The Kind of Summer Day I’ve Been Dreaming Of
We’d been looking forward to this day for weeks. Just a couple of days after Baby Henry was finally cleared to be out in public, we packed our swim bag and headed to the Payson Pool for our first big summer adventure as a whole family.
Baby Henry even wore his “adventure hat” for a full experience haha. The pool is one of our kids’ favorite places in the summer. They love swimming, going down the slides, chasing torpedo diving toys, and getting wet to beat the heat. They’d only been once before this summer (for W’s birthday) and everyone was eager to go again.
We did some last-minute swimsuit shopping for Jer, Baby, and me. L found mine that morning on the Last Chance rack for just $5—a miracle considering it was exactly my size and so cute! I ordered Baby a swimsuit with a full zipper for easy access to his feeding tube and diaper changes, and sun-protective material so he doesn’t burn. We even got the required diaper cover at the pool so Baby Henry was ready to splash with everyone else.
We claimed a shady spot beneath the trees for a great home base for the day. I could easily keep an eye on my brightly dressed crew from there. When everyone was ready, it was finally time to head into the water.
Baby wasn’t sure what to think at first. Being fully clothed at the pool surrounded by many other noises and people is quite different than taking a bath at home. He held tightly to Daddy at first before finally relaxing enough to sit in the water. Jer made sure to introduce him slowly to all the different fountains, water features, and slides. Once he warmed up, he didn’t even mind getting unexpectedly drenched by the giant buckets and waterfalls in the baby play area.
Meanwhile, the kids went on their own adventures up the Big Slides, and we all found out that W has been growing and is now tall enough to ride all the rides! We joined the kids in the lazy river where they enjoyed fawning over Baby Henry.
F and I had a contest to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest. He beat me each time by at least 3 seconds! W was so brave and did some cannonballs. L spent most of her pool time at the diving board and fighting unwanted attention from boys.
While I settled in for Baby Henry’s hour-long feeding, Jer surprised me with a giant warm pretzel coated in coarse salt. It was the envy of all the kids, but Jer told them I needed a reward for being left out of the fun while the rest of them played in the deep end. The pretzel tasted especially delicious after hours in the sun.
Once Baby’s feeding tube was hooked up, I tried to get him to sleep in his covered car seat, which works much better than having him sleep in my arms. I was able to wheel him over to where the rest of the family was and even squeeze in a couple of dives. Jer said he was embarrassed by my “dives”, so he showed us how it is really done haha.
By evening, we were exhausted in the best possible way. We ordered dinner to go from our favorite Thai restaurant on DoorDash (delicious!!) before we left the pool. As we drove home tired, sun-kissed, and smelling faintly of chlorine, we couldn’t wait to enjoy our food together at the table. Then all the showers, laundry, and more tube feeding ensued.
We ended the night with mango sticky rice, stories from the pool, and W proudly demonstrating the fully functional mini crossbow he’d built at Activity Days using clothespins, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and tape. As I watched everyone laughing together, I realized this was the kind of full, happy summer day I’d been longing for through so many difficult months. Watching Baby Henry experience the pool for the first time alongside his siblings made the day feel even sweeter. It wasn’t without its obstacles, but it was exactly what we’d been waiting for.
Love,
Kat
