Falling, walking, swimming

I've been emailing with a friend and realized I should post some of the news we've been discussing. Here're some latest Casa Herrera tidbits...

Max fell down on the cement patio last week and cracked his head so hard he had a goose egg on the back of his head. Watching him do it was like a slow motion movie -- I can still see his noggin bouncing off the cement like a ball. The dull thud was sickening. It was his first real "injury" and he did one of those no-sound hold-your-breath screams (followed by actual screaming) for several minutes. It was kinda traumatic for all three of us -- but, he made it through and now is more careful about jetting around the patio.

However, the side-effect for me is everytime he takes a tumble now I gasp out loud and flinch. I'm trying not to do this.

Max has a "walker" thing that he can push around while he walks behind. When I want to really tire him out so he will take a good (hopefully extra long) nap, I make him walk with his walker all the way to the mailbox, which is about 1/3 block away. He thinks it is really fun, plus he is exhausted by the time we get home. Another tire-out activity is learning to climb up and down the stairs safely. I make him go all the way up (1st floor to 2nd floor), then back down facing the stairs. Down is not as fun.

Also, his first swim lesson was last Sunday. It is going to be a father-son activity for a couple of reasons. 1) I don't like the water much (it would be fine, except for the getting wet part) 2) daddy loves the water 3) Max and daddy have a great time doing it 4) I don't want to have to dunk him under water.