Dad was very excited about Xander's first swimming lesson. Just as he was going to get him changed for it last Monday, the Y called. Sorry, they said, but Xander is the only one signed up for the class; would you mind doing Thursday afternoon or Saturday morning? Dad told them Thursday afternoon would work great. How wrong he was.
Thursday afternoon came, but Xander had his eyelids shut for much of it. At the two and a half hour mark of his nap, it was 3:20, and it was really time to get a move on. Unfortunately, Xander has never been woken up before, so he was a little dazed when dear old dad roused him from his slumber. Call that bad omen number two.
As a result of the hustling and shuffling, and not really knowing the routine at the Y, we got out to the pool a little late. Luckily, mom was there, so the instructors knew not to start without Xander. They probably wish they had.
After a little run down from the instructors, it was time to get started. Dad hopped in the pool, with baby boy dangling his feet over the edge. His cute little feet don't reach the water yet, so the instructors had dad pour water over first his feet, then his legs, then his stomach and then his shoulders. This was the high point for Xander. He was smiling, and looking around excitedly. In retrospect, he was looking everywhere but at the water. So when all of a sudden dad picked him up to put him in the pool, it was probably a bit of a shock. And he. did. not. like it!
Xander spent the next 15 minutes not just crying, but murderously shrieking at the top of his lungs. It was a new sound for both mom and dad, with the only comparison being the couple of times he has received shots at the doctor's office. And this was much louder, and much more prolonged. At the doctor's office, he can be comforted. Not at the pool. No matter what mom or dad did, he was not having it. It wasn't until he was taken a good 15 feet away from the spot where he was dipped into the pool that he stopped crying. It was an event, to be sure, and one that mom and dad will remember for a long time. But from what I've gathered, it's not a wholly uncommon occurrence. Babies frequently don't like water the first time, or first couple of times, so mom and dad are just going to keep trotting him down to the pool!
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