More Little Things

Jovie, not the biggest fan of water... Bath time? Great- unless there is washing of hair involved. Swimming? A wading pool is OK, but only after much deliberation. Auntie Lola's pool? She would rather brave scorching heat in a sand box than swim. That is, until yesterday. We coaxed, and bribed, and finally just brought her into the water. Damon held her up high and slowly let her feel the water on her feet and legs, but by the time the water reached her stomach- there was screaming. We tried other tricks, finally deciding on a mixture of distraction, multiple flotation devices (including my knockers, Big Red and Double Mint) and lots of calm words and deep breathing. Miraculously, I am not sure at what point, she started to trust me enough to actually "swim" She leaned forward, let me hold her at her chest/tummy, and kicked with all of her might- She kept exclaiming "LOOK, I DID IT! I AM A MERMAID" And after an assisted round of the pool, I somehow convinced her to touch her feet to the bottom of the shallow part of the pool OH THE JOY ON HER FACE!!! She continued to joyful state that she was walking and doing it on her own. I would dive under the water just to watch her dance on her tippy toes from Damon to me. It was like watching her take her first steps all over again. And Mina? SHE IS A FISH. I can barely keep her above water. She constantly wants to "dive" under and swim toward me until our foreheads touch. It is amazing. Just one day we went from "blow bubbles into the water" to "try to put your face in the water" to "I CAN DIVE!!!" Generally summer is my least favorite of seasons. Not generally. As a rule, summer is my enemy, what with the sweating and the revealing outfits... But now, with an accessible pool, perfectly sized for short outings... Maybe summer won't end up being THAT bad. And it will be something the girls happily remember. And I will never forget.