Fiona's Weekend

Fiona woke this morning recovered from whatever ailed her last evening.  We had a leisurely and simple breakfast--partly in deference to her healing tummy, partly as I am handicapped by not having a functional fridge at the moment.  Then we went shopping and to the library.  We came home and unloaded and changed into swim garb and got a picnic lunch together.

Water is a sort of charged environment for Fiona. She remembers nearly drowning when a relative held her under water. It was allegedly in play but clearly went too far and whether she was in danger or not, her feeling of the water being a fun place was deeply and traumatically compromised.  I suspect that she really did have a serious safety issue and that this may also be why the water is not Rob's favorite place. He likes to be at the beach but although he can swim, it is not something he loves. Yet water is inextricably woven into our summers and many good family memories are of beach picnics, shell hunting, and water games.

So why go to the beach?  Partly because our heat index is 105. LOL  Partly because we were going to a lake which I know well. The water is warm, the drop off virtually non existant.  An adult Fiona's size can walk all the way to the buoy line that marks the end of the swim zone.  There is no  rapid current, no water clarity issue and the lake bottom is a soft sand.  I could tell she was wary but she was game to try.  I lent her some swim bottoms and she used a tank top.

We drove up and the beach was also not crowded.  She was nervous getting in but within minutes was having a BLAST! I think a number of things helped.  All the good stuff I mentioned above. The fact that Rob and i held her hand walking in. The fact that she could see that KC and Lissa wore swim vests and that I am vigilent about water safety.  We stayed in the water for 2 solid hours!  Then we got out to warm up and the ice cream truck came.  We got cold treats.  Then it was starting to cloud up so we went home.

I unpacked and cleaned up and Fiona came out in the kitchen part way through.  She said what a great time she had and how she never thought the water could be so much fun.  She said "even last night when I was sick was kind of fun because you were here to take care of me,"

Moments to treasure.