Swim Lessons

 We just got done doing our two-week swim lessons session at the Rec Center for the summer.  Claire and Hallie were in Level 1 and Evie and I did the Mommy and Me class.

This was Claire's first experience outside of the Mommy and Me class, and she loved it! She progressed so much in the two weeks and is so much more comfortable and trustworthy in the water now.  She loves playing Fishy in the Basket, where the kids have to go under a hula hoop placed on the surface of the water, and Speckled Frogs, where the kids jump into the water from the side.  She and Hallie can both jump off the diving board (with an instructor to catch them).  She still has a hard time floating, but she is a fast learner, and I am confident with a little work, she can get it. 

Hallie was in Level 1 last summer, but comparing her skills from last summer and this summer is like comparing night and day.  Last time she was very stiff and clingy to the wall and her teachers, terrified to let go.  She wouldn't voluntarily submerge her head, and she definitely wouldn't open her eyes under the water.  This summer her favorite pool game is retrieving rings or other sinking toys from the bottom of the shallow end.  She can also "swim", meaning she can float on her belly with her face in the water and move her arms and feet at the same time.  She is getting so much better.  They can both glide and bob like pros. 

Evie also loved being in the water, although she did not always want to do what the class was doing.  That girl has a mind of her own.  She knows exactly what she wants and doesn't hesitate to communicate those desires, by means of screaming if words fail. She did learn how to glide with assistance, jump into the pool (to Mommy), kick her feet, float on her back, roll over and float on her tummy, and submerge her head without freaking out.  She loved playing "horsie horsie" on the pool noodles, kicking/hitting the beach ball, jumping in the water, and playing Ring Around the Rosie (which ends with a dunk on "we all fall DOWN!").  Her least favorite thing was blowing bubbles in the water.  By the second day, she had no problem when I would dunk her, but she just looked at me like I was an idiot every time I tried getting her to blow bubbles.  It's not that she couldn't do it, it's just that she didn't want to.  She would do it once, just to be nice, but her indulgence of my wishes stopped there.  She always wanted to go down the slide, but she would climb to the top and sit there for five minutes, with me trying to persuade her from the bottom of the slide to come down.  She would snarl at any other kids that tried to get to the top while she was sitting there, and yell "no!" at them, but she wouldn't come down.  Inevitably, she ended up coming back down the stairs.  

All three girls had a great time showing off their skills to Mom after swim lessons and sitting in the hot tub for a few minutes before heading home. My least favorite part was what a late start it gave us for our day.  Having to bathe three kids and myself every day at 10 AM sorta kills your morning.  It was a fun two weeks, but I'm glad it's over!