Summer Recap: The Pool

We didn't get to use the community pool as much as we'd have liked this year. We were away so much--we were gone 20 days in July alone--and many of the days we were here were too cool for swimming. When we did go, however, the girls had a great time. This is our third summer of being pool members, and each year it's gotten easier to take the girls to the pool by myself. Our first summer, Greta wasn't even walking yet, so my pool time was mostly spent carrying Greta around while Lucia played, or letting Greta sit in the shallowest part of the kiddie pool. Last year was better, but still tough, since Greta wasn't all that steady on her feet while in the water. This year was the first year I could relax a little. Neither girl can swim yet, but they're both secure on their feet, and neither minds when their faces get wet. Lucia even willingly dunks her head under water. Both girls liked playing in the kiddie pool with buckets, paintbrushes, sharks, ponies, and Barbies. They also liked going into the middle pool, the "training pool," where we'd do "double dolphin"--make our way across the pool with one girl holding onto my back and another carried in my arms.

We had Lucia do four private swimming lessons this year with a lifeguard, but I don't think this was enough. She needs a regular weeks- or months-long class that's a little more intensive. I'm going to look into it for the fall. She really wants to do the waterslides in the big pool, but she needs much stronger swimming skills before she'll be able to do her deep water test (which you have to pass before you can go on the slides).

I'm nowhere near being one of the moms sitting in a chair in the shade, reading a book while the kids play in the water; but I can glimpse it, at least.

Pre-pool, Lucia and Greta in sarongs I made from a church-sale scarf