Flick Park

Atz saved the day and invited us to join them and Fran's two eldest girls at poolside at Flick Park in Glenview. There was a toddler pool amid the adult ones that the boys would enjoy. I committed to going, looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. The part I dread is the packing and the dressing at the pool, but once that's all done I thoroughly enjoy watching the boys have a great time. Even with all the running around I did to get the kids' clothes and diapers all in one bag, I still forgot to pack Nikko a proper pair of swim trunks. Luckily I had some basketball shorts that could double for trunks. Also had to pack a food bag and make sure I could be firm if one of the park district guys told me I couldn't bring in food. I'd refer to my food allergic son and whip out the Epi-pen if need be. Once I got everyone changed into their swim diapers and swim clothes, with Atz's help, the boys were in the pool and they loved it, of course. Ronin wasn't clingy to me at all, hardly even noticed that I wasn't next to him. Atz's Dennis initially took Nikko to the big kid slides. I caught up with them a little bit later and Nikko was standing in the middle of some crazy slide/spraying water apparatus just looking up at all the water falling around him. He didn't look scared, mostly curious. When he recognized me, he approached me and stood by me. I took him back to the toddler pool where we could all be around each other and he could swim/float by the sprayers and bubbly fountains that were more his size and speed. Nikko spent a great deal of time on his tummy with his head above water, crawling around like an alligator, looking at the water and the sky and no one in particular. He would look at other people at times but kept mostly to himself and didn't seek anyone's company. Nikko was having a good time, no doubt. As for Ronin, you simply had to look at him once to see that he was having a great time. Splashed, crawled, laughed and finally discovering the big frog water slide, Ronin wore himself out by the end. Nikko had also tried the frog slide once, but didn't visit it again. That surprised me. When Ronin found another kid's blue truck, played with it in the water and then had a total meltdown when we gave it back to the kid, I knew it was time to go. 2.5 hours in the water seemed enough for Nikko as well because I found him standing outside the pool when it was time to go. He wasn't doing anything but standing on the grills where water drained. He looked like his time was up and didn't resist leaving. The rest of our evening was pretty calm, and Nikko fell asleep during bedtime stories. I hope they both sleep like rocks. And Audrey through all this? She was a champ. She had a little pink swimsuit on and wore a brown floppy hat. She didn't dislike the water and tolerated sitting in it a bit, but preferred to be held. Surprisingly, the only time she napped was when Atz fed her a bottle, but it was a short nap. I could tell Audrey was tired, too, but she held out until bedtime.

Nikko was very quiet throughout the day, wanted to add. He jargoned a little bit during Flick Park, and was probably talking to himself a lot because he was being a loner in the pool anyway, but I didn't see anything overly showy or unusual.

Another interesting tidbit a la Nikko is that I've seen him take Ronin's Aero Chamber he breathes in for his asthma, put it to his own nose/mouth and breathe from it. He's seen Ronin do it every day that he's finally copied it down to the deep breathing. I applauded him for that, and was glad that he didn't know how to depress the inhaler attached to it. Nikko wouldn't suffer from the Flovent, but he doesn't need it either.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and we'll end up at Pat's house with all the families. I hope the weather will be kind to us so that the boys can play outside with Jovy and her cool backyard setup.