Last week Reese finished her swim classes. She can definitely swim short distances, but I am more impressed with her floating ability. She had to swim-float in her "summer" clothes (as seen below) and in her "winter" clothes. Among a variety of techniques used to ensure Reese would be comfortable in any situation, the teacher flipped her into the pool and put her in vertically. Each time Reese would flip onto her back and float. Sometimes for what seemed like hours!
After 2 weeks of lessons, Paul and I are shocked every day by Reese's ability to master swimming. Today she did the following exhibition, over and over and over again.
Last week we first discovered our baby learned how to climb up onto her changing table. While walking by her doorway, I found her sitting indian-style on top of the table, grinning sheepishly at me. Below is a video I managed to capture today.
A bit of a breakthrough today at Reese's swim lesson. No, she didn't swim the length of the pool unassisted...no, she didn't shave any time off of her PR in the 50m...no, she didn't retrieve all of the dive sticks from the bottom of the deep-end in a single breath...BUT, she did go through the whole lesson with barely any crying! It's all relative folks.
Reese actually appeared to understand what it is she's supposed to be doing. Her kicking was much more spirited. She reached for Ms. Kelly and the wall with equal amounts of determination, she didn't swallow any water and she looked soo darn cute throughout the whole thing! With only 4 lessons under her belt, I imagine that at the end of the 4th or 5th week there won't be any dive sticks left at the bottom of the deep end.
Kicking, but not screaming
The fear has been replaced with fun
She's gettin' it now
"Last one"
Gettin' ready for Daycare in the back of the car
stay tuned...
Our little girl has begun her journey into the world of aquatic self-sufficiency. With summer in full swing and a pool just beyond the kitchen door, the need to have our curious, fearless and daring baby swimming has become a necessity.
Enrolled in the Infant Swim Resources (ISR) program at a local club pool, Reese will be hitting the water every morning at 7:30 for a 10 minute, one-on-one session with her instructor — Kelly Kirkpatrick. By the end of the 4-6 weeks of classes Reese should have gone from sinking like a rock to swimming like a dolphin.
To this point, with only three classes under her belt, Reese is just trying to get the hang of finding the wall, reaching for it and holding onto it. She almost has the "hold your breath" and the "don't drink the water" part down.
We'll try to update you periodically throughout her swim progression so you too can witness the evolution of our 2024 Olympic swimmer. Here is some visual representation of how today's lesson went:
Before the Lesson Began:
During the Lesson:
Ten minutes after it begins, Reese is wiped out:
A bit of the Action:
