Swimming has been going really well this year and Grace is loving each time we go to a lesson or for a swim in the pool. The thing she is loving the most is jumping into the pool. She jumped in on her own (with me there to catch her) for the first time early this year and has just gotten more and more confident as she practices. Now going for a swim at the gym involves jumping in, a little help from dad to get to the pool noodle and then back to the steps to start over again (getting back requires help). She is also launching herself off the step towards me, and quite comfortably to go under and float up to the top before I help her.

I had foot-in-mouth disease tonight. Grace was doing well and having fun, and I put my foot in it. I was singing while she was bathing, and as usual she said, "No singing, sing Silent Night," (because that is the only song that may be sung). I decided to do what she usually does to us (in retrospect this was stupid) and said, "No Silent Night, no Silent Night," in the same kind of way that she would say it.

Grace has been asking to see an, “Apie,” this last week, which translates to, “I want to go and see a giraffe.” So we set off for The Giraffe House (which is on the way to Stellenbosch) and had a great time at a really lovely “wildlife awareness centre” (as they call it).

I have noticed it before, but today I got a mental hook on something that Grace does. If someone comes to visit, or if we go visit, Grace is often very clingy and quiet, just wanting to be held by us. She gradually warms up to the situation and people and sometimes there is a moment when she breaks through and really settles in to the situation.

There are two examples in particular that I can think of. One was today while Jason and Em were visiting. Grace knows them well but we have not seen them for a while, so Grace was very quiet and needy. Grace gradually eased into it, but at one point Em and I were holding a rope between us with a small plastic hoop on it. I lifted up the one side and the ring went sliding down the rope like a zip line. Grace thought that this was very funny and from that point on she really opened up and had some fun.

Another time was a while back when Ben and Fiona were visiting. Fiona let Grace pour some sand on her while sitting in the garden and from that point on she started having way more fun.

The situations made me think of icebreakers – it is almost as if Grace would benefit if we prepared or figured out a way to help her break the ice when she is being a bit shy. If we can time it right, and choose a good activity for the situation Grace might just settle into new environments and groups a bit faster.

Come to think of it, I would probably benefit from some icebreakers too – especially when going into a group of people that I don’t know well.

After a long break Grace is getting back into building puzzles and this round comes with new lingo, like, "Missing pieces," while pointing to everywhere that a piece might go (even when she has only built 4 pieces with 116 still to go).