Soon to be fwimmin' like a little froggie
Jul. 4th, 2009 06:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muck_a_luckThough she is very displeased by my telling her that.
The Barbarian and I finally baptised the pool passes yesterday.
She was really not that nervous about getting in the pool. She stepped down two steps, then let me take her out into the water on my hip. The water was v. pleasant, though cool, and really should have been jumped into to avoid the torment of gradually getting wet. After about three minutes, she wanted to get out and go to the wading pool, but there was nobody in the wading pool and I think she thought it looked much less interesting that the big pool were there were several 8-12 year olds swimming and jumping off the diving board.
So we went back into the big pool and after that she absolutely did not want to get out. First she let me carry her and jump up and down in the water. Then she enjoyed letting me hold her so she was floating on her back with her head on my shoulder, kicking her feet and watching the other kids. Then she announced she was ready to "fwim" now, and tried to get away!!! I told her NO WAY, but we did get her resettled on her belly to kick her feet and wave her arms a little. She wanted to put her face in the water (which was pretty much freaking me out), but never did much more than put her lips and the tip of her nose into the pool. She wanted to get her hair wet, so we went back over to the steps so she could hold the rail and I showed her how to hold her nose and tried to coach her on holding her breath, but she decided that wasn't a great idea after all. Instead, I eventually held her the way I usually carry her and, supporting her neck and upper back, helped her to relax backwards into the water in sort of a supported float. After she gained confidence I wasn't going to let go, she thought that was a sort of neat idea.
She was having a blast, but she was also really shivering after about 25 minutes in the water, plus, I (who have not been outside showing that much skin in probably five or six years and therefore am approximately as white as a vampire), despite wearing about a metric ton of sun screen, did not want to come home fried red as a lobster, so I insisted it was time to head home.
We had the biggest tantrum we had had in *months* I cannot remember the last time we had one that bad. I think she was cold, tired, hungry (she came home and ate masses of food), and really disappointed to be leaving, and the combination was killer.
So! Our fearless Barbarian. I expect her to be "fwimmin'" like a froggie really fast, ready to lead her barbaric hordes in spearing fish or diving for pebbles or whatnot.
Oh. Speaking of! I have been telling her stories about Lady, the doggie of my childhood, and so we got out Just Labs to look at pictures of doggies like Lady, and man, but if she is not completely intrigued by the pictures of the hunters and dogs, esp. the women hunters. She will stare at those pictures mesmerized.
Also, she says when she is big, big, BIG she is going to buy some fireworks. *rolls eyes* I told her she could do that when she was living in her own house, not my house. She seemed quite put out by this idea, and said no, she would be big, big, BIG and drive the car and I would ride in "Daddy's seat" and she would get fireworks at Costco. *nods*
She is also helping me cook almost every meal she is home and already anticipating the day that she will cook dinner "for everybody!"
Back to the topic of pools, I'm v. thrilled with our neighborhood association's pools. The one we went to yesterday is walking distance (though a pretty far walk for a 3-year-old who is shivering with cold or anybody with time constraints), and has a "spa" - actually, a large whirlpool jacuzzi thing offlimits to children. The one that is closer to us, though also probably a long walk for a very cold 3-year-old, is *heated* and will be open into late September. There are lots of other pools in the system, a dozen or so. I need to find out where the ones with the fountains are, for the Barbarian's amusement. When AG33 gets back, he might appreciate a slide, if there are any, though on second thought, that might not be the best plan, as The Barbarian won't be going down any slides yet.
Ah. The joys of summer!
The Barbarian and I finally baptised the pool passes yesterday.
She was really not that nervous about getting in the pool. She stepped down two steps, then let me take her out into the water on my hip. The water was v. pleasant, though cool, and really should have been jumped into to avoid the torment of gradually getting wet. After about three minutes, she wanted to get out and go to the wading pool, but there was nobody in the wading pool and I think she thought it looked much less interesting that the big pool were there were several 8-12 year olds swimming and jumping off the diving board.
So we went back into the big pool and after that she absolutely did not want to get out. First she let me carry her and jump up and down in the water. Then she enjoyed letting me hold her so she was floating on her back with her head on my shoulder, kicking her feet and watching the other kids. Then she announced she was ready to "fwim" now, and tried to get away!!! I told her NO WAY, but we did get her resettled on her belly to kick her feet and wave her arms a little. She wanted to put her face in the water (which was pretty much freaking me out), but never did much more than put her lips and the tip of her nose into the pool. She wanted to get her hair wet, so we went back over to the steps so she could hold the rail and I showed her how to hold her nose and tried to coach her on holding her breath, but she decided that wasn't a great idea after all. Instead, I eventually held her the way I usually carry her and, supporting her neck and upper back, helped her to relax backwards into the water in sort of a supported float. After she gained confidence I wasn't going to let go, she thought that was a sort of neat idea.
She was having a blast, but she was also really shivering after about 25 minutes in the water, plus, I (who have not been outside showing that much skin in probably five or six years and therefore am approximately as white as a vampire), despite wearing about a metric ton of sun screen, did not want to come home fried red as a lobster, so I insisted it was time to head home.
We had the biggest tantrum we had had in *months* I cannot remember the last time we had one that bad. I think she was cold, tired, hungry (she came home and ate masses of food), and really disappointed to be leaving, and the combination was killer.
So! Our fearless Barbarian. I expect her to be "fwimmin'" like a froggie really fast, ready to lead her barbaric hordes in spearing fish or diving for pebbles or whatnot.
Oh. Speaking of! I have been telling her stories about Lady, the doggie of my childhood, and so we got out Just Labs to look at pictures of doggies like Lady, and man, but if she is not completely intrigued by the pictures of the hunters and dogs, esp. the women hunters. She will stare at those pictures mesmerized.
Also, she says when she is big, big, BIG she is going to buy some fireworks. *rolls eyes* I told her she could do that when she was living in her own house, not my house. She seemed quite put out by this idea, and said no, she would be big, big, BIG and drive the car and I would ride in "Daddy's seat" and she would get fireworks at Costco. *nods*
She is also helping me cook almost every meal she is home and already anticipating the day that she will cook dinner "for everybody!"
Back to the topic of pools, I'm v. thrilled with our neighborhood association's pools. The one we went to yesterday is walking distance (though a pretty far walk for a 3-year-old who is shivering with cold or anybody with time constraints), and has a "spa" - actually, a large whirlpool jacuzzi thing offlimits to children. The one that is closer to us, though also probably a long walk for a very cold 3-year-old, is *heated* and will be open into late September. There are lots of other pools in the system, a dozen or so. I need to find out where the ones with the fountains are, for the Barbarian's amusement. When AG33 gets back, he might appreciate a slide, if there are any, though on second thought, that might not be the best plan, as The Barbarian won't be going down any slides yet.
Ah. The joys of summer!
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Date: 2009-07-05 02:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-05 01:12 pm (UTC)