Always be my baby ...

theygkmom
Jul 27, 2018
3 min read

Hello!

Cue the Mariah Carey.....am I right? Due-due-due-dum, due-due-due-due-due-due-dum .....

Prior to welcoming our new family member I had so many emotions about how I would feel once he arrived and how it would change my relationship with Nora. Since the two babes are less than two years apart I was worried that I would start treating her older since there is a new baby around. I was also worried that she wouldn't feel like my baby anymore. With respect to the "treating her older" thing I definitely have noticed that sometimes I have to do that because if I'm feeding, changing or carrying the baby I can't just drop what I'm doing to attend to her so in that respect I have noticed I need to rely on her to be patient more often (which hopefully is a good lesson for her to learn).

But in terms of her not feeling like my baby anymore - that is definitely not the case. She still feels like my baby, and probably always will. This is where I have a bit of a mind block - I can see her grow, change and develop but sometimes it's hard to come to terms with your babies getting older. Let me explain When we opened our pool earlier this year we were BLOWN away by Nora's confidence in the water and her love of swimming and it didn't occur to me that we should encourage that love and enrol her in swimming lessons to grow her confidence. Shortly after opening the pool I was introduced to Flamingo in the Backyard. They offer at home swimming lessons (Red Cross certification) .... GENIUS! So Nora was registered for 6 lessons and has now successfully passed "Sea Turtle" level! Can you feel my pride beaming through the screen? ;)

Nora's instructors name was Amanda and she was AMAZING with her. The first couple of lessons Nora was hesitant, but Amanda is so approachable and patient - it took no time for her to warm up and feel comfortable. You are allowed to sit and watch the lessons or not - we ended up having to go inside the house the first few lessons so that Nora would focus more.

As soon as Nora "graduated" this week I booked her for another 6 lessons to start working on her next level, and to take advantage of having lessons right in our backyard while the pool is still open!

SO needless to say... my Sweet Pea, she'll always be my baby but as her momma and her biggest champion, I want to be able to recognize her growth, celebrate it and do what I can to help build her confidence and allow her to flourish in any way possible.

Why we love Flamingo in the Backyard?

- Swim safety is SO important. We want our kids to learn to swim and be strong swimmers to keep them safe around any and all water.

-Life is bloody HECTIC. Having Amanda come to us for these lessons is a HUGE time saver and so convenient. While Nora's taking her lessons we have been able to come inside the house and prep dinner, tidy up or relax while she does her thing. And let's be real, with a newborn in the house would we have been able to make lessons at the public pool? Maybe not.

-It's FUN! Nora has a blast at each lesson, loves the toys that Amanda brings, the little songs that she sings her, etc. They allow Nora's personality to flourish and give her confidence.

-Individualized and one-one attention!

-FLEXIBILITY - they have a fantastic online booking tool that allows you to schedule, re-schedule and allow you to cater your classes to work with your family's busy schedule. For example Nora's first set of six lessons we scheduled for post-daycare, pre-dinner times because in June/July that's what worked for us. But for the next set of lessons, Nora is now going to be home with me a few days a week so I scheduled them for during the day! Based on our summer schedule we were able to schedule some weeks with multiple lessons, and other weeks with one.