Lounging and Swimming

This isn't a very flattering photo of me (I know I'm stating the obvious), but I post it because of what Anna is doing. I had just finished running 12.5 miles (I'm training for a half marathon on Sept. 5) and while I was stretching, Anna decided to use my legs as a chair. And because I'm crazy in love with my child (most of the time), instead of making her get up, I told Dan to get the camera. AND I let him take a picture of me in all my sweatiness.
So, it's the end of the summer and I finally got Anna some floaties, water wings, arm bands, or whatever you want to call them. We took a Mommy and Me swim class in April and I've been trying to keep up our skills all summer. Anna's great about sitting on the side and leaning in to be caught and dunked by me. She's also pretty good about kicking her legs when I tell her to. But she has no idea how to do anything that resembles swimming and she's not content to float in her inflatable ring. She wants me to carry her around the pool wherever she directs and usually that is into the middle of a bunch of splashing kids. Then one day while we were at the pool, I learned from a friend that they have floaties for kids Anna's age.

Of course, it's the end of the season so I had to get a pair that Anna will grow into. I figure she's still small enough that I've got to keep an eye on her constantly anyway, so it's okay if they're a little big. She's pretty cute to watch because she doesn't understand the concept of floating on her tummy and dog paddling. Instead she keeps her body perpendicular to the pool floor and kicks madly to keep her chin and mouth out of the water. The kicking usually causes her to spin in circles, making it hard for me to get a photo of her facing forward. But most importantly, she has more fun in the floaties, she works harder, and she takes longer naps when we get home form the pool.