swimming

This summer has been unusually hot.  Ever since we got back from vacation the heat hasn't seemed to let up.  I am lucky if I survive a walk with a quick stop at the park swings with Tatum, because being outside has just felt so miserable.  But if I can't be outside what am I supposed to do?! Beats me.  I struggled with this for several weeks.  It just seemed like Tatum and I were greatly limited because there weren't too many outdoor activities that sounded appealing. Some days sure seemed to drag by.  Finally my dad suggested I buy a pool for the backyard and try to start little baby "swim lessons" with Tatum.  Really just for something to do, not because we actually thought Tatum would learn to swim.  The next week I found a little blow up pool on clearance since it is getting to be the end of the season. It is big enough that I could sit in it with her, but there certainly won't be any swimming going on for either of us by any stretch of the imagination.

We have actually only used it once so far. Tatum wasn't sure she liked it at first. I think the water was too chilly. But she got used to it and enjoyed it. It's really just like taking a bath for her, but outside and not naked haha. 

We got to do some real swimming last weekend at the North Liberty pool. We had never been to the pool before but were planning on going last weekend because it was half price.  It has hardly rained at all this summer, but of course as soon as we make plans to swim the weather makes plans to rain.  We got quite the downpour early Saturday afternoon but we decided we would go anyway, hoping there wouldn't be a crowd and assuming it would warm right back up after the rain.  Well we were right about the crowds, but it really didn't warm up.  We were pleasantly surprised to find out, however, that it was one admission price for both the indoor and outdoor pools.  So we used the outdoor pool until Tatum started to get a little cold and then we headed inside. It was a lot of fun!

 See the slide in the background above?  Brennan decided to go down it with Tatum. It was probably the funniest thing I have seen in quite some time.  As you can see it's a tunnel slide (and made for kids, so slightly uncomfortably small for Brennan) and the bottom of the tunnel is about a foot off the platform. So Brennan had to sit on the platform with Tatum on his lap, stick his feet and lower legs up into the slide, reach up to the bars above the slide and try to pull them both in.  It was hilarious.  I was watching from the bottom and as I saw them coming I thought for sure Tatum was going to go under since Brennan had to lay down and he would have no time to sit up before being dropped in the water.  But somehow he managed to keep her above the water.  I was watching and I really couldn't tell you how he did it.

You'll notice that Tatum is holding a book in this picture. She had a death grip on it the whole time.  If we took it away she would immediately snatch it back. 

Next up was the indoor pool. At first the water felt so warm but after the first five minutes I think it felt a lot colder than outside.  

 Tatum was a little sleepy by the time we went inside.

 She was a little freaked out when Brennan stood her up like this, hence the panicked reaching for him.

It seems as though she might be teething. You'll notice her hands in her mouth in these last two pictures. She has been extra chew-crazy lately so maybe we'll have a tooth to show off soon.