Thank You, Horsie

The other day, I met the kids at the pool after work, as had been the norm lately. It was a nice 105 or so, and the pool felt great. I got in the water more than normal and played with the kids to loosen up after work.

I’m trying to teach Annabelle to relax in the pool. As it is now, she is very scared of going under the water. It’s a perfectly natural response, however, I would like her to at least be able to float on her own. I try holding her up in a swimming position, I try floating her on her back, with her head on my shoulder. Nothing seems to work. So, I just tried to have a little fun with her. So I put her on my back, and started to take her around the big pool. She enjoys this, as she has control over her position in the water to some extent, and she has something solid to hold onto: me.

As we were walking over to meet her mom, she slid off my back a little, and was about to fall into the water. I caught her (as I reminded her, that I would catch her), and put her back where she was on top of me. She then patted me on the head, and said “Thank You, Horsie”. I quickly retorted “I’m not your horsie”. I knew she was playing, as we usually horse around at home. It was one of those times where the baby voice and the situation made it for one of those cute moments to remember.