Dax's Journal

Tennis, naps, and bubbles

Push it! from Michelle Madayag on Vimeo.

Dax is already halfway through with tennis lessons and I can't imagine how bummed out he's going to be when they end. He loves playing tennis. He seems to be picking it up pretty well, too. Hopefully the promise of swimming lessons coming up in June will help.

In other news, Dax has decided he no longer needs to nap. At home, anyway. He still takes a nap every day at school but here at home? Well, he's TOO BIG and he's NOT TIRED. Of course as I am writing this he is passed out on the floor in front of me because his body disagrees with his new theory.

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I'm coming back to this several hours later to try to finish up an entry rather than letting it sit in my drafts box until it becomes more stale than a week old donut. What was I saying? Oh, yes. Naps.

For awhile now naps have been quite the battle at our house. Rather than spending an hour or more fighting with the boy in an attempt to get him to go to sleep rather than to lay in bed holding his eyes open by the lashes we decided to "let it ride" for a bit and see what happens. What happens is that he usually falls asleep at some point in the late afternoon without us having to have a Madayag Family Battle Royal. Sometimes he doesn't sleep and he seems none the worse for it.

Usually that's a perfectly acceptable situation and Cat and I can breath a sigh of relief. Other times? Like tonight for instance? All Hell Breaks Loose.

Tonight he lost his blessed little mind and had a complete and total meltdown. (Note to self: find out if they make straightjackets in his size.) After a loooong time during which he screamed and cried and Cat and I nearly brought in an exorcist I finally remembered a handy little trick I discovered the other day when I needed him to relax: I had him blow bubbles. That's right. Bubbles. Because it requires him to take deep breaths and that calms him down.

Now he's being perfectly adorable and pleasant. He's singing some little song he learned at school and playing with a train. Of course, now I have to get him off to bed.

Where are those bubbles?

Firsts!

We've had a week of firsts for Dax: first Dental appointment and first tennis lessons. Both were a huge hit. Yes, even the dentist!

Dax loved Lori and Dr. Croft and let them do to him whatever they wished so he came away with teeth that had been counted, inspected, cleaned, flossed, and given a fluoride treatment.

He was rewarded with a tooth-shaped bag containing a new toothbrush, some toothpaste, and some dino-flossers. He then got to pick a prize from the goody basket. Of course he picked a ball. A red one.

That very same day we met Coach Kenny who will be teaching Dax how to play tennis.

He had so much fun and was exhausted when he was through. Now he keeps asking me when it will be Wednesday so he can go play again.