Jesse vs. The Water

In the past three to four weeks, Jesse has met his match with "The Water." My child is somewhat fearless in most areas of life, but as of late - he has met some new competition. Just when we begin to make some headway, "The Water" one-ups him. He's still feeling pretty cheerful about life....just - how you say - a wee bit cautious, for him.

It all started with the infamous 4-wheeler ride where we flipped and he got completely submerged in two feet of tadpole muddy muck. (This video will be posted shortly, I promise). He came up screaming, but was immediately soothed by a handful of wild strawberries and was more disgruntled about having to go home for a bath rather than continuing on our ride. Point one for "The Water."

Then, a couple of days ago we checked out a little state park down the road from where we are staying and the kids were able to play around in the water while we dipped our feet on the banks. We put lifejackets on both of the boys, so they could romp at will, and we settled back to watch. Jesse wore the very nice jacket that we purchased when Kaden was a newborn, because we used to go canoeing all of the time when he was tiny. It has this special thingy on it specifically designed to flip him up onto his back should we ever take a dunk. Well, apparantly, it doesn't do the same thing if you are just wading along. We were watching the boys playing happily one second, and the next thing we knew - Jesse was flat on his stomach, feet up, with his face completely submerged. Kev flew into the water after him, and he was only under for about five seconds, but that lifejacket - she surely didn't do the job that she said she was gonna do. We later learned, that it would do what it was supposed to do if he was pushed under with a bit more momentum. There was no momentum here - his feet just came out from under him. Kind of scary. Point Number Two for "The Water."

THEN - we went to the Jersey Shore with some friends - Bel Mar Beach- and the rip tide was so rough and crazy that by late afternoon the police made everyone get out of the water! The waves were nuts! Jesse didn't get swept away or anything, but he got crashed by plenty a wave, and he drank plenty a salt water. I'm pretty sure he had a good time, but I'm equally sure that "The Water" scored a point there.

And just yesterday, the kids were all playing "Ring Around the Rosy" in a kiddie pool in my friend's backyard. After the "We All Fall Down" part, Jesse's 3 year old little friend fell down ON him, and completely pinned him under for a second. Point #4!

Oh my. He seems to keep right on trucking, but with each time I see a little less enthusiasm when I suggest "swimming" and "water!" Poor kid. He's a trooper, but Mama might have a heart attack before summer's end. Good times. Good times.