There are so many things that Baby Girl and I love about summer, but swimming at Nana and Grandpa’s house is definitely near the top of the list. My parents bought a kiddie pool at the beginning of summer, and it’s warm enough outside that the water isn’t ridiculously cold. So Baby Girl and I go over there once or twice a week and play in the pool. (Sorry the picture’s a little hazy.)
Sometimes she just stands next to me and splashes. Sometimes she plays with the pool toys. Most of the time we sing the silly songs we learned in swimming class. But today she decided to take a real swim. Well … maybe “decided” is too strong a word. I think she tried to walk and slipped instead. She went totally under the water, but she did great! She closed her mouth and just looked at me for a few seconds.
Of course, I scooped her up quickly and cuddled her, but I was careful not to make her think that anything was wrong. In fact, her
grandparents and I all gave her lots of praise for being such a big girl and doing such a good job under the water. It was a little scary for me to watch her slide under the water, but she was totally safe (with 3 loving adults watching her). Probably a good learning experience for both of us.
I’ll tell you one thing: It definitely made me grateful for our swimming classes. Who knows if Baby Girl would’ve known to hold her breath if she hadn’t been practicing going under water in classes?
Anyway, we cuddled for a minute, and then she got right back in the pool. She pretty much immediately picked up the toy she was
reaching for before the slip and kept right on playing. Isn’t it great how resilient kids are? (See that? I said “kids”… not babies. She’s a kid now. Not entirely sure how I feel about that one, but that’s a post for another day.)
Focused on Happy 