I gotta say it was a good day

But it was oh so tiring.  I've been trying to run more, so I got up this morning and ran while Carmen got Jayden up and ready for the day.  It felt good, but voluntarily getting up before 7 am on a weekend hurts a little.

I've been thinking about putting Jayden in swimming lessons and then in the past two weeks, two people have recommended it.  One person gave me the name of a place - which was my previous excuse for not doing it, I didn't know where to call - so I called them yesterday.  Turns out they had an opening in their 9:20 Saturday morning class, so we signed up.  And our first class was today!  It was fun, and even in the 20 minute  class Jayden improved.  Carmen was the photographer and he overdid it just a little (I think there were 30+ photos in the 20 minute class), so I have a wide variety to choose from!

Swimming is all about bribing - give Jayden toys to hold and to walk to and he suddenly forgets he's in the water!

Jayden with Miss Stacy, the instructor.  She was wonderful and very understanding.

Jayden would not stand on this giant floaty thing, but I did finally get him to sit.  Not for very long - he grabbed for me pretty quickly - but he did at least sit there.  The other kids who had been going to lessons longer were able to stand while the instructor and their parents turned them in circles.

By the end Jayden was happily walking by himself, especially with the floaty turtle thing.  We're definitely going to keep going because it's just so good for him.

The funniest part was at the end of the lesson, I walked him up the stairs to the deck.  When he got on the pool deck he tried to walk on the pool deck as if he was still walking the water.  He recovered quickly, but the first few steps were hilarious.

Swimming wears you out - I was exhausted afterwards, but so was Jayden:

Passed out in the car at home. Keep in mind the ride home is about 7 minutes.  He would NOT let go of his basketball and soccer ball, though.  He has also slept with his shoes (in his hands, not on his feet) and has tried to sleep with his water bottle.  He attaches himself to strange things - reminds me of someone who is related to me and approximately 4-1/2 years younger than me. and who might be named Ellen!

The nap only lasted until we got home because swimming apparently also works up an appetite.  After Jayden's snack, we hung out for a bit before Carmen took off to go to work for a few hours.  I kept thinking Jayden was going to nap, but nope - we played outside instead.  Jayden and I went to lunch at Downtown Disney with Ellen and her friends.  He of course had passed out in the car on the way there, so I popped him in the carrier and he slept for about an hour until his food came.  On the way back to the car, we discovered a design-your-own-car store which I'm sure we'll be visiting many times once he is older:

Standing outside the design-your-own-car store.  I literally had to pick him up and carry him away.  Otherwise I think we would have stayed there forever.

We also found a number of fountains, which obviously caused Jayden to happily shout "agua!"

He rode on my back on the way back to the car.  It was easier for both of us.  But he was fascinated by the water.

When we got home, we played outside again.  Jayden discovered the joy of yanking grass up and throwing it in the air.  So fun!

Pulling the grass out of the yard.

Checking to make sure the grass is really in his hands.

Just after throwing it.  It was so hard to catch him with his hands in the air.  This was as close as I could get.

An almost smile looking at the camera - it's a miracle!

Carmen got home a little later and the three of us went out to dinner.  Jayden devoured his meal and played little games with the lady sitting behind us.  He was a character.  He also thinks he's a big kid and barely will sit in a high chair. Both last night and tonight he had to sit on the bench next to me.  Luckily he's tall and can just about eat from the table while sitting on the bench.  It's just so much more difficult to control him!

Tomorrow is clearly all about Duke.  We're hoping for the best!