If at first you don't succeed, try try again

Laina has been in swim lessons at our local YMCA on and off for a couple of years. The first class she took was called "Parent/Child" it that was really just a class for babies and toddlers to get them used to the water. It was mostly just playing games and singing songs. She and Joe did it together and she had a wonderful time. Last fall we moved her up to the next level class called Pike/Parent for 3 year olds who are not ready to be away from a parent in the pool. After that she will transition to Pike, Eel, etc. Well when she moved over to Pike/Parent and they started teaching skills with structure and less singing, she wasn't as much of a fan. She fought Joe a lot and didn't want to do any of the things that the teacher was instructing them to do. She was more interested in "hokey pokey" and "pop goes the weasel". They had a nice time together and she was being exposed to the water to get her more comfortable but she wasn't getting more comfortable with the idea of doing anything solo in the water. At the end of that session, I definitely felt like Laina was just much more comfortable on land -- put her in a dance studio and she was a happy girl -- put her in the water and not so much.

We took last session off. We needed a break from having a class every Saturday morning, it was freezing cold here and we thought Laina could do well with some time away from the pool. We signed her back up for Spring session and her first class was today. She is still in Pike/Parent with Joe and wow, what a difference a few months has made for Laina. She was like a little fish today. She did all the skills her teacher asked, she blew bubbles in the water, she practiced her scoops (swim strokes), she did her blast offs from the side of the pool, she did her kicking, she jumped in off the side of the pool into Joe's arms...you get the picture. Even her teacher Stephanie commented on what a changed girl our little Laina was!

Here are some photos from our first swim class. She can't wait to go back next week and keeps asking us, "how few days until I go to swim class again"! Hooray!