It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Summer!

Although according to the calendar summer has not arrived, in every other sense of the word it is here. School is out, and the temps are at their highest lately at around 90 degrees. Rebekah has also begun swim lessons, or shall I say, learning to swim through SwimAmerica. Rebekah goes for 30 minutes every day, four days each week, for two weeks. I had heard great things about InfantSwim through a friend who swears by the program, but since it is not offered in our area and having heard good things about SwimAmerica as well we decided to enroll Rebekah. I was concerned there would be crying, but not one tear has been shed, and Rebekah is really enjoying her lessons. Ms. Sandy is really nice and great with kids, and I love that Rebekah is getting one-on-one attention. We had to pay extra for it, but it's been so worth it, and Rebekah doesn't have to sit on the wall while waiting for other kids to take their turn.

As a child of around seven years I took traditional swim lessons from a well-known organization of which I shall remain nameless, and I had such a horrible experience! Teenagers who didn't know how to handle my fear of the water tried to force me to jump in the pool from a little platform. I clawed my hands around the metal legs of the platform for dear life while they pried me away. As a result, I never learned how to swim, and I'm still afraid of the water to some extent. I love getting in the pool, but I stay clear of the deep end. This is a huge reason why I want my kids to learn how to swim. I'm so thankful that Rebekah is enjoying it.

Today Rebekah earned her first sticker on her chart. There are 10 levels to pass before becoming a true swimmer. They are as follows:

Station 1 Splashers - Water Adaptation
Station 2 Bubblers - Underwater Exploration
Station 3 Floaters - Front and Back Floats
Station 4 Kickers - Front and Back Kicks
Station 5 Crawlers
Station 6 Frogs - Breaststroke Arms & Kick
Station 7 Dolphins - Butterfly Kick
Station 8 Starfish - Crawl, Back, Breast, Butterfly
Station 9 Divers
Station 10 Swimmers - Advanced Starfish

Rebekah passed the following after 2 days:

Station 1 – Splashers
(Water Adaptation)

Advancement Goals:
Water adaptation
Get in pool by self
Get out of pool by self
Flutter kick holding wall
Adjustment to coach
Reaching assists
Use of Personal Flotation Devices
Throwing floating objects

The second station's main hurdle is submerging their face in the water and blowing bubbles. Rebekah will blow bubbles, but she doesn't want to put her eyes in the water, which I totally understand that fear. She did do it twice in the bathtub today, and we really cheered her for it, but then she didn't want to do it anymore. I don't want to push her, but rather encourage her. She'll get there as she becomes more comfortable, I'm sure.

Here are some photos I took the last couple of days. I didn't get great ones the first day, but here they are anyway.

Day 1 - Getting comfortable in the water


Blowing bubbles


Intro to floating on her back


Day 2 - Blowing bubbles


Kicking



Jumping in the pool (I think this is what they call "Reaching assists" b/c it was more reaching to the coach than jumping)




More kicking




Yesterday I noticed a sign advertising Mommy & Me classes for children under 3 years of age. Regular classes begin at age 3. The parent/child classes are at the same time as Rebekah's lesson on Mondays and Wednesdays. It was advertised for a price for the full month of June, and we would not be able to participate that long, but the woman over the program told me she would adjust the price for us to attend 3 classes. So, Joshua and I are going to participate while Rebekah is swimming as well. I'm looking forward to getting in the pool with Joshua. I'm sure he'll be glad too.