What's with you and water anyway?

As I pulled into the driveway Friday night after work, J Boy was at the gate in his swim trunks.  So I headed to the backyard to find the fam in the pool.  J Girl was swimming, J Boy was playing in the yard,  and Big Daddy was cooking on the grill. 

"Hey, go put your suit on!" Big Daddy called.
"Nah....I just want to sit here and relax for a little while." I answered.

As I watch my son begin to ride his big wheel around the pool, it dawned on me that he isn't wearing his suit.  Not his swim suit, but his safety suit.  Each kid has an outfit that is more like a wet-suit.  All one piece, with short sleeves and shorts, but the chest had a built in flotation device.  For J Girl, this is perfect for her as it gives her enough buoyancy to keep her floating, but for J Boy not so good.  It keeps him above water but it seems that he is just not heavy enough to keep him floating upright.  It either forces him on his back or face down. 

Anyway, although the suit is not great, my feelings are that it would provide enough time for someone to get to him if he were to ever fall in.   And since he is forever doing some sort of stunt, it seemed necessary.  So I put it on him and off he goes to riding again. 

Maybe a half hour goes by and I am talking to my Mother-in-Law on the phone.  I am still sitting by the pool and J Girl is still swimming, J Boy is still riding the big wheel and Big Daddy is still tending to the grill.  All is right.  Until I caught a glimpse of the boy riding ever so closely to the edge of the pool.  I yelled to him to move back.

"Just make sure you remember to put the phone down BEFORE you jump in." Big Daddy joked as I laughed it off and continued on with my conversation. 

Not a minute later, I screamed..............
"He's in the pool!" as I dropped the phone on the table and ran to the edge of the pool.  I watched the big wheel tumble over top of him in the water. 
I jumped.  Everything was in slow motion....I heard Big Daddy yell, "I got him, I got him" as I heard him dive into the pool.  I got to him first.  He was on his stomach, but lifting his face out of the water.  I pulled him up.  Big Daddy threw the bike out of the pool.  I set J Boy up on the side of the pool, jumped out and picked him up as I cradled him, dripping.  The look on his face was pure shock, but he never cried. 

"I told you I had him." Big Daddy said as he watched me dripping, fully clothed.
"Yea, after I was already in!" as I stood, holding my son, my body shaking from pure adrenalin.

As we made our way back to the table Big Daddy picked up the phone. 
"Mom? Mom!" he yelled into the phone,   "Mom!  J Boy fell into the pool.  Didn't you hear Val drop the phone?"  he asked,    "She will have to call you back, she just jumped into the pool with her clothes and shoes on!" as he hung up. Apparently she never heard and continued to talk throughout the entire ordeal!

So, with that....the boy wears his "suit" whenever he is near the pool without the safety cover on.  And although it's bulky, hot, and not the best flotation devise.  It did it's job.  When he outgrows it, or learns to swim, whichever comes first....I will frame it....for memories.

Comments

[Dodi]

OMG...THAT is why I'm too scared to get a pool. Maybe when my kids are older. Like 30!

[Robert]

Geeeez that is scary. I'm glad nothing bad happened. And good for both of you for being on top of things. That's kind of funny that she never realized that you were not still on the phone though!

[Sue]

OMG -terrifying. We have a pool too and while it's awesomely fun, tragedy could happen in a matter of seconds and that freaks me out. That's also why I hate public pools with 15 year old lifeguards. They aren't Hyper-aware like Moms are.

[Rachel]

Oh wow, that made me short of breath! How scary! Thank goodness you put it on him!

Too hilarious mother in-law kept talking through the whole thing! My mom does that when my cell drops the call. I call her back, and she's like, what happened? It just started ringing in my ear mid sentence?