The Lake

We took Will to Lake Martin this past weekend for his first summertime visit. Of course, we had to pack up most of our house to go for a 48 hour visit, but that's okay. All of the lake stuff we did was really worth it. Oh wait...we didn't actually do much lake stuff! Due to the drought, the lake is waaaay down, which makes it extremely difficult to get to the boat based on the location of the docks, etc. Under normal circumstances, it's tough to get to the boat, but with a wiggly nine-month-old in your arms, it's virtually impossible and definitely not worth it. So, going on a boat ride was out. But, we thought Will would enjoy the water. But, we were wrong. We bought him a floaty shaped like a crab (and it has it's own sunshade over it), so we put him in that and Zach carried him into the water. Again, it was a bit unwieldy, but Zach managed to put Will and the floaty in the water. Will promptly started screaming and reaching up--begging to get out. I don't know if it was the water (which was kind of chilly--why do you think Zach was the one carrying him in?), the floaty, or a combination, but he was definitely unhappy. So, we pulled him out, dried him off, and set up the baby pool in the yard. However, the traumatic lake experience made Will wary of any bodies of water, even a baby pool, but he eventually warmed up to the idea.

So, there was not much in the way of water activities, but we did enjoy relaxing, going for walks, and scooting around the den and the screened porch playing with our toys (okay, that last one was really just Will).

In another big milestone, Will learned how to pull himself up while we were at the lake. He started doing it on the porch furniture, which apparently is the perfect height for pulling up. Then, we heard screaming after we put him down for a nap one morning. When I went in to check on him, he was standing up in the pack and play, but he DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GET DOWN!!! I guess this is a common problem among kids this age, but it baffles me...you figured out how to stand up (which requires a pretty good amount of strength and coordination), but letting go and falling down on your butt to get back down flummoxes you?? Regardless, we are proud of this new accomplishment, although I think it may be an impediment to sleep. Why sleep if you can stand up?