Summer = Pool

So far this summer, me and the girls have only gone to the YMCA pool twice.  Very poor numbers, but It's been  insanely hot and I haven't been feeling great.  But inspite of our lack of aquired pool time, Maddie and Taylor have both made HUGE leaps and bounds as far as their swimming skills go.

Taylor is now able to swim on her own with just arm floaties on.  She can hold her nose and put her head in the water.  She can also blow bubbles in the water.  She's still a bit iffy about going under all the way - it's not her favorite yet, but maybe by the end of the summer, we'll have a little fish.

Maddie doesn't really care for the arm floaties, but we have a small doughnut she loves.  It makes me nervous cause it doesn't have a bottom to it that holds her in, she just sits in it and holds on to it.  She doesn't like for me to hold on to her, cause she wants to feel like a big girl.  This makes me crazy nervous.  She jumps in from the side of the pool, and I even dunk her under sometimes.  She never cries.  Maybe gets aggravated with me a bit.  But oh well.  She'll just have to get used to it.  It's a part of swimming and something they'll have to learn how to do.

We did have a small scare the first time we went to the Y pool.  I was walking in the froggy pool with Taylor (it goes from 0-3 feet) and maddie was playing maybe 8 feet away in about a foot and a half of water.  Maddie slipped and went face first into the water.  She laid there on her belly for a good 2-3 seconds before I could get to her and flip her over.  She was scared of course.  But didn't cry.  She wanted to get out of the pool immediately, but I knew once she got out after that, she wouldn't get back in.  I took her over the edge of the pool and we sat for a minute or two with the water splashing over our legs.  There were tons of other kids and eventually she got back into playing with them.

There is a froggy slide at this pool too, and BOTH the girls love going down it.  Maddie is the youngest kid I've seen going down it.  I'm proud of my big (little) girl.

Anyways - I just read an article on drowning and was shocked.  It turns out that drowning is definately not what we all picture in our minds - the flailling, screaming, gasping, drama we always see on TV.  In fact, in a small percentage of cases, kid drownings occur right in front of the parents eyes without them ever realizing what's happening.

I thought I'd post this link to share this info with everyone.  it was an eye opener for me and I'll definately know what to look for when we're at the pool now.

http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Another last minute thought - This just seems so strange to me.  Maddie is getting this CRAZY tan.  It's too odd.  She's my blonde baby so I figured she'd be fair skinned, but nope.  I guess the Indian in my family (shows up in cayce and michael... they both can get awesome tans) came out in Maddie.  Taylor in the other hand is IRISH... Dark hair and fair skinned.  Chris is very proud of that.  :)

Hmm... It's hot right now, and all this talk about the pool has got me thinking, it'd be a great day to head out there when Chris gets home from work...  Better start getting ready now!!!