Swimming!

Lainey is swimming! Well, sort of. After realizing that I would not be the best swim teacher for Lainey (despite having taught swim lessons for 10 years, coached a swim team for several summers, and swam competitively for over ten years...I have zero skills when it comes to trying to teach my own child how to swim), I signed up Lainey for some hardcore, tough-love, no-nonsense swim lessons with Ms. Cindy. Ms. Cindy teaches babies and kids (6 months to 6 years) the water-survival technique of swim/float/swim (and repeat). We started taking the lessons Monday. Before Monday, Lainey refused to put her face in the water and was pretty hesitant to get in the water at all. Well, at least on anyone's terms but her own. So yes, I was very anxious about her first lesson!

Monday was rough. She cried for the entire ten minutes (each lesson is only ten minutes long...I'm sure it's because the teacher can only handle ten minutes of crying from each child at a time) and kept asking for me. Heartbreaking. But, at the end of the lesson she climbed out of the water smiling and proud of herself for having put her face in the water and done what the teacher asked of her. And, like any good mom would do, we went to Target's Dollar Spot and picked out a toy. :) Her choice? Hello Kitty bubbles (that, sadly, didn't produce actual bubbles in the shape of Hello Kitty). Throughout the day on Monday, she kept asking me, "Mommy? Are you so proud of me from swimming?" I kept assuring her that I was. She must have asked me that question twenty times. We talked about her swimming lesson all day long. Understandably, it made a big impact on her.

Tuesday was better...yet worse. She completely freaked out when it was time to start her lesson and ran away from Ms. Cindy. She panicked. But, after I got her and she realized that she wasn't getting out of this lesson, she got in the water and did really well. No crying. Today, Lainey had her best lesson yet. She went to Ms. Cindy without any fuss and she did everything Ms. Cindy asked of her. Throughout the lesson, being the sweet little people-pleaser that she is, Lainey kept looking at me and saying, "Mommy! I did it! Are you so proud of me?" Walker and I would cheer for her and clap our hands and shout our praises. I am almost 100% sure that Ms. Cindy thinks that we're crazy. But I am so proud of Lainey. Five more lessons to go! Keep up the good work, sweet girl! I love you!