Xiaoniu 小妞

On last minute notice Sue and I went to James’ last swimming lesson. We planned to bring Emelia to get her exposed to the atmosphere of the pool, give her a taste of something new and to bring some moral support to James. Well, we accomplished all three tasks.

Emelia hates the pool and I know why. When we got there the after-schooler kids were finishing up their daily romp in the pool and the noise was cacophonous. It was hot, busy, and noisy. She started screaming her head off immediately. I tried to bring her back once the noise level went down (during the lesson), but she wanted nothing to do with it. Anytime she even felt like I might bring her near the door or even in the direction of the door she started screaming again.

What an experience. I just hope that it doesn’t scar her too bad. We really want her to take swimming lessons, but if we can’t get her near the pool we’re out of luck. Bringing her in when it is quieter would have been wise, but at the time we had no idea how bad it really is until we walked through the door and she started screaming. The damage was already done.

I spent the rest of the evening trying to feed Meimei a sandwich and keep her entertained. I told a member of the staff what happened and she graciously unlocked one of the big rooms and unlocked the equipment closet so that I could get some balls out for Emelia to play with. She played for a bit, but wasn’t really in the mood. Her only thought was to get away from the place.

From what Sue tells me James did very well. The doggy paddled and finished practicing their new moves in the pool. He’s been apprehensive about going for some reason, but with his Ayi there to give him moral support (not just mommy this time) he was much happier. We also cheered him on before going in, which may have helped a little bit tool.

After class we made our way to McDonalds for a treat for James (and me). A couple pieces of chicken nugget and a parfait for dessert. Yum! Junk food at its best. The parfait was great, but I can see that they sweeten the yogurt. Real yogurt just isn’t that sweet naturally, but they do a good job with it. After eating the kids hit the play place for a little while. Emelia was getting tired so we brought her home.

Tonight Emelia had a very difficult time going to sleep. For weeks now we just finish up our bedtime routine and she’s pointing and grunting to the bed because she is ready to sleep. We leave and she’s out without a fuss or even a whimper. Tonight she cried and cried for a long time. I thought she wouldn’t stop. She’s woken up a couple times since then crying, but has gone back to sleep. I think the events of the evening are still haunting her tonight.

I’m happy that we got a chance to bring her out and to be there for James, but I’m disappointed that Emelia didn’t react well. I wish her first experience with a pool was better, but there was no way to know ahead of time. Perhaps we’ll bring her to the pool at the park near our house. If it isn’t open yet it should be soon. With the heat we’ve been having lately I don’t see why it would still be closed.