it puts the lotion on its skin.....

Braden was 4 by the time I got my act together and took him swimming. It wasn't all my fault really though. He was not a water baby. Beach baby yes... water/pool baby no. And with being pregnant for 18 months at a wack, if he wasn't really interested in something than I wasn't going to put it high on the priority list.

Tristan seemed to be shaping up to be just like his brother. He hated baths when he was a baby.... just screamed screamed screamed. It took about 2 years for him to just tolerate them, let alone enjoy the experience.

Last summer I tried taking Tristan in to the neighborhood pool with Braden and me. But he wouldn't have a bit of it. And I quickly stopped trying.

Just for good measure I tried again this summer in the apartment complex pool.... no dice. So Braden I would go swimming during his nap time.... worked out perfectly.

We have a neighborhood pool here too. It is only a few hundred yards from the house. But a bit too far for a baby monitor to reach. For a few days I put it off, but once Mason and then Aunt Karen left I had no more excuses not to take Braden (who, BTW may not have been a water baby... he certainly is a water kiddo!).

So a few days ago I decided to bit the bullet and take the boys to the pool. Thinking that I could handle trying to occupy Tristan for a few hours while Braden splashed around.

Tristan fussed at me dressing him, swim diaper, shorts and swim shirt. He fussed when his feet got to hot on the cement after taking off his flip flops and he REALLY fussed after he tried to pick up a toy that sank down to the bottom of the baby pool and got a mouth full full of water.

BUT..... when I finally dragged him over to the big pool and put him in with me, floating around... he went nuts... the good kind of nuts. Saying 'more swim, more swim' and by the end of our time there he was jumping in from the side (mind you he was not going under or anything... but still).

Today, we went again. Just the mere mentioned of going swimming was incentive enough to get T to tolerate having sunscreen smeared all over his face.