First swim

After a very full on, fun but exhausting four days working on a project together as a family (further details sometime in the coming months!) Vianney took today off so we four found ourselves with a whole Monday to play with. 

My physiotherapist has said a number of times that swimming would be great in my recovery so it was wonderful to get the opportunity to do it, and to take both boys for a splash too.

Call me a snob but I didn't fancy going to a busy, noisy, (usually cold) swimming pool so we rang a hotel that's not toooo far away and managed to wangle us a pretty amazing deal. Incredible price for a gorgeously warm, peaceful first swim for Reuben.

We hadn't been swimming for almost two years so this was all incredibly exciting and long-awaited for Noah. 

New swimming shorts too!

Reuben is a huge fan of the bath so I was hoping his love of water would translate into a love of swimming but you can never be sure that the cooler temperature won't freak a little one out. 

After today it's safe to say Reuben is a water baby; he loved it and relaxed in the water to the point of nearly falling asleep.

Noah kept Reubs entertained and smiling and all four of us enjoyed every minute of our time, only joined by a total of six people over the course of an hour. Bliss.

Another huge plus for me personally was that I (sort of) held Noah for the first time in a year. In pregnancy I was careful never to lift him, following our past experiences (and my slight paranoia!) and I had assured him all the while I was pregnant that soon after "his baby" was born I would be able to carry and hold him again. For obvious reasons, that hasn't happened!

With that weightless feeling in water however, I managed to at least sort of hold him today and, even if it's a while before I can do it again properly, that felt good.

It was just under an hour but it was one of the most special, joyful hours for all four of us since Reuben arrived. My heart tonight is full and grateful.

Reuben dropped off to sleep the instant we lifted him out of the water-and Noah didn't finish the journey home without snoring.

A good time had by all!