Summer Days

It's been really, really hot lately. It seems like, only a month ago, I was praying for the heat. Be careful what you wish for though--being pregnant in the summer is no joke. With Gia I was due in mid-July, and I had no kids. So, being a beached whale and hanging inside, on the couch, with the AC set at 68 was a no brainer. 

This time? Not so much. Gia loves being outside and wants to play, and I can't justify letting her watch hours of tv just bc I'm housing her little brother in my belly. 

Enter our new Hello Kitty sprinkler: perfect for a hot day.

Gia absolutely loves water and loves to play with it. She could stay in the bathtub for hours and uses her water table all the time. 

She was a little unsure of the sprinkler at first, but then she got into it.

And then she got really brave and let it get her pretty wet.

She played for about 40 minutes (that's long in toddler time!) and had a ball. I foresee many sprinkler days ahead!

One for Everybody

One of the things I want to start doing more is posting quick little posts that remind me what Gia is up to now. Kind of like a snapshot, just with words.   Sometimes I get so caught up in writing that each post becomes a novella in and of itself.  For longer, more involved events and happenings, that's not a bad thing. I know I'll look back at all these stories one day and be so happy to have them written out in such detail. But flip side is the stuff that happens every day: the cuteness, the hilarity, the very essence of Gia.   So here's a start to a series of "daily life" posts that I hope will happen more often.    Gia is really into equality lately and thinking about other people in addition to herself. It's a really cute milestone in her social development. If she picks a flower, she has to pick one for me, for her and for daddy. And sometimes the cat even gets in on the action. She's a great sharer and will always give you something she has -- even if it's ice cream or candy (her faves!).   The other day Gia was painting pictures and, of course, she had to paint three. After they dried she handed them out: one for me, one for daddy and one for Abby.    But, it was the middle of the afternoon and Abby was no where to be found.  She was likely off somewhere napping. So Gia said, "Mommy, I can put it right here" and she held the picture up in front of Abby's food bowls.   So, I gave my sweet little girl a piece of tape, and she hung the picture low on the wall, so Abby can see it while she's eating. Adorable, if I do say so myself.

Swim Lessons!

Last summer, at barely 2,  Gia took swim lessons and loved it. All winter she talked about Sara, her swim teacher, and all that she learned (kick, kick, kick....paddle, paddle, paddle). So naturally we signed her up again this summer.

Sara lives around the corner from us and has a gorgeous in-ground pool. She makes the lessons fun, with boats and planes and kick boards and pool noodles. Gia looks forward to it all week.

She learned to keep her mouth shut as she jumps in, so water doesn't get in her mouth. Check out the puffy cheeks:

She also learned to move swim all around the pool with just the noodle to support her. She was so proud to be swimming without her puddle jumper.

  Ahhh, summer. You make me so happy!