G’s been eager to get back in the pool. But due to it still being a little chilly, she’s been mostly happy to play in and around the pool. A lot of tossing and wading is occurring. Its good for my knees.
when the pool got full, Daddy went diving for rocks. This is harder than it sounds. The water is brisk but not an issue, but i can only hold 4-6 rocks at a time even with much breath remaining. So it took awhile.
She laughed every time I surfaced.
Beckie’s company had a giant event at a local waterpark. It was kinda a zoo, but we figured it would be a fun new experience for G. People were everywhere, we had long walks to get to things, and i was happy to see G not freaking out or getting tired or getting separated. The inevitable going in circles when we first got there made her a bit frazzled, but holding hands and keep her listening for my voice delivered us relatively intact at a small pool with slides running into it. the pool was about 2 feet deep, and open to kids 7 and under. G suddenly looked, and acted, very small. She wasn’t a fan of the water exactly, she was wearing a life jacket and knew it kept her safe. “wear the jacket G, so we can be safe”, Beckie kept quoting Dora. it was really the newness and all the other kids running around that freaked her out. About half a dozen times she rallied to climb the staircase and go down the slide, but the splashing at the end really disturbed her. She just doesn’t enjoy getting her face wet.
Better to let her set her own pace. I know this by having taught kids to swim when i lifeguarded at the JCC summer camp, and saw how no amount of convincing or swift action made a dent for the kids who were afraid of the water. At least she gets in, and is comfortable up to her limits – its a base to build on. but i can’t help but be disappointed that she isn’t as headlong into swimming as she is with everything else. Today I did laps in the pool for the first time in almost 9 months, and i knocked out 1000 yards without a stop, such is my body accustomed from so young and age, and reinforced over the years as an adult, to be able to swim. Nonetheless, i need to pinch myself and realize its all about G getting to her comfort level, and knowing G it will happen eventually, likely as part of a vigorous game of toss the baby. I do think she needs water wings as they will put her into a swimming posture better than a vest will.
So, after a lot of wading and hand-holding around the pool, which was nonetheless very cute, we moved on to our free lunch. This was an equally hazardous proposal – food, mess, people with plates full of food, people with plates full of potential mess, buffet, holding hands, and a baby that does not like to sit still. The plan of attack was for Beckie to arrive with a plate full of food at precisely the same instant G and I sat down, whereupon I would saddle up to the bu-ffet. It worked relatively well. Though unspeakable things were seen in that lunchroom involving the public, their eating habits, and their diet. Hard to talk when i had 14 cookies, 3 hamburgers and a weiner – but i am not 80 lbs too heavy for a speedo, and had made a point of doing the Usery Loop, a yoga class, and then 45 minutes more in the gym that morning. i ain’t saying i can’t too lose a few lbs…just that there are many fewer to lose.
The Lazy River raft ride called after lunch. We got a 2-person tube and G sat in Beckie’s lap. Not as much fun as the Salt River, and way too close to your neighbors, but technically-speaking we did wait 30 minutes before swimming. G did not like riding through the Leaky Barrelworks and getting sprayed, but after Beckie covered her face she relatively enjoyed it.
another long traverse and crowd experience put as at the wave pool. G plunged in and looked happy running across the shallow water in the beach area, but again all the crowds and splashing made her shy. I didn’t much like the crowds and keeping a 2-year-old afloat either – Rocky Point has spoiled us. One final long walk brought us past all the really cool slides, which had really long lines. It was like waiting to ride the Agassiz lift in Flagstaff, and having a pool and a bike to huck and a baby to play with, i skipped them.
And it was well-worth it, for before us we saw the ultimate playground! It was maybe 30 feet cubed, and brilliantly divided into a maze of interlocking tunnels, tubes, rope climbs, slides and many other wonderful things all built onto a foam-covered forgiving superstructure. It was a colorful Escher drawing come alive. G went nucking futz! We took turns chasing her through that for nearly an hour. She never stopped, shit i never stopped it was a hoot, and if only i was 3-4 feet tall i would have loved it even more. We both loved sliding 2 stories down the circular slides with our bums slick from the pool.
Eventually G started to get stumbly, which is the only sign to the unaware eye that she is pooped. She was cranky for the long walk back to the other side of the park, and i carried her to make it easier but put up with a tantrum and getting booted with her beach shoes. The “tsk tsk”ers didn’t really bother me, i just pointed her beach shoes at them so they could get some too. The baby works well as a weapon of reverse-passive aggression in a confined space.
We spent a few more minutes in a splash area. G had fun in Chicago, but she was pooped and this was all about, well, splashing. So we headed.
She was out within 2 minutes of getting in the car, but still demanded to go to the park that night.