Daddy's Birthday and a Pool Party!

    Michael's birthday is in mid October, but I had to work that weekend, so we celebrated by going out to dinner the Saturday before. He picked his favorite place - Bahama Breeze! Emma has been there several times already too. We had a nice meal together. I was very happy to get this family photo in front of the house before we left too. It is so rare for us to get nice family photos all together these days.

   Last year I did not even blog photos from Michael's time opening presents (on his actual birthday when I got home from work) because Emma was sleeping so she was not in any of the pictures. I really like that she was awake this time and glad to help him rip off the colorful wrapping paper.

^^ The Blu-Ray and DVD "Wonder" from Emma. This is a great movie overall, but especially as a parent with a child who is different.. some of the scenes brought big tears to my eyes. 

^^ Emma's favorite game is still the "Grab and Throw". 

   I don't know if this if how most of the people in life are, but I have often felt like Michael and I are more "talkers" rather than "do-ers". We list all of the fun things we are going to do, but then it takes us so long to finally get around to it. I was getting disappointed at us about it recently and asked Michael to blow up the baby pool (he used his air compressor) that we got Emma for her birthday in June. It was still in the box! ..Unopened! ..Five months later! Along with her new bathing suit!

   Emma had been in a baby pool only one time before, for Beach Day, about a week before she came home from the NICU. Her therapists wanted to give her a fun, new experience (including play sand) and we were able to do more creative things in April 2018 since Emma was getting weaned off her high dose of meds and everyone wanted to partake in activities before we took her home after 11 very long months in the hospital.

   The weather was around 80 degrees this day, maybe even higher since I purposely kept her in a shady area of the deck. She likes to splash in the bathtub, but seemed more confused in the pool, so I had to take her hands and legs and swish them around in the water before she understood that this was supposed to be fun. Then she continued splashing and kicking for the next 25 minutes. 

^^ Can you see the water splashing with her kicks? 

   After this successful 32 minutes of pool time, the weather started feeling nicer, cooler, and breezy on other days following, so we haven't been back in the pool yet. But it says we will have more 80 degree days, even in December! Gross Orlando temperatures and our "barely winters". But today it is in the low 60's, so I do like that. Seriously our coldest day since January. Next stop... the beach!!