I have to say, one of the best things about living in South Florida is the weather (actually, maybe the only good thing about being in South Florida). While we have our rainy season and chances of hurricanes, most of the time the weather is nice and sunny, and for me, not too often unbearably hot (though many people would disagree). When we moved back one of our top criteria for a new home was that it have a pool.
Pools are amazing for so many reasons when you have kids. First off they provides cheap, unlimited entertainment and having one in your backyard makes it super convenient too. They also provide a nice break from the heat outside and the a/c inside giving children the opportunity to play in the fresh air without getting overheated. They also provide exercise while having fun.
When we first moved into our house, we swam every day. The water was nice and warm and the girls would have hours of fun. When we replaced our roof in October, we lost the nice, warmness though. We have a solar panel heating system that had to be removed and it hasn’t worked right since it went back up (still working with the pool people on it, argh!) but now that the weather is getting nicer again, the water is warming back up and we’ve been able to swim more.
I really look forward to being able to relax in the pool as I get closer to baby #3’s arrival but swimming while pregnant has always been a challenge for me. I remember the first time I went swimming when I was pregnant with Honeybun. I was just playing around and decided to float on my back. Or at least try. This is when I realized your abs really do go away during pregnancy. My tush and tummy sunk right down. No matter how hard I tried I could not get myself floated, down my middle went. I also really started enjoying just floating around the pool in an inner tube before I was pregnant. Our neighbors let the girls borrow theirs for a while and I would spend our swim sessions just floating around myself. Well, problem #2 with swimming pregnant, finding an inner tube big enough to fit the belly. We had to return the neighbors tubes and the one I bought is not nearly big enough. Guess it’s back to Wal-mart to get an even bigger one!
I also really look forward to this summer when I will have the pool to entertain my brood with. With Honeybun not going to school, our days get ver y long, add a baby on top of that and the thought is almost overwhelming. But the pool will be my savior. The girls can swim all they want while I watch or dip in the baby. We can have endless fun without having to leave the house! This might be the only part of summer vacation I’m looking forward to!
Pictures: (top) Honeybun in her baby boat, about 6 months old; (middle) Sugarplum swimming with “swimmies,” about 2 years old; (bottom) Sugarplum’s first trip into the pool, about 4 weeks old.
