Phoebe bouncing at the pool

I took the kids to the pool this afternoon and in a weird turn of events, the little kids were begging to get out and go home while Rachel, Miriam, and I (along with Phoebe) were like, "But...why though?"

Honestly, I think it's because they knew schools were letting out (first of all because there's a big clock at the pool, but also because we can hear and see the busses going by) and they knew it was a Friday, which meant that their friends would be more likely to be allowed outside to play. 

The school year really puts a damper on our social life—haha! 

Anyway, Benjamin, Zoë, and Alexander pulled us out of the pool around 3:15, but not before we had a whole lot of fun! 

Alexander, who almost drowned at the beginning of pool season, wants to spend most his pool time in the deep end now. He dives off the wall, he jumps off the diving board, he swims across the pool...

But he has to have a big person with him, which can be a real drag sometimes. Benjamin and Zoë are allowed in the deep end together, but Alexander has to have me or Rachel (or Miriam, in a pinch) with him in the deep end. This would be easy if Phoebe weren't so vocal and particular about where she wants to be (which is often "STAIRS!" or "WALL!" or "LADDER!" because she likes to be independent). But she's also warming up the deep end and today when Alexander asked her if she'd please come to the 4 feet with Mom so that he could go in the deep end, she said, "Yeth!" jumped into my arms, and started kicking and paddling in the direction of the deep end. So she knows what's up. 

(The diving tank, for the record, is 10 feet deep, but I will stand in the "deep" end (4–5 feet) to watch Alexander while I hold Phoebe, ready to rescue, if need be. Usually I just bark commands like, "Slow down, mister!" and "STOP! You need to let Zoë move out of the way before you jump!")

Anyway, Phoebe has discovered that she can hop around in the shallow end (it's only 2.5 feet) if she stands on her tippy toes. She loves hopping around the pool like this. I borderline hate it because one misplaced step or one little wave can tip her right over...but she has so much fun doing it that it's awfully cute. Still, I'll be glad for next swim season when she'll be a little bit taller!

If you watched the video, you'll see that she's still obsessed with drinking the pool water. Last year she would "splash, splash" and then "suck, suck, suck" the water off her swimsuit sleeves. This year she's a little bolder. She'll innocently blow bubbles (she's obsessed with blowing bubbles) and end her bubble blowing with a big ol' slurp of pool water. And then she'll act all like, "What? I'm just blowing bubbles!"

Or she'll get her bucket and spoon/shovel (you can see her trying to force feed Rachel in the video) and will stir and dump and stir and dump and stir and...siiiiiiip...right when she thinks I'm not looking. 

Or she'll fill up one of the diving sticks with water and then lift it out and let it empty into her mouth.

Or she'll just lean her face onto the deck—remarking to me how nice and warm it is on the cement—and then will just put her mouth down into a puddle and sluuuuurp. 

Or there's this mermaid doll in the lost and found whose head can be filled with water. It used to have a plug (and then you could squish the head to make the doll cry and just...whose idea was that?) but the plug is gone now, so she will just...drink water directly out of the doll's head. 

And she still sucks water out of her swimsuit. 

There's just no stopping her!

Perhaps next year she won't be so...thirsty... Definitely she'll be a little bit taller. Both things will help her be a little more independent (and thus a little happier) at the pool.