The Two-Meter Freestyle

A few weeks ago, Kiernan started swim classes. He took a two-week session of the class (courtesy of Gammy and Grance, who gave the lessons as a gift), took two weeks off, then started another two-week session. Today* marks the final day of that second session and he has done extremely well. It's remarkable watching him in the pool now.

The goals of his first swim class were modest, but of great importance. Basically the class was designed to teach Kiernan what to do if he ever fell into a pool. It's a bit more comprehensive than that, to be sure. He's learning kicking and paddling, and practicing jumping into the pool and diving into the pool, but the main goal of the instruction is to make him comfortable with holding onto the edge of the pool, and swimming back to the edge of the pool if he ever falls in. As I said, a modest but important goal, but during the first day of the first session I really wasn't sure he was going to make it.

The very first class was awful. He just cried his eyes out the whole time. Most of that is our fault, though. We really didn't prepare him for what the class was going to be like, neglecting to explain to him that he would be getting in a pool without either one of us for the first time in his life. Well, that's not entirely true. He's been swimming with Grance before without us around, I think. At any rate, while Kiernan likes to play in the pool, he has always been extremely clingly when doing so. In addition to this he has exhibited a general aversion to being under the water, even in the bathtub. He used to hate getting his face wet, especially his eyes. So we really should have transitioned him more carefully for the swim class. The problem was, we didn't really know how exactly it was going to go either. The swim school had been recommended to us by the mom of one of Kiernan's friends at school. I showed up the first day wearing my swim suit, as I didn't even know if this class was going to require me to be in the pool with him, or what.

We arrived at the school--Mrs. B's Swim School--to find it was in the backyard pool of somebody's house. It was clear from the outset, however, that this was a professional operation. It was also clear that Kiernan's teacher, Ms. Leticia, was the one in charge. The first time one of us approached to help with the crying, Ms. Leticia gently but firmly said that it would be better for us to remain seated across the pool from Kiernan, where he could clearly see us (but, the implication stated, we would not be in the way).

This was a bit bruising, but it worked. By the next day Kiernan was going into and under the water, and, importantly, he was listening to and paying attention only to his swim instructor.

At the end of this, his second session, he has mastered jumping into the pool and swimming back to the edge. He can grasp the edge of the pool and work his way around the entire edge of the pool. He can go under water and hold his breath briefly. He can swim to me from the steps of the pool when I'm a good twelve feet away. He can float on his back, roll over and swim for a bit, then roll back over to his back for a breath (albeit with spotting). He is ready to jump into the pool without the slightest hesitation if there is an adult ready to catch him, but he is still aware enough to be cautious.

So, thanks Gammy and Grance for the swim lessons. They have been a huge success!

The Pictures:

1. Kiernan is hanging onto the side of the pool as Teacher Leticia works with another student. He discovered that this particular corner is the warmest corner in the pool, as Teacher Leticia left the pool heater on and that corner was where the heat came out. She told him this and he responded with, "I would like to stay right here. It's nice!" [A different swimming/heat related post to follow.]

2. Using the kick board. He did fine but had some trouble getting how to balance himself properly.

3. Climbing out to prepare to dive into the deep end. Near the end of almost every class the students would work their way around the entire pool by going hand-over-hand from their starting point in the shallow end to the deep end, and then back around to the shallow end again. Once in the deep end they would practice jumping, or fake-falling, in and swim to the six foot indicator mark. I just like this picture of Kiernan climbing out of the pool on his own.

4. In this picture Teacher Leticia prepares Kiernan for a dive into the keep end. He was not not afraid to do this at all, although it generally resulted in some form of belly flop.

5. Preparing for a mini-race. The kids were taught to do racing dives, that is they reached down for their toes on "On your mark," extended their arms behind them on "Get set," and dove into the pool on "Go!" After they practiced this a bit, Teacher Leticia had them come up and try it in pairs, or teams.

*I originally started this post in August, though I am only publishing it to the blog today, September 15, 2008.

Not To Worry...

Folks, just a quick post to let you all know we're all right. We just had a 5.8 earthquake here in Los Angeles. I felt it pretty strongly here at the house. The walls were moving and a couple of pictures tipped over. I stood in a doorway during the most intense part of it, then went outside. The powerlines were swaying back and forth, noticeably so, and continued to sway for a good thirty seconds after the rolling motion of the earthquake subsided.

