A great big giant bathtub

Yesterday we took Benjamin swimming for the first time. It was quite a production!

The first step was to get him into his swim diaper and too-big trunks. Of course 10 minutes after we put it all ON we had to take it all OFF. He was trying to poop. (For those of you who do not have children, I apologize for the "graphic details." For those with, I know you understand!) Getting back to the diaper...do you know how expensive these crazy things are? Off the top of my head I think they are slightly under $1 per diaper. If they are wet you can wash & re-use them, but if they are dirty you are out of luck. So anyway, I got it off before he succeeded in his mission and re-dressed him in a regular diaper and the too-big trunks.

Next we gathered all the necessary supplies. Swim towels, baby float, pool toys, sunscreen, (we forgot the sunglasses), shower towels, shampoo, soap, washcloth, clean clothes, clean diaper, sippy cup, ID cards to get in, etc., etc., etc. By the time we had gathered all this, gotten into the car, and driven to the pool (at the seminary) it was 1:45pm. 15 minutes before naptime. :)

Undaunted, we covered Benjamin in sunscreen and proceeded to get in the pool. Despite the hot weather, it was a little chilly! Benjamin wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first. He looked like he couldn't decide whether to laugh or panic. Seth was snapping pictures and I was trying to get him to splash. After a few minutes we decided he wasn't crazy about the fountain (he kept throwing it concerned looks) so we decided to take it inside.

The kiddie pool inside was still pretty cool, but Benjamin seemed to warm up to it a little better. Seth sat in the water with him and he soon remembered how to splash. He spent several minutes slapping the water and playing with some toy boats that were floating, abandoned, nearby.

Finally, we decided to try him out in the big pool. He was a little bothered by the noise all the "big kids" were making. He's not normally very excited about loud noises. But we put him in his float (it has a "seat" in the bottom so he can't fall out) and took him to the deeper water where there weren't so many bodies. By this time he was really enjoying the water. He kicked his legs, turned around in circles, and watched the other swimmers with interest.

By this time Benjamin was really showing signs of being sleepy. We decided he'd had enough of his first swimming experience. We went back outside to our stuff and wrapped him up in a big sun-warmed towel. He sat, cuddling against me for about 10 minutes, almost falling asleep in the warm sun.