Swimming with Sophie

Today Keegan and I dragged our sleep-deprived family (don't even ask about the sleep issues we've been having around here) to the Hotel Art to go to the swimming pool. I was a little nervous about getting Sophie and myself all changed and showered and ready for swimming, but I needn't have been. From the moment I entered the locker room, Sophie had a devoted fan club of young Korean girls, and as soon as she and I went into the shower room, a fellow bather snatched Sophie away from me and held her while I rinsed off and put my bathing suit on. Normally I am not a big fan of how grabby and touchy Korean women are with the baby, but I have to admit it was a huge help to have someone hold her while I showered.

The pool is actually quite nice - it's the one that I used to swim at very often before and during my pregnancy. I had never been in the kiddie pools before, but they are very large. There is a very shallow baby pool, about 20 inches deep, and a medium-depth pool for older kids that is probably about three feet. Sophie was a champ and enjoyed splashing around and laughing at me as I swam up to her and kissed her and then swam away. She even put her head under for a brief moment and seemed mostly unfazed, although she did sneeze, and we think she might have gotten a bit of water up her nose. She stayed in quite happily until we noticed that her lips were blue and decided to take her out! I can't believe she would have been that cold and not complained about it, but I think she just loves the water.

At the pool with Daddy - a little foggy so we didn't get many pictures.

Back in the shower room, no shortage of Korean ladies were there to help out with Sophie while I washed my hair and got undressed, and then even asked whether I needed help giving Sophie a bath. In the locker room, a woman entertained Sophie the whole time that I was getting her dressed, which was very kind since I think Sophie would have been a lot more fussy without her help. Then she showed Sophie little games on her iPhone while I dried my hair. I really was impressed with how much help we got. It was a good reminder of some of the nice things about being in Korea, especially since I spend so much time complaining about how pushy Korean women are with the baby.