"I swimming, Mommy!"

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I decided to go swimming at the main pool in our apartment complex.

I like this pool because it has a BIG step for The Superhero to "hang out" on. He is not big into getting his face wet and is very timid around water. (or at least he was)

The Princess on the other hand is a FISH. And, she thinks she can swim. She just jumps off the steps or edge of the pool into open water and just assumes she will be ok.

This particular Saturday she was supposed to dive TOWARD me and instead she went to my right, into open water. When I pulled her up I asked her "What were you thinking", her response was "I swimming, Mommy!" As if she REALLY thought she was actually swimming.

Thank goodness I already had signed both kids up for swim class. We just had to wait for them to start. The Superhero was signed up for a group class, no more than 4 kids in the class. The Princess is not old enough for the group class, unless I want to join her in the water. Last year, I did join her in the water and we both learned a lot. This year, I wanted someone else to teach her. I thought she would get more out of the class if she wasn't constantly telling ME no. I ended up signing her up for the semi-private class which has a maximum of 2 kids.

We had our first class on Friday and I have to say I am SUPER impressed with BOTH kids! They did so amazingly well. The Superhero picked up right where he left off last year. And he even floated on his back! He would not do that last year, at least not easily. He got to wear flippers and had a GREAT time. He did tell me that he hate being put under water. He said "She put me under the water! She shouldn't DO THAT!" He was not happy about that part, but I did explain to him that it was her JOB to put him under water and teach him how to swim. He got over it quickly though.

The Princess. Oh, The Princess. She was beyond impressive. She ended up being the ONLY kid in her "class" and got 30 minutes of 1 on 1 attention, which she loves. She was swimming back to the wall in no time. She still did not want to float on her back, but is making progress from last year. She was such a little fish in the water!

After class we went to my parents' house to swim again and both kids enjoyed showing off their skills. Then on Saturday, we went swimming at my parents' again. Just one day later and the kids were doing even better than the day before! The Princess was using JUST the pool noodle to hold herself up and The Superhero wasn't far behind learning this skill. Then we practiced swimming without the noodle too, and they both were just amazing.

I can't believe how much progress they have made in such a short time! I am so impressed and proud of them both.

And now, instead of drowning herself, The Princess actually IS swimming! She keeps saying "I swimming! I doing it!"

Yes, yes you are.

*Disclaimer: I am a mom of a T1 Diabetic child and a child with ITP/Asthma/Dysphagia. I am NOT a doctor. I just play one in real life. Please do not take anything in this post or any other post on this blog as medical advice. If you have questions or concerns of your own, please seek advice from your doctor.*

Finally!

It has taken 5 weeks of swim classes, but The Superhero is FINALLY getting comfortable around water!

He has always been a little skittish when it comes to the pool. So it was no surprise when we first started going to the pool this year, he seemed very nervous around water. After the first time I took the kids to the pool and I saw how scared he was (and what a fish The Princess was) I knew swim lessons were in order.

Last summer we enrolled him in the city lessons. He went 4x per week and mostly just played in the water. I don't think he learned anything. But, we did it because it was cheap! Well, with his reaction this year to the water and The Princess having NO FEAR, I decided it was time for real lessons. (don't get me wrong, I think the city lessons might work well for older kids, but my kids need the structured lessons this year).

So, after that first day in the pool, I went up to the local Hubbard Family Swim School and enrolled both kids. They would start that Saturday morning at 8am. (I know, what was I thinking, that is EARLY!)

Now that we are 5 weeks in, The Princess can jump in, turn around, and swim to the wall. Almost completely on her own! And she is only 20 months old! She amazes me constantly with her swimming abilities.

In the beginning, it took A LOT of convincing to get The Superhero to put his face and head in the water. After a few weeks, I was able to force him under one time and then he kept wanting to do it.

Now, he does it on his own! He is even JUMPING in the pool! He used to "jump" in to one of us and he always made sure we would NOT put his head under water. Well, last weekend, this changed! He was actually JUMPING in the pool! I am SO impressed and SO proud of The Superhero! Our classes are definitely paying off!


Check out these pictures...(Thanks Kate!)

Is this even the same kid from a month ago?

Swimming Season in AZ

I have never been much of one to go swimming regularly. True, I have lived in AZ pretty much my whole life, but, I hate the process of changing and then changing clothes again and being all wet and having to dry off. I am not sure why, but it never felt worth it to me.

UNTIL this year! I don't know why, but it feels SO much hotter this year than I remember in past years. Maybe it is because I have 2 small kids in an apartment and need something to keep them busy and active. Either way, we are swimming, A LOT more than I am used to.

Our apartment is located RIGHT next to one of the pools. I have braved taking both kids by myself several times now.

The Superhero is skittish again this year. I am not sure what exactly he is afraid of, but it is taking him some time to warm up to swimming.

The Princess on the other hand is CRAZY! She dives in whether you are ready for her or not! She goes under and comes up smiling. You will be having a heart attack because you were not anywhere near her when she chose to dive in and she is happy as can be! She will try to just "swim" right out of my arms.

Both kids' reactions to swimming this year has convinced me it was time for lessons for both of them. I went last week and signed them both up for Hubbard weekly swim classes each Saturday morning. I will have to get in with The Princess until she is old enough for a class by herself.

We had our first class last weekend and both kids did ok. The Princess does not like back floats, but did great for everything else in her class. The Superhero did great when it was his turn and the teacher just had to keep an eye on him between turns. He tends to wander a little bit. I am hoping over time he will learn he needs to stay with his class. This will be helpful as he begins pre-school in the fall too.

So, now that we have the pool near us and I am off work for a few weeks, I am completely enjoying taking the kids swimming. And I LOVE that it wears them out and they fall asleep for naps REALLY easily on those days too!

The Princess about to jump in...

The Princess being cute...

The Superhero shooting water...(notice the Dexie site on his arm)

Shooting water...

Practicing the back float (she was NOT happy)...

"Swimming" to Uncle S...