The Kiddie Pool

The weather for the last two days has been uncharacteristically sweltering. The Bay area is known for its very mild, temperate weather with cool ocean breezes moderating the summer sun. But this week, the sun has been winning out. It has reached a deadly 98 degrees and we have been doing everything we can to keep the house cool.

Miles has been particularly cranky for a number of reasons. First, he let me know, if we had told him it was going to be like this, he would have stayed in the womb where the weather was similar but at least he could always be naked. Second, he is transitioning from two regular naps to one. We have been trying to keep him up a little longer in the mornings to try to reduce the cranky time between his nap and bedtime but we have met with little success.

To try to entertain him and keep him cool, we have been playing in water. The first really hot day, I brought him out the backyard and tried to put him in a small foot tub filled with water. However, as he had to wrap his legs around himself like a yogi, we took him out and let him play in the sprinkler instead. I never knew trying to grab water could be so darned entertaining.

Yesterday I went to Target and got him his first ever kiddie pool. It's pretty neat. It's a cross between those spring loaded magic windshield shades and a blow-up kiddie pool. It's very portable and has a sunshield to protect my little white baby (I thought my olive-skinned genes would win out, but, alas, my baby has his daddy's pink skin.)

Instead of just filling it with water, we put the sprinkler inside and let it gently fill the pool. I'm sure Miles could have spent the whole day just holding on to that hose. Even when the water was off and he was out of the pool, the hose provided hours of entertainment.