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We have been trying to spend some time with my aunt Denise, my father's sister, for some time but our schedules were having trouble aligning. When we finally found a date that would work for both Denise and us we decided to visit with her at her condo's pool. Because the only thing better than spending with an adored great-aunt is getting to swim while spending time with an adored great-aunt. It has probably been about a year since Az was in a pool, the last time we came up to Denise's. Being the water lover that she is, I was excited to reintroduce her to a swimming pool.

Az's nap was cut short by our visit so she was a little clingy and cranky when we first got to Denise's but as soon as she saw the pool all of that was forgotten. I love how brave my girl is, but I wish she were just a little more wary of bodies of water. She immediately climbed down the steps until the water reached well over her shoulder and showed no fear about going down to the next step, which would have required her to stand on her tiptoes to keep her nose out of the water.

When Z was this age he too loved the water and would charge in but he showed a little more trepidation than his sister has so far. When he was around four years old he got a little too brave wandering into the deeper water in a swimming pool and I had to yank him out. From that day forward he was fearful of even dunking his head under water. That fear carried on until this summer, and even now Z is barely at that point of being comfortable dunking under quickly. I want Az to be wary of the water just enough where she is careful but still able to enjoy it.

Az agreed to put on her life jacket without much of a fuss when she continued to go a little deeper than I was comfortable with but once she had acclimated to the pool she again wanted it off. Since I was in the pool with her by that time I was fine it. She is so comfortable and proficient in the water. I was helping her float on both her stomach and back and she knew without any coaching to kick when on her stomach. She also wanted to try floating on her back but every time I turned her to her back she put her legs up in the air, as if she were sitting in a chair and the water was the back of the chair. We have plenty of time to perfect her float though.

It was such a joy for me getting Az into the pool. She is such a little ball of muscle, it was amazing to feel her little system of muscles working at swimming. I had played around with putting her in swim lessons this summer but at her age the kids take the lesson with the parent in the pool with them to play games and blow bubbles with. At Az's age swim lessons are about getting the toddler used to water, and Az is beyond being used to water; she and water are on a first name basis.

For much of the time we were in the pool together Az would exclaim, "Fishy!" and I would pull her through the water in a zigzag motion. When I was zigging her left she would turn her head right to keep the water out of her face and no matter how quickly I zigged her right she would quickly snap her head to the left, over and over. I really do think it's possible that Az will be swimming with very little to any help next summer. Hopefully that will motivate her brother to give swim lessons a chance. We spend way too much time in water for him to not know how to maneuver in it.

Z loves swimming (with the aid of a life jacket) almost as much as he loves his great-aunt. Az hasn't spent as much time with Denise as Z had at her age but I'm hoping to fix that. She's already added Denise to her list of people she wants to call on the telephone daily.