After multiple trips to the pool, Stella has embraced the tee tiny pee-pee filled baby pool as a place where she can freely roam, wade, climb in and out of, toss toys, grab toys, grab hair, and generally, feel like a little mermaid who has been in water forever.
On days when I am flying the pool plane solo, one adult to two kiddies who don't know how to swim, we are confined to spending our time in the little folks pool. It is gated, so no one can go AWOL and overboard into the big pool. And fortunately it's teeming with other toddlers and preschoolers. But the days when Mark joins us, Heath can go crazy in the big pool, jumping off the side into Mark's hands, over and over and over.
The big pool has held zero allure for Stella, until yesterday. We started the pool time off in the itty bitty pool, with all the other little ones. It was adult swim. Even our 9 year old nephew waded around the 12x12 cement hole, battling ships and sharks with Heath and a few other boys. As soon as the whistle blew, kids went scurrying out of the gate to the real deal, my nephew took off for the diving boards, Heath scooted off with Mark to practice his jumping, and Stella and I were left standing in the lukewarm water, tossed aside pool toys floating in the last of the water ripples that were settling from the sudden adult-swim-over evacuation.
We've been left in that position before, and Stella usually enjoys splashing around and picking up any and every toy with absolutely no interruption. When it's empty, it IS a big pool to Stella. But Heath was gone. Cousin was gone. Daddy was gone. This time, she needed to go, too.
I opened the gate door and she took off running. No running, use your walking feet, I reminded her. She ran anyway. Right to the steps where most of the kids congregate. She climbed down like an old pro. And like a really old pro, she jumped off. Right into the water. I was right there, and pulled her up, expecting a terribly scared and upset Stella. Nope. She loved it. Her soaked face was beaming with her giant smile. And she wanted very little to do with me holding her. She kicked. She dunked her head in. She paddled her arms. (And I nearly broke mine trying to hold her.)
Then she wanted to stand on the side of pool, next to Heath, and jump into my arms. Whether I was waiting for her or not.
Needless to say, I made a trip to Target today to pick up a much needed swim vest. After a friend gave a glowing review of the Stearn Puddle Jumpers, I saw what I thought was that product and bought it. It wasn't the same thing.
She'll probably learn to swim before I can find the receipt in the trash, get it back to Target, and pick up what I was actually wanting to get her. Super.
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