The (only) time I (ever) dropped the ball on momming (NOT)

Last year, when Evalyn was between 3 and 4 months old, we started a new thing. We started going to the pool. And she loved it, she really loved it. She would kick. Splash. Put her face under the water. Blow bubbles. I was so pleased to know that my little bubba was going to be a water baby and not have fear in the water.

When summer came, we stopped going to the indoor pool we liked to frequent and instead started going to my Aunt’s on a weekly (ok, more like daily) basis. Our summer was spent enjoying days by the pool.

Then September came. I went back to work. We started a new routine. I got pregnant. I was tired. I was sick. Her nap schedules changed. Life was busy.

And? We forgot about the pool. Suddenly, I looked at the calendar and realized it was half way through February and we hadn’t visited the indoor pool once throughout the entire fall or winter. I had let 6 entire months go by without poolin’ it up with my daughter.

THAT? Was about to change.

So yesterday, we packed our pool bag and headed out with C-Biscuit and Will to the indoor pool to get our swim on. When we got to the hotel, we looked in the windows down at the big, blue pool. Evalyn was so excited. “Swimming! Pool! Swimming!”

We headed to the change room, got our suits on, all the while exclaiming “Suit! Swimming! Pool! Swimming!”

We headed up the stairs.

Opened the door into the pool area.

And, immediately, a light switch flipped.

Girlfriend CLUNG to me and started crying, screaming “ALL DONE! ALL DONE!”

We weren’t even close to the water yet.

We still managed to make it into the water. Although the entire time was spent with her clinging to my neck proclaiming, “All done. Noooo. All done. Out. Sit. Chair.”

Eventually she calmed down enough to (sort of) enjoy sitting on the steps of the pool, watching her little 3 month old boyfriend float around in the warm water. While watching him, she squealed, “Will, swim, weeeeee. Splash!” as though he was engaging in the most fun activity in the world. So, I’d ask her, “Do you want to come back into the water with Mommy?”

“All done. All done. All done.”

We tried a few more dips in and out and the nervousness seemed to subside somewhat as the time went on, but of course, I didn’t want to push it so we didn’t stay too long.

And as we left I realized I felt so horrible. Like this was my fault. HOW did I let so much time pass between trips the pool? Did I destroy her forever? Will she hate swimming (and me) forever?

I doubt it. Because at bedtime last night, instead of curling up on my shoulder to snuggle while we prayed and sang, she pointed to her bedroom door and said, over and over again, “Swimming! Pool! Go” and today, when we got home from daycare, she started whining, crying, pounding on the door and basically begging me for “Mo’ swimming PEAS!”

She even came up to me, looked me straight in the eye and signed more over and over again, just in case I didn’t get the point.

Typical woman. Has no idea what she wants.

Any tips for getting my almost 18 month old (re)acquainted with the water? Because this Mama ain’t about to give up.