Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

Water babies

July5

Sabrina and Tessa have been in heaven this weekend.  Not only are Grandma and Pap-pap visiting but they are staying at a hotel with a pool.

The pool has provided yet another opportunity to marvel at the differences in my girls.  They both love the pool.

Sabrina, almost 4, is very cautious.  She hates getting water in her face.  When she gets water in her face, she pitches a fit. (Hehe…listen to me sounding like a southern momma: “pitching a fit”.)  She spends her time in the pool playing with the grown ups.  She wants to get out and “jump” (really more like be lifted) back into the pool.   This has all remained pretty steady since the first time we put her in a pool (around 11 months old).

Tessa, almost 2, is fearless.  She enjoyed the pool last year when Grandma and Pap-pap visited.  This year, she likes it but she has no patience for the flotation devices.  The child thinks she should be free to swim around on her own.  She tried to lunge out of my arms several times today.  She threw a small fit when we put her in her floatie.  When we had her in our arms, she would maneuver to be on her stomach with her arms and legs moving to swim.  I’ve never seen a child so young mimic swimming like that.  We held up her tummy and she tried to swim around.  She didn’t mind putting her face in the water and when she jumped off the side of the pool she got upset that we insisted on holding her the whole way instead of letting her leap and catching her.  The child terrifies me with her lack of fear.  We couldn’t let her off our laps on the pool deck for fear she would jump in.

It is fun watching them so delighted with something as simple as a pool.  And they have been sleeping so wonderfully!

posted under family
4 Comments to

“Water babies”

  1. On July 6th, 2010 at 9:18 am Laura Says:

    I say it is time for swimming classes for Tessa!!! And maybe big sister will get inspired by her.

  2. On July 6th, 2010 at 1:23 pm Sonia in MO (FTC) Says:

    My Hannah was water-obsessed at 2 also. We got her one of those one-piece swim suits with the built-in flotation devices (you can find them at Wal-mart in the toy/pool section) and that way didn’t have to hold on to her every second. Another benefit is when they jump in the pool that suit pops them back up to the top in seconds…. Hannah loved it 🙂 It gives them a lot of freedom when swimming and I think it really helped her confidence, too. Now she’s 4 and this year I bought her a zip-up vest since she’d outgrown the swimsuit, but after taking lessons this year she’s now swimming all over the pool (supervised, of course!) with no vest at all. And of course the main benefit of any swimming pool is wearing them out and the early bedtimes – yay!

  3. On July 6th, 2010 at 7:38 pm Alleen Says:

    Man, the more you describe Tessa, the more like Gabriella she sounds! Especially the pool thing. She HATED being expected to be in a floatie when she was little and also tried anything to get out of your arms. And yep, she’d jump right in regardless of the fact that she’d sink!

    I would definitely recommend swimming lessons! You’d be surprised how fast they learn if they are willing and not afraid.

  4. On July 10th, 2010 at 5:06 pm tonya Says:

    Sabrina is looking into Steves eyes…promise? are you sure? got me? ready?