Getting Used to the Lake

Be warned – this is a longer post!

We had a wonderful visit with family at the lake. My husband’s great-grandfather bought property on a lakefront in New York. Each year during the fourth of July week, the descendants of hubby’s great-grandfather gather there for a reunion. It is a fun, beautiful location perfect for an outdoor loving toddler and his mommy. It is also so fun as the week is a great balance between just plain relaxing and visiting with all the extended family. We may not be entirely sure how everyone is related, but we know that we are. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of family, and this week just further confirmed that.

One of the fun things to watch this week was my son’s growing adjustment to the lake. Last year just after he turned a year old, we went to the beach for a vacation. He enjoyed playing in the sand until he got it in his mouth and eyes. He didn’t want to spend a lot of time playing in it after that. Although he has recently re-discovered sand, particularly in sandboxes and LOVES it! When we took him into the ocean and the first wave crested near us, he did NOT like it at all! Actually, I started my blog right when we returned from that trip, and probably wrote about this then. When there was another child his age in the ocean, he put up a brave face, but as soon as she left, he wanted out! The rest of the week he enjoyed the pool, but defiantly preferred it to the ocean with its moving waves.

This year we arrived at the lake on Monday. His grandma, holding him, went out of the cottage and stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the lake. Bug-a-Boo just looked at the water with the waves and shook his head, “No.” As if for emphasis, I believe that was one of the first times that he actually said “no” out loud. I think that that point, his grandma took him back into the cottage. A little later we took him down to the lake, but assured him that we would just look – he didn’t have to go in. Down by the water is a big tire sandbox. Once Bug-a-Boo found that, he was thrilled as could be to play in it. We asked if he wanted to go out on the dock and again, he very clearly said, “no!” A few minutes later his granddaddy came down, said hi to him, then walked out to the end of the dock. Bugster’s eyes got huge as he watched him go out and come back. Grandma then walked to the end of the dock and back to show him it was safe. Again we asked if Bug-a-Boo would like to go out on the dock and he said, “No.”

Tuesday, Bugster was playing down in the sandbox and agreed to go out on the dock if Grandma held him. It didn’t take long at all for him to realize it was safe, and before we knew it, he was almost running up and down the dock! That afternoon, Grandma showed him how to sit on the very edge of the dock and dangle his feet in the water and how to lay down on his belly and splash his hand in the water. He loved doing those two things, but again looked worried when he saw someone jump off the dock and into the water. We asked if he wanted to go swimming, and we again got a very firm no.

Wednesday we were exploring the lakeside. Bug-a-Boo was doing one of his favorite lake activities - finding sticks and stones which he would toss into the lake, then cheer “Yeah!” He stood on a different dock where the row-boats and canoe are tied up. A tiny wave came and splashed his feet. He must totally not have been expecting that, because it scared him, and he quickly backed away and ran for me in tears. I assured him that it was okay. The waves weren’t going to hurt him. I have been trying not to carry him, as he is over the weight limit I am allowed to carry while pregnant and it hurts my back, so when he had calmed down, he went to grandma who offered to carry him back to the sandbox area. She asked him if it would be okay if she walked though the water, and he didn’t seem to mind too much, so she did. He clung to her, but again made a step toward becoming more comfortable with the lake and the waves.

Thursday it had rained a lot the past couple days, so the lake was extra clear. In the evening we went out to the dock to dangle our feet in the water. Bugster surprised us all when he expressed a desire to go into the shallow area. There are zebra conchs which can cut up one’s feet in the lake, so his grandma and I worked to quickly get his shoes on him before he changed his mind. By this point I was so sure he wouldn’t go in the lake, that I was totally not dressed for him to. I had on my dressy sandals which I had packed for a wedding on Saturday and jeans! Bugster said “Mommy” and made it clear that he wanted me to go in with him. I was so thrilled that he wanted to go in, that I rolled up my jeans quickly and hopped right in. He waded with me way out until the water was to his armpits! He then wanted me to carry him, and we went out a little deeper. Needless to say, my jeans got soaked, but it was totally worth it! Bug-a-Boo also had not been too keen on baths lately, so just like when his daddy was a toddler, we stripped Bug-a-Boo’s clothes and diaper off and let him play that way in the water for as long as he lasted to get clean. That only lasted about 2 minutes, but when we came out, we cheered him, and told him how proud we were of him and how brave he was to go swimming with me in the lake.

Friday morning there were thunderstorms, so we couldn’t go out in the lake much. During beautiful clear break between storms, Bugster and I went back out on the dock. Suddenly with the water being clear, Bug-a-Boo noticed something. He could look between the slats in the dock and see water not only surrounding the dock, but under it too! He bent down to study this fascinating phenomena. It was so cute! He put his nose right down to the cracks, came up and said something like, “Oo – water!” then quickly went back down for a second inspection. That time he got so into it, that he bumped his nose, so when he came up, he said, “Ouch!” We explained to him that yes, there is water under the dock, and he continued to study it in ernest. That afternoon when the storms had all cleared, my MIL and I went swimming. Bug-a-Boo’s 13 year old distant cousin played with him in the sandbox while he apprehensively watched us. We asked if he wanted to come in and he again said “no”. He would, however, come close to the lake wall to give us a hug or kiss. His grandma asked if she could pick him up, and he reached for her, so she did and slowly waded out into the water with him. He happily let her wade out until the water was almost to his armpits as he splashed in it. He grabbed hold of the swim-ring I had been using, but did not want to let go of Grandma to get in it. That was fine. We reassured him that we were proud of him for coming in and had lots of fun until a distant peal of thunder sent us back to the sandbox again.

Saturday we attended a cousin’s wedding, then drove to our next vacation destination, so water was not an issue. Sunday Bugster and I headed to the hotel’s pool where I quickly discovered just how much he had overcome his fear of water. Once he realized the pool didn’t have waves, he was jumping right into the deep end! I can’t wait to see what happens next time we come back to the lake. Maybe he’ll swim or go out on a boat (anther story, but closely related) right along with the rest of us. If not, there’s always the sandbox!