Swimming lessons graduation

I finally did the responsible thing and got Andrew into swimming lessons a few weeks ago.  And today I'm doing the not-get-disowned thing by blogging about it.

This swim school's primary emphasis is on safety and life-saving ability.  The first things they teach new swimmers are the back float, how to turn over onto your back, and how to make your way along the edge of the pool to get out.  From day 1 (maybe day 2 in Andrew's case), the teachers dunk the kid underwater.  Andrew's not a fan, but he's doing just fine and it doesn't seem to cause him unreasonable stress.

I've been taking Andrew to swim at the YMCA just so he can have fun and get comfortable in the water.  He absolutely loves being with me, especially because I can carry him and give him piggybacks so easily in the water.  Not so easy when I feel his full 47 pounds.  And it should surprise precisely nobody that when he's in the water, "floating" on a pool noodle, he in fact is treading water, and he ended up doing so for about 90 minutes.  No wonder he's so skinny.  Nothing but energy.  One of his favorite things to do is lie almost horizontally on my back (while I stoop down, so it's not one of my favorite things) to approximate the freestyle position and then kick like a mother.  Also no surprise to anyone who knows him.

Some pictures and videos from his graduation:

Andrew, Hannah (who really is that much shorter than him -- she's two and a half), and Mr. Mike, whose last name is a mystery.

Does this look like a kid who doesn't like swimming lessons?

















Getting ready to be thrown into the water.



Now really ready.  Maybe not happy, but ready.



Down!

So, my guppy is a guppy no longer.  He is now a goldfish.

Here are links to the pictures and videos:

Photos

Back float #1

Back float #2 -- all by himself for a full minute

Diving for rings