Wendy and Kiernan were away from the house, just a few minutes away, and didn't feel a thing.

The cell phones have been a bit hinky, so I wanted to immediately post something here in case any of you are at work and concerned.

Love to you all.

UPDATE: It's actually been officially labeled a 5.4 quake. There have been some aftershocks, but those have been of diminishing strength, which is a good sign. Xtien

Haiti on My Mind

The Murawski Family is on my mind, as today is their last full day in Haiti, where they've been for the last ten days on a mission trip. I've been keeping track of their progress through reading the blog about the trip. I can't tell you how thankful I am for that blog. Knowing they are safe and doing such great work has helped.

As they are on my mind in particular today I decided to post a couple of pictures of them. The top picture is another one of the shots Mason took when we were back in Virginia for Hope's wedding. I'll put up more of his shots--as well as promised wedding pictures--after I've sorted through them a bit more. I don't want to inundate everybody. The picture above, then, is Kiernan running with his friend Grace. I'm just crazy about this picture.

Next is a picture I took of Kiernan playing with Mason on the beach at Dad and Sandi's house on the York River. What I like about this picture--aside from its essential Abbey Road-ness, of course--is that it captures my brother and my boy playing a game they made up on the spot, a game I'll call The Arrow Game. Kiernan had been drawing planets in the sand--I know, big surprise--and Mason drew an arrow. Just like that Kiernan became interested in drawing arrows. So he would go off and draw an arrow in the sand and get Mason to find it. That was it. That was the game. And it held his attention for a good half hour or so. Nice.

In a previous post I talked about Kiernan going to visit Sandi's kindergarten class one day while we were in Virginia. I meant to post this picture, then, but I forgot, so it's going here. I like this shot of Sandi and my dad and Kiernan. I love how the Murawski boys are following the teacher's directions so well. Gives me a big smile whenever I see it.

Finally, for this post, here's a picture from that same day at school of Sandi and Dad reading to Kiernan in the classroom. I like this picture as it calls to mind a picture I took when Dad was last visiting us in California, and had gone with me to pick up Kiernan from school.

I think I'll put up more pictures from that day in another post.

Imagine All the Things

In keeping with the spirit of my last two posts, in which I related two conversation bits I'd jotted down, here's another little snippet, probably from sometime in May of 2008. It's tiny, but before I get to it, here is a Kiernan quote that appears at the top of the same pad of paper. It appears unrelated to the conversation bit that will follow, and it was written in pen, whereas the conversation bit was written in pencil. So clearly the quote was uttered at a different time.

Here is the quote:

"My parents smell like garlic."

I don't know why on earth I'm sharing this with you all. But there it is.

Onto the conversation bit:

K: Daddy, sometimes I imagine things.

X: Like what?

K: Water and mud. People that are broken. Oranges. Lemons. Chocolate--I LOVE IT!--and you!

--pause--

K: Ice cream in chunks!

--pause--

K: Sometimes I also imagine M-O-M-M-Y going to Book Club.

I'm thinking this mini-conversation took place in the midst of Kiernan going to sleep. It has that kind of twilight feel to it. That sort of drowsy reasoning people employ when they are just about asleep but aren't quite there. It's got that cute element that is the hallmark of a lot of sleeptalking, but it also has that prophetic weirdness that seems to sneak in from time to time in unconscious babbling. I can actually recall, now that I'm typing this, feeling a chill when he said, "People that are broken."

I've gotten that chill a couple of times from things that Kiernan has said. A sort of T.S. Eliot/M. Night Shyamalan [back when he was a coherent filmmaker for a film and a half] chill. Luckily that passes, as a mention of "Chocolate...I love it!" is never far behind.

Incidentally, the picture at the top of this post is one Wendy took at my sister Hope's wedding. It is not directly related to this little anecdote, but it really works for me here.

[Point of Clarification: With regard to the "M-O-M-M-Y" above. Sometimes Kiernan will spell out our names when he is calling out for us as he falls asleep. Other times too, but especially when he's falling asleep. As in, "Mommy...I need some water. M-O-M-M-Y...I NEED SOME WATER!" I haven't quite figured out what logic compels him to spell out our names at these times. I'm working on it. Also, it should be said that he might just as likely have said this same thing about me to Wendy, as I go out to a silly video game playing club one night a week, and Wendy's book club only takes place once every six weeks or so. I just don't want to lay out the impression that Wendy is forever out carousing with her good-for-nothing book loving friends.]

