Aquagirl

Greetings readers, Dad here.

We had an unexpectedly fulfilling day today here in Macon. We weren't expecting this because I was supposed to be shoveling dirt all day. We had plans for another major landscaping weekend. A dump truck full of 18.5 tons of fill dirt was delivered on Friday afternoon. We wanted to fill in a gaping void where one high part of our yard hits a wall and immediately drops about 4 feet lower. Safety reasons aside, aesthetically we envision more of a rolling hill along our side yard.

As I began shoveling this dirt today, I realized that it would require about 12 hours of continuous shoveling to pack this huge pile of dirt into the hillside to fill it out. Add to that the constant interruptions of Grace wanting to show me a rock, or Grace disappearing under the house or around the front of the house, and I realized this was going to a tedious job. Obviously, I needed some construction equipment.

Home Depot rents small tractors with scoops on them, but you need a vehicle with a trailer hitch. Our minivan, while being a great multipurpose vehicle, can do no hauling. I made some calls to those around town whom I know have trucks and still no dice. Rather than get worked up over not completing this job today we decided to "cut bait" and go to the pool on campus.

What a great change of pace. I think some R&R was just what we needed today. When we do finally line up the truck, those 18 tons of dirt will be a cinch. Getting to the pool provided us with a great outlet on a hot summer day and we were stunned by how marvelous our Grace was once she hit the water. Right in front of our eyes we watched her cognitively figure out how to swim. Without pushing her or overly encouraging her she alone decided to push her limits.

Grace wanted to ditch her inner tube soon after we got to the pool, and she started going underwater for long periods of time holding her breath. Her next modification was to start kicking and paddling while underwater. Before we knew it Grace was staying under for up to 6-7 seconds while swimming with her arms and legs. She was traveling around 10 feet underwater over and over again! It was amazing. We were so proud of her. I noticed her eyes were pretty red from all that time underwater, so I got her goggles from the pool bag. Once she had the goggles on, things kicked up a notch. Grace began jumping from the side of the pool into 4 feet of water without us catching her. She didn't want us anywhere near the edge of the pool as she leaped into the water fearlessly. I was a little nervous because she would sink to the bottom and then kick her way back to the surface for a breath. She kept swimming back and forth to Ellen or me all while putting her head down underwater and propelling herself several feet for many seconds at a time. You could see her head scanning back and forth underwater searching for where to swim. I think the goggles certainly helped with this aspect of it.

We had so much fun cheering her on, and she was clearly very pleased with herself. She even had some smiling onlookers excited about her success. It was a fine day, and we are all exhausted but feeling great. It is now time to put this watergirl to bed. I think she may sleep well tonight dreaming of all her accomplishments. Well done, girl. You never cease to amaze me.

Love,

Dad