Schultz Party of Four

He was being shy about the whole birthday thing. We had cake... but not "birthday cake" just to clarify. We had Chick-Fil-A and swimming - and not-birthday cake and ice cream. It was all very laid back, wonderfully so.
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That is, until the final minutes, as we were sitting around the pool, everyone dressed and nearly ready to call it a night. Julia, the sole swimmer left in the pool had wiggled out of floaties some twenty-minutes prior and was enjoying the freedom (and risk) associated with being floaty-free. She had hopped around the shallow-end effortlessly and then, suddenly, she was in the deep-end over her head and flailing in a flash. My primitive mothering instincts took over as I pulled a whole Bay Watch rescue minus the cute red swimsuit or slow motion run or David Hasslehoff - jeans, flip-flops, glasses, everything were soaked through but she was safe in a matter of a nano-second. She was unphased, and the kids on the pool deck were in mass hysterics at their goofy-lookin' aunt jumping in the pool fully clothed. And my heart is still pounding, probably will for a while. And I might have a nightmare.
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As we walked into the house Julia asked me "Mommy!?! Were you scared when I went in the deep water?" "YES!" I replied. "Well you were AMAZING!" she declared - and I hope she remembers that when she's 13.