Interesting Words...Part II

As promised, this is the second conversation [snippet] from a pad of paper I found dated May 12, 2008. The first conversation dealt with words. This conversation deals with the planets. This is a little easier for me to set up than the other one because Kiernan is nuts about the Solar System, and most of you know this. He loves the planets, loves to draw and sing about them, and knows far more about them than any adult I've ever met knows about them. [Incidentally, I intend to avoid meeting our friend Rachel Friedman Narr's father in order to keep it that way.]

I mean, he (Kiernan...I can't speak for the good Dr. Louis) knows the names of the major moons of the planets, and also can tell you the names of the moons of the Plutoids. No, that's not a word I just made up. Nor is it a new series on Nickelodeon. It's the new name given to Pluto and Eris, which were formerly dwarf planets. And while it's been difficult for me to make the transition, Kiernan has had no trouble with it whatsoever.

Oof. I didn't mean to go all Solar System on you. I just meant to transcribe this little conversation I had with Kiernan a couple months ago (or, rather, that he had with me). So, without further ado...

K: What is your favorite planet?

X: Mercury.

K: I have one. I have two. I have three. Mars. Jupiter. Saturn. You know why? Mars because it's red and rusty. Jupiter because it has big rings, stripes, and a swirling storm. Saturn because it has rings and it is red. What are your three favorites?

X: I have one. Mercury.

K: I'll help you figure out three. Venus because it's hot. Earth because it's our home.

If you are having trouble figuring out what your favorite planet is, or, more to the point, if you find yourself stuck with only one favorite planet, OR if you are having trouble justifying your choice(s) of favorite planet(s)...please do stop by the house. I believe we can help.

I've got to find a way to start charging for this kind of stuff.

Interesting Words

I'm cleaning up my desk tonight and listening to the monitor as Kiernan falls asleep (fingers crossed). I've just come across a pad of paper upon which I scrawled two conversations from a couple of months ago. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I tend to take notes on our conversations with Kiernan. I'm no different than any other parent in that I find the things my boy says and does to be fascinating. Groundbreaking. And brilliant. I am different from many other parents in that I find it necessary to write every one of these things down.

I can kind of already see in my head an image of him as a teenager rolling his eyes about this. Oh well. It's not stopping me.

Anyway, I found this pad of paper. It's from May 12, 2008. In this post and the next I will share these conversations, or rather conversation snippets, with you.

This first one is really kind of out of the blue. I cannot even frame it with context. All I can do is share what I wrote down, on that day in May. So here it is. [As with most of these dialogues, K = Kiernan, and X = me.]

K: Dad, do you like interesting words?

X: Yes. Do you?

K: Yes. Like 'constellation'.

X: I like 'euphemism'.

K: I like 'weird'. Do you?

Again, I have no real context to give you for this conversation. Sorry about that. I share it with you only because I find it incredibly amusing. And I'm just so happy and proud that he loves words so much.

I just love that.

"And Other Things Like That"

We had a great Father's Day. Just so's ya know.

It started out happily, with Kiernan uncharacteristically letting me sleep in until 8:30 in the morning. Yeah, you read that right. 8:30. And yes...around here we consider that sleeping in.

As many of you know, Wendy is out of town on a business trip, so when Kiernan gets up it's 'go time', Father's Day or not. So him sleeping until sometime after seven in the morning was a big deal.

He came in and pounced on me to wake me up and we hit the kitchen for breakfast. Kiernan's favorite cereal is Raisin Bran. Please. I beg you. Don't say anything to him about this. Don't laugh. Don't gasp, "What about Fruit Loops?!?" Even while reading this on your computer at your desk. He'll hear it over the Internet and I'll have to go out and buy Fruit Loops. I'm shocked he hasn't found out about Frosted Flakes yet. And given the fact that his favorite bathroom reading is Calvin and Hobbes, I'm flat out flabbergasted that he hasn't gone on a hunger strike until we produce a box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs.

