Maia Mi

"GO MAIA, GO MAIA, GO MAIA!" Nope, that wasn't ME shouting encouragement, it was Maia herself (!!!), 15 minutes after her nervous entry into the swimming pool at Woolwich, a huge waterpark of a swimming pool, with slides and huge replica crocodiles and tortoises. She went from being a clingy baby who wouldn't get into the water, to walking along the shallow end of the big pool with water at shoulder height, mouth in a big 'ooooh', and a "go maia go maia" every now and then in ecstatic excitement. She also went from being held down the slide gently, to jetting herself off and landing SPLASH under the water, when I'd catch her and bring her back up! I haven't laughed so much in ages, she was just so incredibly beside herself once she'd got over her initial fears and realised it was actually quite fun, this big place full of water.

Of course, Maia went swimming as a babe-in-arms, and a glimmer of memory did seem to still be there, as she loved being held horizontally and skimmed across the water 'swim' style, as I used to do with her when she was 7 months old. But this was her first proper visit since January 2007, so I don't think she could really remember that she used to go for a weekly swim once upon a time.

Unfortunately, Maia was poorly and vomited a couple of times after we came home - she probably swallowed just a bit too much chlorine going down those slides... she also seems to have caught a cold. Feel like the worst and best mother in one, she really did love the swimming pool (she's still going round saying "svømme basseng, svømmebasseng" in elation, while i feel so bad that she (possibly) got ill from it.

Just wish I could share my mind's eye camera pix with the world - it really was a sight to behold.