Kate Swims!

Kate had a couple of swim sessions at the YMCA a couple of years ago, which I didn't feel were particularly productive.  This summer we decided to sign her up for Real Live Every Day Swimming Lessons.  In these past four weeks she's suddenly transformed into a little fish.

The day that she learned how to open her eyes under water, she came running out of the pool yelling, "I LOVE SWIMMING LESSONS!"  She was just so excited and so proud of herself.  We dug out the goggles (which, as I recall, were originally purchased with the hope of alleviating some of the hair-washing drama at bath time) and now she likes to stay under even longer, because it's so cool. 



We got some video for her last day.  Lessons are at Kandle Pool, which has a wave generator.  They don't normally have the waves on during swimming lessons, but they turn them on for a bit on the last day of the session.  (Exciting!)



Kate heads into the pool.



She's getting pretty good at this!



Kate's teacher counts a ten-second front float.




Molly Beecher was in the session right after ours, and we got to see her every day as she was coming in and we were going out. Molly has a couple different swimsuits, and one matches Kate's (so of course I had to get a picture).




The zero-depth entry pool is fun because the kids can practice in the really shallow water.  I wish they'd had something like that when I was growing up!



Kate doing her "Underwater Flying Dragon" impression.



Quite a long way from the girl who didn't want to get in the water when she was little!  It's been great for her to have this experience of learning something new and practicing and getting to be good at it, and enjoying it! 

Into the Pool

I've had an unfortunate head cold for a few days and haven't been good for much. We did get out yesterday to see some of the tall ships that are in town for a few days. I'll try to post pictures soon. For now, here's some more from California.



This is the pool at our hotel. After last year's attempts to introduce Kate to the pool went rather badly, we weren't sure how she was going to react. I got her a new suit for the summer, and when I tried it on her she seemed excited and said she wanted to go swimming. The hotel pool turned out to be just what she needed--a nice quiet place to take her time getting in the water, with no other kids around and nobody splashing (or dumping water on her head--some people's kids!)

I got a pack of plastic insects for Kate to play with on the trip. They kept her entertained for long stretches. She has a rubber grasshopper that she really likes, so when I saw these insects at the zoo gift shop I figured she'd enjoy them. She named the butterfly Mariposa (yes, she's been watching Diego) and took it to the pool with her. It didn't float, but kind of drifted slowly down through the water, and then Doug would make a big production of diving down to get it. She thought that was great fun.



She got to dabble around the edges as much as she wanted, and did eventually make it into the water. Yay! Big step. Not that she was paddling around by herself or anything, but she was in the water, and having a good time.



Kate got to go swimming three times while we were at the hotel. Since we've been back home we've gone to the Stewart Heights pool and back to the Fircrest wading pool, and she did just great. She still doesn't like getting splashed, but she's dealing with it a lot better. It's hard to get her out of the pool when it's time to go!

Waiting Pool

We've been saying, for a long time, that we should take Kate swimming. She loves playing in the bath and will stay in there for an hour if we let her. She's also fascinated by fountains. We found out that the wading pool at Fircrest pool is free (and open to non-Fircrest residents after 4:00), so we figured this would be a good time to try it out.

I haven't had a swimsuit for years. I found one online that I want to get, but they're out of stock in my size. So, at the moment I am still swim-less. So Doug took Kate into the water. Or not so much into as near unto. It turned out she was not as eager as we'd hoped. She does tend to be a bit on the cautious side. They spent a lot of time sitting on the edge of the pool, watching the other kids. I suppose we should have tried last year. I was impressed by some of the teeny-tiny kids that were just toddling right into the water, and having a great time. Maybe next time Kate will be ready to actually go in the water.

As I was writing this I checked the swimsuit site again, and they had what I wanted, so I ordered it! Woo hoo! I'm getting this top (pink and black) and these bottoms. I have thigh issues and... err... shaving issues, so this should be just right.