BBQ

Yesterday Ally and I attended the annual Guatemalan Adoptive Families BBQ. One of the families in our monthly group hosts the party every year (this is the 6th year they have done it, and our 3rd year of attending).

This picture is so much more than a happy Ally in the pool.

Ally and I have been talking all week about the BBQ - last year there was a kiddie pool and a big pool. Ally played in the kiddie pool a lot. I thought there would be sprinklers too. But I was wrong, and as it turns out there was just one big pool. Big is relative. It was about 30" deep.

It was SUPER hot again today - mid 90s and sunny and humid. Ally was melting. But Ally was also scared of the big pool. She told me she was scared. She pouted about being scared. She was frustrated about being scared. I ignored her when she pouted, I cuddled her to talk softly about how I knew she could do it. I carried her to edge a couple times to dip out hands in the pool. I offered to hold her hand. I showed her how all of her friends were in the pool. How her friend Roxie who the same size as Ally could touch the bottom. Nothing I did or said seemed to work.

I felt so bad.

When Ally is scared of something it is so hard to talk her in to doing or trying it.

But she was so hot.

Finally she was ready.

We went over to the pool, I asked an older girl to get us a noodle that no one was using.

I put Ally in the pool.

She clung so tight to the edge.

I placed the noodle around her.

She did it. She was in the pool.

She conquered her fear!

It really was beautiful to see.

She stayed close to the edge and kept the noodle around her. Eventually she borrowed some goggles and dipped her face in, and she got her whole head wet. She had fun.

Here she is with Rosa and Alice.

Later Ally played on the see saw with Roxie

And she went back in the pool again after dinner and a long session of gymnastics with the older girls. I just can't seem to get her to stop doing tricks; cart wheels, bridges, etc. Our hosts even brought out their practice balance beam to work on. Ally was in her glory. But she wanted to go in the pool again.

I was so very proud of her. I am very proud of her.

Here is the gang from left to right:

Roxie, Rosa, Gabi, Ally & Alice

It was a wonderful party.