Already planning her first cross-Channel swim

Geeks aren't well known for their love of outdoor pursuits and physical activity.  Surprisingly then, for a university reknowned for its extreme geekiness, MIT has some very impressive sporting facilities, including the Al and Barrie Zesiger* Sports Center.  Thanks to Katie's research, this was the venue for our little girls' first swimming lessons.  Wow, only 8 months old and already taking courses at MIT, those babies sure are super-advanced.... 

Here in the US they don't like babies swimming earlier than 6 months, for reasons that I think involve chlorine (?), but in the UK Zoë's NCT baby friends have been visiting the pool together for months already and are practically ready to form a synchronised swimming squad, so she has to be ready to join in when we get home!

At the moment the Al and Barrie's pool is overrun with babies and children, as all the geeks have gone home to their darkened bedrooms for the summer and MIT is running infant and toddlers' swim classes, and a "day camp" for older children.  I can only imagine the amount of urine and other kiddy bodily fluids washing around in that pool, which makes me grateful for, rather than wary of, our friend chlorine. 

The class is designed to teach the babies about water and to make them feel comfortable in and around it.  In my view, turning up the water temperature would make them (and their parents) feel much more comfortable.  The classes last 25 minutes and involve lots of singing and movement, particularly encouraging the babies to move through the water whilst kicking or "scooping" with their arms.  Zoë is like a manatee compared to Josie the seal - she spends most of the class chattering her new teeth together and chewing on the rubber toy she's supposed to be swimming after - but I think she really does enjoy it (although not quite as much as when she goes swimming outdoors in the sun with her daddy).  It's certainly been good exercise for me, as most of the time I walk from home to the pool and back, a round trip of about 5 miles. 

It's our last class at MIT today, but we'll be home in London very soon where Zoë can join Nelia, Alex, Matteo & Co at the Willesden Sports Centre for some more swimming fun,  All we need then is for some very rich person to give Willesden Sports Centre a lot of money so that they can rename it something super-glamorous like the Ira and Brenda Goldstein Memorial Lido and, if we're lucky, turn the water temperature up, as London in September is an awful lot chillier than Boston in July.  Brrrr!

 

* Here in the US, if you have enough cash and you want to be remembered for posterity, you simply need to donate an exorbitant amount of money and you can have a public building named after you.  Like the Barbara and Melvin Nessel Cancer Care Center at MGH, across the road from our building.