Down upon the silver sea

We went to a church pool party yesterday and got Jacob in the pool for the first time (after checking the internet to establish that doing so was okay). It was still quite hot and sunny when we got there (I'm body blocking the sun in these pictures), so the husband only took Jacob in for a little while before the pool got really crowded and before we would have needed to apply the dreaded and disallowed sunscreen. The baby had just woken up from a nap when he first got in, so he spent much of his time there looking disgruntled. Not angry but not exactly happy either, as you can see:
He did get more enthused over time, thankfully, and even began kicking his legs at one point:
So his first swim outing wasn't exactly a success or a failure. He did make some new noises that we couldn't decipher: alarm? excitement? dismay? incredulity? It could have been all of the above, for all we know! Here he's touching the foot of a little girl whose mother has babysat Jacob before. She asked me if they were going to be able to "borrow" him again sometime. Ahh, cute. His swim outfit is courtesy of Target and consists of some 9 month shorts (which fit in the waist but were a bit long and jam-like) and a 12 month shirt (which was also just a tiny bit big but will be great for the rest of the summer). As soon as he is old enough for some serious sunscreen application, he and I are going to spend many afternoons at the beach, water park, or someone's pool. It's too dang hot here, otherwise.

The party itself was also entertaining, once we got out and everyone else showed up. There was barbecue galore, potato salad that was still appropriately cold (beware the mayo-based dishes in the Southern sun!), homemade rolls by the platter full, assorted creamy and chocolatey and cakey desserts, and lemonade. We spent most of our time in the air-conditioned pool house with various other parents of small children (there was some talk of the men declaring themselves "indoorsmen" as opposed to outdoorsmen, which appeared to mean they hung out inside talking about computers/all things tech and office-related and eating, with occasional breaks to hold/help said small children). I love free food I don't have to make! The dessert I brought was even made by my mother before she left for home yesterday. Talk about your full service guest. I didn't wash a bottle for the entire week she was here, my son was safe and adored while I was at work, and I only iced my own potluck contribution (with icing she made!). We will miss her for all these reasons and more!!! Clearly, Jacob loves his Grandeur and look how cute he looks in the gecko-camo outfit she brought for him: