July 29th, 1978: A trip to the big pool

Today Petey went swimming in a big pool for the first time.  Mary Jo, who is a life guard, took us to the Ontario Pool before it opened.  Pete had the inner tube Daniel (Mary Jo's father) gave him-and he floated in it happily-arms and legs hanging on to the tube and his little bottom dragging in the water in the center.  Then he stuck his head and arms through the tube and paddled with his hands while he kicked with his feet.  His feet kept sinking, then he'd wind up with his feet and legs in front of him.  I'd push his legs back up straight and he was off again.  He maneuvered pretty well-apart from a tendency to go in circles and to bump up against the walls of the pool.  Vicky went with us (she invited herself, but no one had the heart to refuse her) and she kept pushing his inner tube "boat" out to deeper water and I kept pushing it back to the 3' mark-both of which made Petey indignant because wanted to go "all by myself."  The water was icy.  My feet and legs adjusted to it, but when I decided to swim, my midriff could hardly stand the shock.  At my first stroke, my suit started to part company with my shoulder.  Petey thought it was very funny and told everybody in the neighborhood "Mommy lost her suit".  I slathered Pete with Mary Jo's sunscreen and he didn't burn at all...but I did!  We stayed in the water from 11:30am until 1:00pm, when I insisted on bringing Pete home for lunch (just in time to keep from blistering!).  I'm afraid Pete's wading pool has lost some of its glamour.