July 12, 2016

Dear Baby,

Yesterday you had your very first swim lesson and my heart just about exploded. Ok, wait. Let me first clarify that by a swim lesson I mean that you went into a pool with your dad and he played with you for 30 minutes. There are no real lessons for a baby in the water because this morning you grabbed a handful of your own poo so a lesson would be a bit of a stretch. 

I was fearful of the swim class because I had heard that hey make you dunk your baby right off the bat. That seemed to me to be a bit torture-y. Like why would I want to make your first experience in the water one where you felt scared and submerged. I would fucking hate that. 

It was relieving that this was not the case and there would be no immediate trauma associated with swimming. Great. 

The instructor did try and show you how to blow bubbles but was just as fine with letting you just try and eat the water as if you had tried. And that’s how majority of the class was spent- you trying to drink the pool water and maintaining the biggest smile as your dad floated you in the water. 

As an observer of this scene from the sidelines it was AMAZING. not to get too cheesy on you Baby, but boy was I proud to be your mom yesterday. You were so happy and excited to try something new and you really embraced the pool. Watching you be so delighted totally choked me up. 

And don’t even get me started on baby swim suits. WHY ARE THEY SO FUCKING CUTE???? Practical? Not even close. Amazingly delicious? Big time. Your bather had a lace skirt. A LACE SKIRT ON THIS TINY BATHING SUIT. What. The. Fuck. 

It was basically the best 30 minutes I could have spent. 

I think that watching you play in the water was a great reminder of how much I want you to enjoy new things. I’ve said it before in this blog- even very recently. A zest for new experiences is a great way to live your life. If you never try you will never know how great something like a warm public pool can be. 

Sure, you won’t love everything you try but the act of trying itself is really really amazing. Opening yourself up to new experiences will afford you perspective and knowledge. Plus, as your mom, I would LOVE to see you enjoy anything as much as you enjoyed floating away in your dad’s arms yesterday. 

In the meantime, I’m counting down the days until we dive in again (just kidding. You don’t dive with a baby- obviously.) Really proud of you my little fish. 

xo

Mom