The Harding Family Adventures: Our Future Olympian

I've been waiting for a day to take Abby to the pool. She loves her baths so much that I felt she'd love to swim. She kicks and splashes in the bath all the time, she really seems to enjoy water. So finally, another mom from one of my classes and I decided we would meet at one of the Oakville indoor pools and take our babies for a dip. I was really excited to take Abby, but I didn't want her first pool experience to be in a large, crowded, noisy pool - especially when I didn't know how she'd take to the cooler water and no bottom. So, the day before our big swim trip, I took her down for a test-swim in our condo pool. Abby seemed to have very little issues with the pool - either our condo or the city pool. Although, I am glad I test ran it first, because she was mostly watching all the other kids and people at the city pool, and I was busy making sure the bigger kids didn't run into her, me, our friends and/or splash our little girls!

All ready to swim in her cute suit

Not too sure about this swimming thing - but not minding it too much.

Since our indoor pool swims went well, I decided Abby was ready to graduate to the outdoor pool while we were visiting Gramma Di and Grampa Rob in London on our mini holiday. My mom's friend allowed us to use their pool whenever we wanted, which was a life-saver during the extremely hot days. Abby was a trooper. I think she enjoyed the outdoor pool more than her indoor swimming experiences. We borrowed Abby's cousins' floaty boat and Abby loved it. She could float around in it and she even started kicking her feet. I was paranoid about her getting burnt, so I spent much the time following around my "boating baby" with a golf umbrella (which turned out to be a success - no burns!)

Just relaxing in her boat

I think I'll just eat this steering wheel.

All this swimming is exhausting - this happens EVERY time!

Dustin was a little jealous that the first time we went out, so we made sure we did it again when he came to London. He loved taking Abby out on her tummy and watching her kick and splash. To help Abby get comfortable with the water, we make sure to dunk her every time we go in. It's really fast, and she doesn't seem to mind. She just comes out of the water with the look of a drowned rat (I speak from expertise). Dustin dunked her the first couple of times, I didn't want to be the "bad guy". But she took to it so swimmingly, that I don't have a problem dunking her now. I think we've got a natural swimmer on our hands (I think we'll be grateful to have an activity like swimming to put her into as she gets older, I think she's going to be an active child!) The good thing about swimming, and we've been to a quiet, pre-school aged only swim time at the city pools a couple of times since, is Abby is TOTALLY zonked by the time we get in the car. She sleeps very well after a swim!