Graduation

Yea!! We officially finished swim lessons today. I haven't been so relieved at the passage of an era in a long time. As we were getting ready today, I couldn't help but look forward to tomorrow, when I won't have to drive into Logan at all, unless I really want to! We did enjoy our last lesson, however. Jeremy has decided in the last couple of days that going underwater is a good thing, and yes, we have actually conquered the bathtub battle. Kadon is getting more and more comfortable with that water, even to the point that he doesn't want me to hold him up in the deep pool, he continually tries to kick away from me and go out on his own. I am able to appease him only by letting him float on his stomach with minimal support from me. He looks so serene and peaceful when he's doing it, that I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to do this with him this summer!! As much as I have complained about the inconvenience of the frequent lessons, I am truly an addict now. I'm already planning next year, and trying to decide whether Kadon will be old enough and big enough to be in level one, or if we are all going to repeat the classes that we were in this year. Jeremy, not surprisingly, was not passed from Level one to Level two. He made great strides during his two weeks, but he still has a lot of trouble floating on his stomach, and being able to get out of a horizontal position in the water to a standing position without assistance. They gave us a checklist at the end of lessons today, so at least I have a guideline of what I can work on for next year. Quite frankly, however, I'm satisfied that he finally had a good time, and that he is able to put his face in the water with no hesitation. The first time I saw him flop down face first in the pool I thought he was drowning, but the proud smile on his face when he got up made the whole two weeks worth it! Another worthwhile experience was had today for Kadon and I. One of the first things that our teacher tries to get the babies to do is learn how to blow bubbles underwater, as it is one of the most important things in learning how to swim. Of the seven children in our class, only two were able or willing to consistently do it, and my goal for the two weeks was to be able to add Kadon to that number. I had given up all hope today, and was about to say so to one of the other parents, when much to my surprise, Kadon stuck his face in the water with no hesitation at all, and blew a long stream of bubbles. I was so excited for him, and made such a fuss over him, that he did it several more times just to merit my happy response. I am so proud of both of my children for overcoming their obstacles to enjoying the water, and am excited for next year when we can all do it again!