Swim School

We started swimming lessons last Monday.

That afternoon, my heart almost burst with pride for my girl as I watched her go right into the pool with her three friends and two teachers, WITHOUT her Mommy! 

Since, typically our girl is shy and timid when it comes to new people and new things, I’d been talking lessons up all day. I’d been reassuring her, too, that I would be right there in the pool with her.

Honestly, I thought I would. We all thought we had to get in the pool and everyone brought along their bathing suits, except ME, who wore mine. Yep, I was that dork-mom wearing her swimsuit and cover-up to swim lessons. Thankfully AB’s only two years old  and doesn’t know to be embaressed of me yet.

Our classmates are AB’s BFF, Allie Claire, Allie’s cousin Gus and Gus’ BFF, Noah.

Carrie brought her camera the first day (I didn’t since I thought I’d be in the pool… ha…) So here’s everyone after our first lesson… Lyndsay & Gus, Amy & Noah, Me and AB and Allie & Carrie

All the kids know each other, so we knew that would be in our favor.

The instructors that first day, were Miss Emma Kate & Mr. Chase. AB took a quick liking to Mr. Chase and stayed close by him in the pool.

The first day, all the kids cried EXCEPT for Annabelle. I was seriously shocked and wondered who’s child I’d brought to the pool. She was so brave and grown up and I couldn’t have been more proud.

We made sure to let Grammy & Pop and Granny & Pappy know how well she’d done before heading to take her to dinner and shopping for a prize!

Fast forward to Day 2. All the way to swimming lessons we were talking it up and getting her ready. AB was excited to see, “Mista Chase” and to her disappointment, he wasn’t there that day. AB was not happy (how cute is that?), so that was already a strike against us. It was also the first go-under-water day which just about did us in. AB cried from then on. I was seriously exhausted by the time we left. It was so hard to make her stay in while she was crying for me. Before she got out of the pool at the end of her lesson, she said, “Mista Chase?” and asked about him all the way home. I assured her that Miss Emma Kate and Ms. Brooke were so nice, too and they were going to take good care of her. So she kept saying, “Miss Emmie Cake & Ms Booke nice girls, Mommy.” :)

On Day 3, three of the four kids cried the entire time, one of which was mine. It was pitiful, but also hysterical. Does it make us bad mothers that one minute our hearts were breaking for making our kids do something they clearly didn’t want to do and the next sort of laughing because they were all three such a dramatic mess?

I’m so proud of all of them, though… they might cry and want out while they’re doing it, but they’re all doing the things they’re suppose to be learning. They all look so big “spider walking” around the edge of the pool. And they have to grab onto the ladder and climb out themselves! Of course we all clap and cheer from the sidelines when they make it out! (It’s a wonder they haven’t banned us from watching!)

They’re learning to blow bubbles

They have to kick and swim with the dumbells…

They’re jumping off the side…

Spider Walking…

and getting their hair wet and swimming under water!

They’re learning and progressing for sure and I know they’ll be better swimmers because of it.

Day 4 we still had some crying, but it had improved!

We had dinner at my parents Thursday night after our lesson and Mom had made AB a cake for making it through her first week!

We start week 2’s lessons today!

AB swam in the pool at the beach all weekend and by Sunday she was letting go of the wall ALL BY HERSELF and ASKING to go under the water! She swam back and forth between her Daddy and me and would swim to the steps all by herself! I’m hoping that means today’s lesson is going to be tear-free!

~amw~