This morning, Janie and Dada rolled playdough together.
Later they went for a swim. She tried out her new swimming vest and floated/kicked while holding onto Daddy’s thumbs. Yay!!
Making progress!!!
It was really hot outside today so Janie went swimming with Dada. She not only practiced her kicking but learned how to hold her breath to go underwater!
https://youtu.be/EF5L2j5Rtyk
In the meantime, Peanut enjoyed the warm weather under the shade and had a nice nap.
We are so proud of her! She’s always been so afraid of having water poured over her head so this is a big step for her!!
Kicking Around
This afternoon was a balmy 79 degrees so we went for dip in the pool. She didn’t need any warm-up time today and went searching for “fishies” (leaves floating in the water).
She practiced kicking and paddling with her arms while Mama held her up.
https://youtu.be/wMqBPYgzDOs
Luckily Yai came home in time to catch the action with her phone.
Summer!!!
Summer in SF is usually cloudy and cold but today we had 85-degree weather. So, Janie put on her swimming outfit and she went down to the pool.
She started out pretty hesitant and only wanted to splash in the water with her feet and shovel.
Eventually, we convinced her to get into the water. She started out like a koala clinging tightly to us. Then she quickly learned how to kick while using Dada as a kickboard.
https://youtu.be/PUoeHtNAcC0
She also got comfortable enough to blow bubbles in the water. It’s still hard to believe it was warm enough to get in the pool today. We’ll take these couple days of summer.
Pre-swimming Skill
https://youtu.be/jHKl3NMmBSs
Last night, Janie was making bubbles in the bathtub on her own. This is her version of swimming at this point. We tried to teach her how to blow bubbles over Christmas in Mexico and last month in Hawaii but she was too scared to do it in the pool each time. I’d say that’s progress. We may have to take her back to the pool soon.
Mexico: Day Three
Our flight home wasn’t scheduled until 4:10 so there was plenty of time to go back to the beach and pool. But first, a nice hearty breakfast!
First stop was the pool. Janie was so excited.
The pool was super empty at the time that we went so it was nice and quiet too.
Luckily the sun came out strong and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky today.
Next up was the beach for a little more digging and meatball-making.
She also braved Mr. Ocean and managed to get her feet in the water.
http://youtu.be/a5T3uWVzZTE
Here’s a video of her slowly making her way in.
By the end, she was running into the water to scoop up some water.
Then before it was time to wash up and pack, Janie went in for one last dip with Daddy. They enjoyed the view and our little slice of the infinity pool together.
Ama and Ankong stopped by to find us and got some snuggles in.
We had brunch outside at the pool after checking out and Janie got a wooden giraffe toy. Uncle Jason bought it for her from the vendor nearby.
It’s one of those toys that dances when you press the button underneath and it really cracked her up.
Here’s our family photo before heading out to the airport.
On the plane, Janie enjoyed doodling with her hotel pen and pad of paper.
She was very good on our 3-hour flight home and got some cranberry juice to sip along the way.
When we arrived at LAX, we had a long walk to customs and Janie ran the whole way. She had so much energy that must have been saved up on the plane. I think this girl was just happy to be free from the seat belt!
Mexico: Day Two
Last night, Janie fell asleep in our bed and stayed there all night. Mommy and Daddy switched places between the bed and the sofa bed mid-way through. She really slept in today.
When she woke up, she was starving and had a big bowl of rice porridge that Mommy made in the room. And of course, it had a side of Os and dried strawberries.
In the morning, we went down to the beach to greet Mr. Ocean. Unfortunately, it started to rain too.
So we camped out under a canopy and passed the time with some more painting.
After the rain stopped for a bit, we went out to the sand to do some digging.
We later had a late breakfast and she only wanted to eat fruit this morning so that’s what she got – plenty of fruit.
By noon, the sun came out and everyone was back in the pool.
http://youtu.be/Jl1lJacu6DA
We tried to teach her how to blow bubbles in the water but she just couldn’t handle it.
http://youtu.be/km8ymjigs00
Later, we figured out that there was a portion of the pool that she could stand with the water up to her chin. It was funny to watch her walk around saying “I’m swimming!” She also couldn’t understand why the water kept touching her chin.
Once the sun started to go down, Janie was out of the pool and fell asleep on Ankong’s lap. She had a pretty good nap before dinner.
For dinner, we went out for a nice Italian dinner in Nuevo Vallarta. They didn’t have anymore highchairs left so Janie did her best to stay in her giant chair.
She took a few selfies with Ankong while we waited for dessert.
This was a nice way to end our second day in Mexico.
Morning Beach
This morning it was pouring but then it suddenly stopped and it was sunny again by 10am. Mommy and Janie made it down the street to the Waikiki Beach Wall. It was the perfect meeting spot for these tykes because the wall calms the waves before it hits the shore.
Janie was excited to play in the sand again and we rented an umbrella (Thanks Uncle Roy!) to shade us from the sun.
Scooping and throwing wet sand was a fun game she played for a bit.
She was so happy just scooping and dumping the sand into the bucket as well.
Making sand soup is so much fun when you’re not scared of Mr. Ocean!
Here are the kids enjoying the view with a bag of chips. Life looks pretty good right now.
Daddy showed up a little later and we all went into the water. It was Janie’s first time in the ocean and she did great!
At first she just wanted to cling to Daddy but then she was brave enough to sit in the floatie and play.
Hooray to a successful day at the beach and in the ocean!!
Waikiki Beach
This morning before the wedding, Janie played and played until the very last minute. Her first stop was the beach. I think yesterday’s experience with Mr. Ocean was positive enough for her to walk right out onto the sand without a single whimper.
So we sat by the water and had some pineapple and spam musubi for breakfast.
Once she was done eating, she happily played in the sand with waves crashing in front of her.
With it being only 8am, we almost had the whole beach to ourselves. It was a nice quiet morning at the beach. Mommy was so proud of her progress with Mr. Ocean.
After the beach, we went back to the hotel room to wake up Daddy. We made a little spot for her on a towel where she enjoyed a snack and some Blue’s Clues.
Uncle Huy came by that morning and we had coffee by the Infinity Pool before grabbing an early lunch.
Then it was back to the beach again and Janie actually stepped into the waves with Daddy today!!
What a big girl!! She was able to stay calm even with the bigger ones that went higher than her knees.
Here’s a video clip of some of the action.
Just before going back up to the hotel room to wash up for the wedding, Janie went for a dip in the pool with Uncle Huy.
Pool Day
We rented a cabana by the pool for the day and Janie had so much fun. In the morning, we had almost the whole pool to ourselves. This is her in the toddler pool. It’s only 1 1/2 ft deep.
Here she is in the bigger pool with Daddy.
This kid is having such a fun time here in Hawaii.
Her favorite game is walking along the edge of the wading area and having a grown up follow her from the deeper side.
After lunch and a nap, Janie invited her friends over to the cabana for some fun by the pool. She played with Uncle Roy, Auntie Holly, and Andrew. She took turns with Andrew in going through the tunnel slide.
Then they chilled out on the pool chairs. Boy, these toddlers have it good.
It certainly was an epic pool day for Janie.
She fell on Daddy’s chest at sunset, slept through dinner again, and didn’t wake up until morning.