I love having Q in swimming lessons, because I think it is vital for his safety and helps him get stronger and more confident. I was swimming about at the point I left the womb, and I have always appreciated it.
That said, it is very difficult to pull on an extremely tight swimsuit at 8:00 in the morning (I refuse to buy a maternity suit for four more classes), tramp through the wet snow, and get in a cold pool with a wriggly toddler on my hip.
Q does well in his kipper class, though he is easily distracted by other swimmers, kids, and random balls floating in the water. He easily puts his head underwater and holds his breath and always has a huge smile for his teacher. We are still working on blowing bubbles and kicking.
The class is the easy part. Afterward is the real struggle. I strip off his wet suit and diaper, and then try to pin the slippery, naked boy while I soap him up in the shower area. I then wrap him in a towel, while I am shivering and take him over to the lockers. I balance him precariously on the bench while I try to rub lotion on him, replace his diaper, and get him clothed. This process has me leaning over for a good ten minutes, killing my back, and making my glutes burn. Often there is an escape and a naked baby runs around the locker room briefly. Today, Q and another naked escapee stood side by side banging on a wooden bench. It was quite a sight.
Once Q is all dressed, I still have to get myself ready without losing him. This is when I wish he had never learned to walk. Last week, he took off for the hall while I was pants-less. Today, I corralled him in a playpen in the locker room while I changed.
The good news is after all this madness, Q is wiped out and goes down for a nice two-hour nap. His exhausted mama usually joins him. Even better, he goes with his daddy on Thursdays.
--MM
The class is the easy part. Afterward is the real struggle. I strip off his wet suit and diaper, and then try to pin the slippery, naked boy while I soap him up in the shower area. I then wrap him in a towel, while I am shivering and take him over to the lockers. I balance him precariously on the bench while I try to rub lotion on him, replace his diaper, and get him clothed. This process has me leaning over for a good ten minutes, killing my back, and making my glutes burn. Often there is an escape and a naked baby runs around the locker room briefly. Today, Q and another naked escapee stood side by side banging on a wooden bench. It was quite a sight.
Once Q is all dressed, I still have to get myself ready without losing him. This is when I wish he had never learned to walk. Last week, he took off for the hall while I was pants-less. Today, I corralled him in a playpen in the locker room while I changed.
The good news is after all this madness, Q is wiped out and goes down for a nice two-hour nap. His exhausted mama usually joins him. Even better, he goes with his daddy on Thursdays.
--MM
that's where I advocate that ol' crate training! Whew. I need a nap after reading that.
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