Water Woes

I signed Sutton up for swimming classes and today was the first lesson. I was kind of excited to have an activity that guaranteed that we would get out of the house. Like his dad, Sutton is perfectly content to lounge around the house, watching TV, eating snacks and hanging out in his jammies. But when you only have one day off during the weekdays, you try to pack as much as you can into the day.

I bought a new swimsuit, because I only have tankinis, which I didn't think would be appropriate for a little kid swimming class. Sutton is in level 2, which has the parents get in the pool with them. So I got a black one-piece from Old Navy, and figured I was set.

This morning was the big day-first lesson!! We left the house pretty early this morning, since I wanted to run some errands before the class. I picked up some Mother's Day stuff at Target, and we headed over to the swim center. Wouldn't you know it, on our way there, Sutton falls asleep in the car. Now, when you wake a sleeping Sutton, you get a grumpy Sutton. Sure enough, as I park the car, he wakes up and starts crying. I haul my purse, our swim stuff and a crying Sutton and go inside the swim center.

They give us a brief tour, and I get a key for my locker. I quickly change clothes (how hard is it to change clothes or use a public restroom when your toddler knows how to open the door!!) and get Sutton changed. The center requires that non potty-trained kids wear reusable swim diapers, not the disposable ones. So I bought this one that looks like a little pair of swim trunks. But they have a swim diaper lining. So cute!

By now, Sutton is a whiny, clingy mess. He only perks up then he notices the HUGE box of Dum-Dum lollipops by the check-in desk. Of course, he wants one. As he put it, "Want one NOW!" I tell him that he can have a lollipop after swim class. Cue the crying and mini-tantrum.

Finally, it's our turn for class. There are only two students in the class-Sutton and another little girl. The instructor tells me that Sutton can walk down the steps into the pool, until the water reaches too high for him. That was as good as it got. After that, Sutton refused to let go of me. The entire time. He cried and whined the whole time. In between whines, he told me, "Stop it!" (I was holding him under his arms, as per the instructions. Sutton kept telling me that it hurt.) At one point, he told me, "Want go home!!"

The other little girl? Floating on her back, kicking her legs, blowing bubbles, etc. Sutton? He just wanted to squirt me in the face with the water toys. That is, when he wasn't clinging to me like a spider monkey. I asked the instructor, "Do you think he's too young for this?" He told me "Nah. He's probably just a crier. We can work through that." Thanks for telling me that my kid is a whiner. Appreciate that.

After 30 minutes, the class is over. We get out, and shower off. That part-Sutton liked. He liked the water spraying him in the face. Go figure. Oh, and he LOVED the lollipop at the end.

And my swimsuit? Epic FAIL. When Sutton was scared, he tried to climb my front. His foot got caught in the neckline of my swimsuit and he pulled it down to my stomach. Classy.