So, after a rousing game of splashing on the edge of our pool during the warm weather in January, Dave and I decided that Anya should get a chance to get familiar with water in a heated pool before summer. Here it is...
We got in a little battle about her wearing a bathing suit. She wanted to wear a tshirt and shorts for swimming and I said, "No Way." Well, look what she's wearing! I found just what she wanted made by Speedo. I had to eat crow.
We joined a local YMCA, both for the heated pool and the fact that the deep end is 2 ½ feet deep, which comes to Anya’s armpits. The 3 foot section comes to just below her lip! The first time Anya got in the water it was hysterical. She finally came down the stairs and had her arms out to her side. She bounced a little, looked at us and laughed. How odd it must be to never have been in any water before except for a quick weekly bath. You could see her question if this was normal. Is your body supposed to move around like this?
Over the first 9 visits, Anya learned to blow bubbles, go under water, jump in with assistance from the side and kick. By the tenth visit she would hold onto a foam bar with her arms extended and “swim”. On her eleventh visit she was swimming with the bar and I told her to look underwater at me while I swam (with her goggles on). She went under water as I pushed myself off the 3’ side and used my arms and legs to swim across the pool with my head above water.
She promptly threw the foam bar away and decided to swim! All she needed to see at this point was what I looked like swimming under the water. I’ve included video of her on her first day of under water swimming. It amazes me how much she is a crazy learning, craving knowledge sponge. After her first time, she came up, raised her arms into the champion position and yelled out, "Hurrah, hurrah!" as she pumped her arms up and down.
And yes, that's me, as her only responsible adult with Anya, IN THE POOL with my camera...
By the way, the people clapping and that she gives a thumbs up to are people we met that day that fell in love with her in after a few minutes and were her audience for that day.
Trying to go often, but really, who wants to change out of their winter clothes into a bathing suit to get into an almost warm pool for an hour? And then to go into the locker room and shower with your child? Not me. But I do it anyway. After a ten day hiatus between swims, Anya was afraid to swim again, but frequency should take care of that problem.
So if you see me around town, with pool hair and dressed quite haphazardly, know it’s part of mom duty.
~Monica
Great job Anya!! So proud of you!
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