Summer Fun

When Sven was a baby, Erik used to say that each month a little bit of the baby disappeared and more little boy showed up. Now, we have a boy with no baby left :)

This summer has been full of new milestones for Sven. Sven just finished his first full swimming lesson course, so he can now swim around a pool with a kick board. He is also comfortable putting his head under water and blowing bubbles.

Sven's FaFa and Granma are back in town. FaFa has been working with him on his running, and Sven can run a 13 minute mile. He is pretty quick, and can easily pass joggers on the Greenlake trail. Of course, he can't sprint that fast all the way around the lake yet, but soon. Maybe, the Aikido class he took in the Spring has helped with speed. It has certainly helped with his agility.

Last weekend we took Sven hiking up to Denny Creek. On the return trip he ran all the way back down to the parking lot - nimbly bounding around roots, rocks, and mud puddles. I could barely keep up with him (wearing a day pack and all). He is already eager to go on a backpacking trip to the beach (Third Beach).

For the annual Fremont Solstice Parade, Sven was an otter with the "Styrofoam Free Seattle" group. He spent two hours slowly marching and waving his otter tail from Fremont to Gas Works park. I was amazed at his stamina - though he was very tired at the end of the parade.

With physical development, also come emotional maturity. This morning, Sven woke up right before I left for work. Sven said "Mommy, I'm mad at you." - meaning he was mad I was leaving so soon after he got up. I told him I let him sleep late because of the fireworks last night. After a couple of minutes of talking I said "I have to go - you can either kiss me good-bye or stay mad." He then gave me a big hug and kiss, and said "good bye". I was amazed at how quickly he recovered. I thanked him for the nice hug.

More to come soon - highlights from trip to Serbia and Montenegro.