It is true. While I love the beach and the pool, I never felt completely comfortable in water. This year we have been using the pool at our apartment complex quite a bit. The first day the girls were really scared, the second day Jane started letting go of my hand and a few times later both her and Alyss were playing in the water and having fun. However, Alyss seemed to have a hard time not rolling face first in the water. We tried different life jackets and flotation devices and the only thing that seemed to keep her up and her face out of the water was an inflatable ring sewn inside a vest. Just yesterday she went all the way around the pool and floated everywhere and j thought that we finally found the flotation device that would keep her from getting face first in the water.
Well, today we went to the pool again. As the water was dirty with lots of leaves floating around I told the girls to only play on the stairs while I got the net and started gathering the little floaties. As I was engaged in this activity I kept checking on the girls, especially on Kaley who kept wanting to crawl out of the inflatable tub I'd put her in. For a second I forgot about the older girls who we're having fun together by the stairs. As I looked towards the water I see what I now describe as the most terrifying image of my life. Alyss was on her belly with her face in the water, struggling to lift herself up. I don't know what happened but for a split second I couldn't register what was happening. It was like I was watching a movie. I looked at her, then I looked at the kids playing and not noticing what was happening then I looked at her again. She wasn't really struggling anymore and was just lying there, face in the water. I got in and pulled her out. She wasn't responsive though she was conscious. She coughed a couple of times then just laid quietly in my arms. Her cheeks were still red from the heat but all around her mouth she was a pale green. Eventually the color returned to her face and she showed a desire to get back in the water though more cautiously. All I wanted was to leave and never return but I didn't want this experience to scar her and make her afraid of the water for the rest of her life, so we went back in. My hand never let go of her though and I know I'll be scared and paranoid for a while before I could trust that she will be ok.
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| The pool is usually a great place for us - 2014 |