I gave him a bowl of Raisin Bran (with extra raisins), and he gobbled it up. After this he asked to watch a video. I asked which video he'd like to watch, knowing the answer, and then started up his favorite planet dvd (Field Trip to the Planets, if you must know...Hey, something that might be fun for you, if you're looking for something to do, would be to buy that dvd and watch it every day. Every day. Every single day. Also buy the cd and listen to it, and only it, whenever you're in the car...lather, rinse and repeat). While that played I showered and made myself a coffee drink, by which time his video was over and I watched a show myself, relaxing with my latte. It being Sunday morning, I watched my second favorite sports show, "The Sports Reporters". Even though I totally respected Kiernan's time while he watched his planet video, he climbed all over me during my show. Such is Father's Day...thank goodness. We laughed ourselves silly.

Our teevee watching out of the way, we prepared for the day proper. We got into our swim suits and headed out to the beach. Kiernan loves the beach. Note that I did not say that he loves swimming, or the water. He loves the beach. He is nuts about playing in the sand. So...off to the beach did we head.

We found ourselves a nice little spot at Topanga State Beach, ate the lunch we'd packed (peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches) and then played in the sand for a few hours. Playing in the sand, incidentally, involves me digging holes and building sand castles and Kiernan jumping in said holes and on top of said castles. Over and over and over again. We also laugh a lot.

I'd love to build a whole sand castle someday, without it being pounced upon by Toddlerzilla. But really, I'm not any good at things like that. I can dig a heck of a moat, mind you, but I get to a certain point in sand castle construction and I have no idea how to make it any better. It has always been thus. So the fact that Kiernan bulldozes every attempt I make at a sand castle is really a welcome development. Really takes the pressure off.

After a few hours we made our way home and, after washing the sand off, spent the remainder of the day reading books and throwing balls. We spent some time on the phone later in the evening, making Father's Day calls and Birthday calls (Mason and Grance) and Mommy calls. Then we hit the sack.

Great Father's Day. The picture at the top of this post is a scan of the card Kiernan made for me at school. It was stapled to a little paper bag, inside of which was a palm-sized rock upon which was written, over Kiernan's awesome and ubiquitous solar system decoration, "My Dad Rocks". The second pic down is a lunch picture; the third a sand castle destruction picture with an air of contemplation. The picture below is a bonus shot of the two of us, not from this day but from the birthday party for Kiernan's friend William a few weeks ago.

The Kiernan and Nana Show

Here's another little slideshow test, this one of Kiernan with his Nana. I love these pictures because the two of them are so in sync. I'm kind of addicted to watching the two of them together in these picture, so in step, expression for expression. The set of pictures opens with a picture from my sister Hope's wedding, a shot of her with my stepdad John and my mom. I realize it doesn't go with the theme of Kiernan and Nana, but I couldn't resist, mainly just because I love the picture of my family. My intention is, of course, to post more shots from the event. Stay tuned for more.

In the meantime enjoy this little teaser from the wedding, followed by the Kiernan and Nana show.

I'm betting you all can guess which of the pictures of the two of them is my favorite.

Duck Day Alternative

Here's an alternate format for the Duck Day slideshow. It's still hosted by Slide.com but it uses the "sliding" format instead of the "collage" format. I got a couple of complaints about the collage thing.

I'm going to update the template of the blog soon, which will give me more options. Stay tuned.

Duck Day Afternoon

Here's a second attempt at a slideshow.

This one was made using a website called Slide.com. I like that I have a bit more control here, but we'll see how it goes.

These pictures come from my dad's house in Virginia. Kiernan's grandmother Sandi is a kindergarten teacher, and every year her class goes through the process of caring for and hatching duck eggs. This spring's ducks arrived just in time for our visit.

The smaller duck, the one Kiernan is holding most of the time, is named Furrball. The bigger duck, Fairutopia. I have no idea how to spell that. Apparently it's a character from a Barbie movie. Looks like there are benefits to having a little boy.

On one day these two ducklings followed Kiernan and Sandi all the way around the house and up the driveway and back. I have video of that. I aspire one day to post video to this blog. I'm going to make a special request to all of you: don't hold your breath. It's taken me freaking years just to figure out picture posting.

Oh well. I'll get there.

In closing, I'd like to dedicate this little entry, and the pictures, to my dad, my stepmom Sandi, and my brother Mason. Tomorrow they embark on a ten day mission trip to Haiti, during which they will be doing all sorts of practical work for the community they'll be visiting. You can read about their upcoming adventure here. Please do send your positive thoughts and prayers their way over the coming days.

In the meantime, enjoy the ducks.