We've only just begun

Summer is officially here, ya'll. The temperature has reached into the 80's and decided to stay awhile and then climb higher. The humidity is still toying with us but appears to be deciding it might like the looks of the 80's and above as well. Hurricane season has begun. Baby J's black car seat is always toasty warm, even hot and we've begun to play a fun little game with dire consequences called "don't touch the metal fasteners!" And J has started to find all sorts of new ways to make me sweat.

We ventured into our first pool with the new flotation suit today, and I have no pictures because I didn't have a free hand. After two tentative steps into the pool, looking confused and cold, J decided he thought the water was fun and virtually threw himself in. Thereafter, I spent the rest of our short visit trying to save his life. His suit is great, but his muscle control is lacking, so when he tips forward, he starts to drown, pretty much immediately. He enjoys tipping backwards and semi floating on his back, but most of all he wants to be upright, though his limbs won't quite cooperate with him. Our friends at the pool had all sorts of inflatable pool toys with which to experiment and doing so has told us that water wings are useless at this stage for him while a small inner tube/ring wedged around his flotation suit makes him remarkably stable. We also learned that J needs water toys of his own or else he melts down into a LOUD pile of quivering, crying goo if he can't have everyone else's. The pool was lovely and mostly shaded in the shallow end, so neither of us got sunburned, which was great. Just in time, I purchased my summer waterpark pass last night, so once we get a ring of our own, we will be ready to while away many hours in the water, him floating around lazily, me practicing baby CPR in my head.

For we have raised a child who is unafraid of anything. Ever. Even the vacuum, which comes the closest to scaring him, he treats like an obstacle he just has to learn to overcome, almost daring himself to get ever closer to it each time we turn it on. But everything else, like giant pools of water, for instance, is just thrilling. For example, we went to the husband's work party on Saturday, at which they had a jump castle for kids and adults. We all went in together at first, and after maybe three bounces during which he looked a little concerned, J bolted away from us and began bouncing all around all by himself. In fact, we literally had to pry him out of the castle every 20 minutes or so to force him to drink and cool down inside. Even when one of the pharmacists turned the castle into his own private trampoline, using his full body weight and all his jumping skills to toss everyone around, J rode the wave in the middle of the castle, acting like he was a professional surfer or skateboarder, shifting his weight to counterbalance himself like a pro. At one point, he also climbed all the way up the 12 foot slide, wedging his fingers into the crevices on the side of the slide like a free climbing mountaineer. We thought for sure he wouldn't make it, but he was like Spider Baby, suctioning himself to the basically vertical slope while hanging from his little hand holds. The other kid his age at the party was very timid, sticking close to his parents and remaining leery of the jump castle, particularly the slide. Lucky, lucky parents. My child, on the other hand, also figured out how to climb up the soft ladder leading up to the slide on his own, because that's just the kind of groovy explorer he is!

And it's only June 1st!!