Ralph & "Itty Bitty" Baseball

Ralph is currently participating in his first organized introduction to baseball through UNL's Campus Rec and the "Itty Bitty" Sports Program.  It's a 3-week program that meets twice a week . .and has just one more week to go.  We ran across this program about a week before it started and decided to give it a try as baseball seems to THE thing right now.  Ralph and Mike have enjoyed this outing and we are considering signing Ralph up for the other "Itty Bitty" offerings that start in the fall AND after the new year Henry can join in as the program is for ages 3-5!

There's a total of 25-30 kids in this class who are split into 4 groups each time.  Each group participates in a station for a certain amount of time and rotate to the next one after a specific amount of time.  Each class is slightly different but basically the instructors lead stations for hitting, throwing, following directions, and fielding.  The hour is ended by a group game followed by the kids sitting on the white line and the instructors sharing what each child did well that night.  The instructors are very encouraging throughout the hour, giving the kids tips and lots of positive reinforcement.

Ralph does a pretty good job hustling when asked which is good to see.  He also listens well to the instructors.  It's good to see him be around others he does not know even though most of his contact is with Mike and the instructors.

(photos were taken from afar and zoomed in so they have lost a little clarity but it is still fun to see some of his expressions.)

A little side note: I took Ralph to get his hair cut earlier this week and the stylist was trying to make small talk and asked him what he was doing this summer . . .he told her he likes baseball followed by he was going to play for the Huskers.  I love that he has dreams and is proud to share them.  I know that dream is more than a long shot.  I only hope he continues to have fun with whatever he chooses to do, and while baseball is not my thing, I will enjoy watching my son do his thing, whatever it is, no matter how many times it changes!

Fun with Daddy!

We spent Father's day doing things we don't normally take the time to do.  We took the boys fishing to a pond just outside of Beaver Crossing.  We didn't have much luck but enjoyed the chance to be together and relax outside.

After lunch and naps, we headed over to the community pool in Beaver Crossing.  Unfortunately the "baby pool" was not operational so we spent some time in the "big pool".  We tried putting a life jacket on Ralph hoping he'd enjoy the freedom (or at least relax a little).  He tolerated it but still wanted to be held onto with two hands.  We tried a puddle jumper jacket (arm and chest floaties) on Henry but he would not cooperate - he didn't cooperate when we tried to get him to try it on at the store either but we were hopeful he was just being cranky at the store . . nope, just cranky towards the jacket in general. We did bring balls the boys could throw and swim after - fresh off the swimming lessons Henry paddled until his arms would not paddle anymore; Ralph liked the idea but there was no denying he still does not like the water much. We did get both boys to blow bubbles.

Ralph and Mike did play catch for a bit.  On the way back to Lincoln, Ralph suggested we could skip the pool next time so we would have more time to play "baseball."

Henry: Swimming Lessons

 In keeping with tradition (or trying to keep things the same as we did with Ralph), Henry had his turn for parent/child swim lessons at the Y.  We just finished up a twice a week/3 week class.  The first day we had a great instructor and only one other parent/child in class, over time it grew to 5 pairs of parent/child combos and a rotation of various instructors.

The first day was a little overwhelming for Henry.  We arrived a little early and he had time to scan the area, taking in the size of the pool and all the other people around - there was roughly 4-5 other lessons going on.   Luckily, the 2nd lesson he warmed up a little and became attached to a boat we tossed in front of us and he'd "swim" toward it with me holding him in the middle and him kicking is legs and sometimes paddling his arms.  At the 3rd lesson he cooperated enough a few times and closed his mouth so I could dunk him under for a second.  The boat made another appearance which put a smile on his face.  The 4th was a bit of a downer as he sucked in more water than he wanted a few times and wanted to get out of the pool before the lesson was over.  Finally during the 5th lesson we had a instructor for the 2nd time.During the final lesson Henry finally blew bubbles a few times.  He would do it in the bathtub but not in the pool.  I tried to get him to close his mouth so I could dunk him again but could not get him to do it.  There were a few distractions during the last lesson including a swimmer in the lap lane and another class using a kayak boat.


All in all, a good experience.  He liked jumping from the side and 'swimming' on his stomach, especially when toys were involved - sometimes he'd get a little too focused on the toy.  He didn't care to much to lay on his back and mostly kept a big grin on his face make it hard to get him to close his mouth.

Ralph: Baseball Fun!

The other week we tried explaining the progression of baseball to Ralph - how you start with T-ball and work your way up to baseball.  Ralph says he is not going to play T-ball, just baseball.


I discovered a program put on by UNL's Rec Center that provides a fundamental introduction to baseball.  Itty Bitty Sports baseball starts next week already (good thing I found it this week!) so he and Mike had to get some practice in tonight!

Stay tuned for another posting after the session is over!

Henry: Celebrating 30 months!!

30 months . . .2 1/2 years!  This feels like a big milestone for some reason, maybe because there's been so many "big kid" changes since he turned 2 (the big bed, wearing briefs, etc).  I think I can honestly say the baby stage is a distant blur.  Of course, much of the last 2 1/2 years is a blur thanks to many sleep deprived nights which we owe mostly to Mr. Henry!

Tonight I commented to Henry "you're stinky" to which he replies "No, I'm Henry John Wichman".  Such a character.   He is still a blondy whose hair has a mind of its own - really no reason to brush/comb it; it won't lay flat.  I can still describe Henry as someone who can play well independently, does not like to go to bed by himself, and favors the word "no" just a little too much.  He is either the most stubborn or the most strong-willed two year old I know, I only hope he outgrows some of it.  He can entertain himself with Thomas the Train, looking at books, coloring, playing with cars, along with just dumping all the toys out of their bins.


Henry received his last Pulmicort breathing treatment and dose of singular on May 11, just before our trip to Kansas City.  We were given the green light to stop the treatments when the weather warmed up and may have gone on longer than needed but it's all a guessing game.  We see the asthma doc again in September for a fall evaluation - with any luck we won't need any before then but we will take it day by day and hope for the best.

Potty training is still a work in progress though the last couple of weeks has seen improvements.  Henry is all boy when it comes to peeing, simply put.  He is very interested in watching things happen and, as a result, ends up getting his clothes wet more than he should.  I am pleased to report he is a lot more reliable in public to share when he needs to potty.  He did take his diaper off twice at nap time a few weeks ago.  Let's just say after the 2nd time he needed to get his hands washed as he got them a little dirty. 

During the trip to Kansas City we broke the habit of taking a water cup to bed.  He asked for it the first night at the hotel and I simply said we forgot it and that was that.  He asked about it when we got home and I did not give in; after a few nights of complaining it has become a faded memory.  A little surprising to me is that he has been waking up dry some mornings though I am not ready to tackle potential wet sheets just yet and continue to put him in a diaper at nap and at night.

I did decide the other week Henry needed to start walking into daycare now that he is almost 2 1/2.  I had been "babying" him until now to hurry us along in addition to trying to protect Henry from the weather elements.  Now that the weather is warmer and I don't fear him getting a cold as much there is no excuse.  The little man still has a few more "baby" stages to graduate from.  The first day he wasn't too happy about this new idea as he cried/whined all the way to his room and stopped as soon as I picked him up for a goodbye hug.  The days since have gone smoother.

Our little daredevil jumped at the chance to go on an inflatable the other week.  This inflatable had little stepping stairs up and a slide down.  We were at the inflatable to watch a friend of Ralph's and Henry sat down to take his shoes off.  There was no stopping him.  He went down the slide 3-4 times before deciding he had had enough (or the bigger kids had come back and started jumping a little too much).

His language continues to develop.  The most challenging word he has said lately is "dangerous" - and it really came out of no where.  Ralph said something about a helicopter on Henry's head and Henry said that would be dangerous.

Henry has started taking showers with Daddy and loves them.
 
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are one of our standard lunches on the weekend, especially those days we pack a lunch since we will be out and about at lunchtime.  Henry likes to dissect the sandwich and eat the bread one slice at a time, thus eating the jelly bread first then the peanut butter bread (or vice versa) which makes for a messier Henry.

Naps during Memorial Day weekend got to a new low,  all three days got to a point I had to hold the door shut and force him to take a nap.  He knows how to call the shots.  30-40 minutes after he is suppose to be sleeping he ends up telling me he has to potty or poop thus stalling the nap a little more.  At least one day I put the little potty in his room so he he take care of his needs himself but then he needs to be rediapered since he is in diapers at nap so it didn't really help much.

Henry's bed has now been put on its frame.  We were hoping he would follow the rules of staying in bed better if it were on a frame.  After the first few nights it became clear that it didn't seem to matter.  He continued to get out of bed.  The bottom line with most of the issues at bedtime is that he likes mommy to be in his room.   If I'm not home and Mike puts him to bed it goes a lot more smoothly.  Mike and Henry did have a little heart to heart the other night; with any luck a new leaf has been turned over.  After this heart to heart I decided it was Mike's turn to put Henry to bed.  We are only on night #3 - cross your fingers I have good news to report next month!

(Henry is currently taking swimming lessons but that will be blogged separately when lessons are done.)

30 month check up:  Henry had his 30 month check up on June 13.  He picked up a little over 2 pounds in the last six months and is up to 25.2 pounds (6%).  His initial height was 34.2" (10%) but we re-measured and I forgot to get the measurement.  He was remeasured because it seemed lower than it should.  The new measurement was another centimeter or so in his favor.  The overall report was good.  Doc did suggest we should try to get more high calorie foods in him in an attempt to help him again weight.  We also discussed ways to try to decrease his stubborn attitude.  No great epiphany except to remain constant in how we respond to him.