A while back I promised to write about fun family events, I couldn't think of a more appropriate day to chronicle than our first family trip to the pool.
When I reminisce about going to the pool as a child, I naturally associate it with freedom. Why? Pools open during the summer and you aren't in school in the summer. Sun screen, floaties, and cannon balls are symbolic of the type of fun that we as adults can rarely re-capture and if we do manage to grasp it for a fleeting moment it doesn't come with the child like giggle that strums a parents' heart chords.
After putting on his shorts and rash guard shirt, after applying the block and squeezing his curled toes in to his shark shoes and the hat was pulled down, it was time to venture off in to the giant bath tub. Armed with both apprehension and fascination, Pierce put one foot in front of the other until the water was just above his knees.
When he could no longer put his foot to the bottom of the pool and he became perplexed as to how his leg was floating, he became uneasy and started to vocalize his concerns it was time for Daddy to wrap his arms around his little cub and convey to him, "It's Okay. Daddy's Here."
Bouncing on my knee while in the water elicited not just a smile but a smile accompanied with a little tongue sticking out the edge of his lips, it reminded me of a puppy wagging its tail. Splashing the water and playing with the his strings made for a content little baby.
After lunch under a shady tree and a nap in Daddy's arms it was time for a shot at the big boy pool. In the interest of full disclosure, this wasn't technically our first trip to the pool. Last summer, the pool proved to be a therapeutic time for Momma while Pierce was inside her womb.
Up and down, 50 meters at a time we all three went taking the pressure off Momma's back and thinking about the upcoming summer when we would take Pierce to the pool for the first time. That is what I thought about as Ashleigh floated and kicked her way around the pool with Pierce sitting comfortably on her chest. I like to think that while they were nuzzling noses and kissing and smiling, Pierce felt a familiarity with the experience.
Pierce giggled as I joined them and we continued to chase each other back and forth 50 meters at a time.
