My water baby

I love the water. I love swimming, I love paddling sports, surfing is tough but fun (I think I have only managed to stand on a long board for a few moments before I toppled over with a smile plastered across my face), the only thing about water I am not good at is water skiing. The ability to get up on those damn skis escapes me. Scuba diving, skin diving, just hanging out in the water - I am there. Walking near the water, staring at water, mesmerized by water. I was always the first kid in the pool, and the last one to come out, often hours later wrinkled upon beyond that of a prune.

When you become a parent, you discover many of your biases, again and again. I don't want Brandon to be afraid of the water, or not know how to swim. So, I have been eagerly awaiting when we would start Water Babies at the local aquatic centre.

We started on Tuesday, and this morning is adventure #2. Brandon took to water like a fish (yay!). It was also the first time we have been around a lot of other kids. We have friends with kids, and a few babies, but we were with 8 or 9 other babies and parents. It was cool. Amazing to see the range of sizes and tempraments. Funny that the babies were all really good in the water, but to my endless amusement, there was a toddler in another lesson that cried and whined and quivered through the whole experience. I hope Brandon doesn't have meltdowns like that at the pool - this is why we are starting early to hopefully avoid that find of fear!

It was a learning experience, being truly responsible for someone else in an "event" setting, not just the safety of our house and those we care about it (not sure if I have articulated this well). I didn't know the whole routine, and thank you Nej for that bag of spare diapers, because I didn't know about the Lil'Swimmers, but they sure do the trick! And then there is the showing up with your suit on and just getting rid of that extra step right from the get go. I also carried Brandon in his sling, and threw a backpack on, struggling and wiggling all the way in. Made changing interesting - laying towels down to keep him clean, standing next to him to make sure he didn't roll of of the bench, a lot of juggling and josseling, and it seemed the other parents were able to get out a lot quicker than us newbies.

This time around I will bring Brandon in his stroller - it didn't occur to me that it would be the ultimate mom-saver trying to change, and change your child even if you are in a family change room. Tuesday was interesting as I juggled him trying to get my bra on. I am giving him a few moments to sleep since we were up relatively early (for us, not the rest of the known world) and then away we go!