launcher of this expedition because Daddy and Mommy Bear were to chicken to actually let Baby Bear fly solo.)

Since these maiden voyages, we have solidified her solo act with a jaunt around the block (about a half mile) with me on the scooter next to her. Starting and stopping still need a bit of practice but can't wait to ride the bikes to the pool and the ice cream shop this summer.

Where oh where does the time go

I know, I know.....I have been neglecting my little blog. I have been told that the Chronicles of Baby Bear are missed (quite loudly and often) by Grandma Bear. I will try to do better....which should not be hard to beat.....since all I have to do is more than one post in the next six months .

With daylight savings time starting tomorrow, winter is officially over. We have been having glorious weather that has allowed us to enjoy the reason for living in Texas.

I am Baby Bear's year of being four. Last year was all about the potty. Discarding diapers. Managing the going. With this firmly mastered, we can now focus on bigger adventures...such as discarding the training wheels on the bike.

Baby Bear told Daddy Bear that she was ready to toss the training wheels. After Daddy Bear found the appropriate tools and the wheels were removed, Baby Bear proceeded to decide she was not ready. Daddy Bear says the wheels are not going back on (was too much of a pain to get them off). We have lots of practicing to do in the coming period to master two wheel biking.

Would post some photos of this....but failed to bring the connector to my camera home. Will post some later.

Out of the mouths...

We were having a discussion at dinner tonight. We were comparing Baby Bear with friends of hers who just turned three. Baby Bear says, " Well, I am three-er than they are." Yes, little one, you are older than they are and you are also much cuter...at least to us.

Jump with Joy

Baby Bear has been working toward the goal of jumping off the diving board all summer. I had my doubts on whether we would be able to achieve this goal. After all, to achieve this goal, she would have to swim quite a distance (the distance from the diving board to the side of the pool). At the beginning of summer, she could not swim more than a few feet.

Through the summer, we worked on floating (front and back) and swimming with "big arms." She progressed well and expanded the distance she could swim. However, she could only go as far as one breath would take her. She had a hard time understanding the concept of lifting or turning her head to breathe. We finally achieved that hurdle in August. Then it was a matter of refining this and then ensuring that I was comfortable enough with her capabilties that she could swim the required distance without me being right next to her.

We finally decided that Monday of Labor Day weekend was THE DAY. It rained all day! Since the pools are on "winter" schedule, the next available day was Saturday. We arrived at the pool the minute it opened with video camera, digital camera and an excited Momma, Daddy and Baby Bear. And......success:

Days of the week

Monday
Tuesday
Threesday
Foursday
Fivesday

Where is that instruction manual?

I have wished Baby Bear came with an instruction manual more times than I can count.

Last month, little one spikes a temp and had a cough. Nothing major probably but with that fever I thought it would be good to get checked out. When the nurse was running one of the tests, she says, this sounds like what all the kids have now and you just have to ride it out. In other words, you over reactive mom, you are wasting your money and our time on a common cold.

Fast forward to this month, Baby Bear has a cough and congestion (no geen boogies, no temp, just an intermittent, though, congested couhg). After last month's cold pricklies at the doctor's visit, I hesitated in taking her right away. Finally, seven days into it, Daddy Bear took her in. Bronchitis!! Poor little girl.

A Little Culture

Since Baby Bear has come along, "adult" type outings have been few and far between. Not that I want to attend the sympany, a musical, a concert every week...but every now and again would be nice. Since our outing to the circus was successful, I decided to step it up a notch and try a musical with Baby Bear in attendance. What better musical to start a munchkin with but Annie (a story about a munchkin).

I bravely purchased the tickets online. I did not notice until after I purchased the tickets that the recommended minimum age was 5 years old. Oh well. Only a year and a third too early. I decided to just forge ahead and was OK if we had to leave early (if Baby Bear started annoying the surrounding play goers).

Grandma Bear and I had planned out the day of the show. Shopping in the am with a lunch out to tire out little one to ensure she would take a nice long nap so that she would be refreshed for the long evening (the show did not start until 8pm and we knew it was going to be a late night for her). Dinner. Arrive just in time for the start of the show. Perfect. One little glitch. Baby Bear would not go to sleep for her nap. Ugh. This was going to make for a grouchy Baby Bear. Finally, she slept for about an hour. Defintely, not long enough but at least something. The rest of the plan went well.

Baby Bear was great at the show. She seemed to identify with Annie. Whenever Annie was not on the stage, she would ask where Annie was. We did have one small meltdown. She before intermission (thankfully), there was a big to do about finding Annie's lost parents. This scene, for me, went on and on. They were lost. They were missing Annie terribly. Why did Annie's parents not come and get her. Etc. Baby Bear's face just kept getting sadder and sadder, with tears welling in her eyes. Luckily, the scene ended and the lights came up....just as the chin began quivering in earnest and the faucets turned on. When asked, she sad she was sad that they could not find Annie's parents. (Baby Bear just cannot bear it when someone is sad.)

All in all, however, she loved the music (was singing "tomorrow" on the way home) and enjoyed watching the antics of the characters. I look forward to more of these "grown up" type activies...but will have to be very selective until she can fully grasp that these things are pretend.