Swimming...again.

Anya lost her nerve to swim after too many breaks taken from visiting the pool during the winter. Our second son is a lifeguard at the high school pool, so we visited him there in June. The 2’ deep was a hit with Anya. It is 3’ deep in the middle and then it slopes back up to 2’ at both ends. The water level came up midway on her torso and she could move around with ease and without fear. After a few days of visiting the pool, Anya learned to swim again. I found it interesting the day of the first visit that I, at the last minute, thought, “I should put a suit under my clothes just in case I need to jump in and get her or something.” Threw a two piece on (one that I don’t wear in front of other humans-due to having four 10lb children, not the suit), pulled my other clothes on and off we went. How is it that an hour later, I was floating on my back in the 2’ deep water, in the two piece, at a public pool, being pulled around by my ankles?! I can’t tell you how, but I can tell you it happened. 

But alas, we visited my parents’ pool in Palm Desert and all I heard was, “I can’t swim in 3... I will die.” Then there was the terrorized screaming fit in the condo pool, only the kind a previous orphan can throw. Nor would she swim in our pool. “I don’t like it that one.” Frustrating she can be (said like Yoda would). I did do a couple of handstands in my parents’ pool for pure entertainment sake and she really liked that. Here is a photo of her handstand-done right after my glorious show. Mind you, it was safely executed on the top step.

Eventually, after more visits to the high school pool, she got very comfortable and can now swim about 10’ (she hasn’t mastered breathing while swimming) in pools that are 3’ deep. And yes, ours is finally acceptable. She can also swim at our friends’ pool in Anaheim. We are adding pools left and right to the “pools I can swim in” list. She can almost do a real handstand now too.

I set up a cover over our outdoor chairs because I figured that I would be spending hours outside during the summer and sure enough, I am. It has worked out well. The best thing about Anya swimming two to three times a day is that all the chaos that is trapped inside her body, due to grief and change, finds it way out. She is a much calmer girl these days!

The summer traveling schedule I have her on would upset most adults and she is handling it very well, I believe due to all the swimming. We came home from the Little People Conference a few days ago, washed the clothes and she repacked her suitcase (while I watched) the next day to see my sister for an overnight trip. She even had all the details of toiletries and medications down! Of course you don’t need 5 shirts for 24 hours, but she was prepared. And she remembered to give my sister the invitation to her birthday party and to give my niece her birthday present-and I wasn’t even around.

As a side note, I must be the only mother who won’t give her child her cell phone number. She asks, “Mom, can I have it the number a call you?”  My answer, “Uh, no.” She asked her older brother Scott for his number yesterday and he came up with a great answer, “When you get your cell phone, I’ll give it you.” She can be sneaky and obsessive and too much information in her hands can be dangerous-that includes cell phone numbers. Besides, if she isn’t with me, she is with family or close friends, so why would she really need to talk to me? As my mother-in-law always says, That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

~Monica