Pool side

Luka helping to fill the pool 

We've pretty much established than ever since the little man made his early arrival, he has been tremendously blessed.  We've been over the concept of privilege for even being able to evacuate, to being able to access world-class health care.  Bottom line, we continue to be blessed and fortunate in ways many are not - this weekend was no exception.  Our friend and neighbor has taken the lead on constructing our communal pool in Dili, and this weekend we got to reap the benefits of the labor by watching the pool be filled.  Fortunately for us, Luka was there to lend a much-needed hand....

The boys' first splash in the new pool

Practicing in the pool

We were very thrilled with Luka's first swim lesson last week, and tried practicing some of the new skills in Nicole and Fiona's pool over the weekend.  Luka has always been a natural in the water, which may or may not be a good thing for us I realize, and so have little issues really with getting his face wet.  Here is a cute short video of Luka with daddy in the pool.  One of the things the swim trainer does with them is to use a kickboard to encourage kicking, and then to throw things in front of them out of their reach to encourage the use of their arms.  Here is a short video of Luka practicing kicking with his new $2.40 Timor Plaza kickboard.

We'll be attending the weekly swim class for six weeks until we depart for the US, and hopefully resume with the next level when we get back.  In the meantime, nothing like living in the tropics to ensure plenty of practice time in a swimming pool!

My first coach: swim lesson in Dili

Lining up for instructions from
Coach Meg

Well, it had to happen sometime - Luka has his first 'coach', and not surprisingly - it involved water.  Apart from a few dodgy weeks in the tub when he was about 3 months old (might have had something to do with the sudden onset of freezing exit air in Cape Town versus what he was used to in Darwin), the boy has always loved water.  And while he has spent about as much time in the water as out of it since moving to Dili, he finally had his first official swim lesson yesterday.  We did a combination of stationary exercises followed by a number of movements around the pool in which the babies were transferred from front to back, encouraged to kick, paddle, and float.  For a brief video, click HERE.

Making the rounds

Members of the Dili Bub Club joined at chez twins+1 for their first structured swim lesson with a very competent and experienced instructor from Australia named Meg.  With seven babies in the pool, it was not for the faint of heart, but Meg walked us through the basics of floating on the back, the front, putting the face in the water, passing the baby from one person to another to get them used to being submerged. Luka clung to me like a nut hanging onto my hair (and earrings) for dear life when on his back, but when on the front, was happily laughing and kicking up a storm.

Practicing blowing bubbles

A great initiative, and definitely beneficial to bubs and parents alike, can't wait for next Wednesday!

Sunday afternoon, Poolside!

While daddy was instructing some new divers, Luka and mommy had a bit of pool time on the sidelines. To say he loves the water is like saying mommy loves chocolate and daddy loves beer - totally understating it.  We were gifted a pool floaty device which we took out for a test drive with the following result:

And the contestants are off!  Lightning Luka is fast out
of the gates! 

He corners and overtakes Slowpoke Sammy

He slams on the hand break to make a tight corner...

Whoa! Good evening Officer! Where'd you come from?

Dragracing?  Who, me??  Oh no, I was just cruising with my
elbow out the window - no racing here...

Super Sunday

"Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you See?

Watch out for the crocs! No visit
is complete without a dip.

Everyone in Dili knows that Caz Bar is pretty much a legend on a Sunday  morning.  For those of you not familiar with this institution - a chill-out spot on the beach with three distinct shifts on a Sunday.  Shift #1: 0800-1100 - parents with young children and babies - the only folks in Dili up before 10:00 on a Sunday, and by Sunday morning suffering from a small bout of cabin fever, these folks with kids trek to the beach with sun tents, beach mats, pool floaties and a plethora of other seemingly necessary commodities to avoid the mid-day sun.  This group generally departs pretty promptly when the little bub becomes fussy and in need of that mid-morning nap;  1100-1300 - enter the singletons/child-less party goers who were out until close to the time that we left the house to go to Caz Bar, to nurse hangovers and remind themselves of the shenanigans from the night before; and by 13:00 when the nap attack strikes the young and the restless, the Timorese are emerging from their Catholic mass just in time to take over for the afternoon shift.