Good Morning!  We have now had six swim lessons and E is loving the water.  I apologize that some of the pictures are a little blurry…I sit behind the glass at the lessons and try my very hardest not to be seen.  When she is with Matt and she is well-rested she is ok seeing me at a distance, but when Matt’s mom took her, she was having a blast until she saw me behind the glass.  Holy yikes.  I am also already that mom behind the glass, so I am choosing to spare Eleanor’s (Matt’s) embarrassment at coming in and taking pictures poolside.  Pooltime has become a daddy/daughter thing and it is the sweetest ever.

Some of the skills E has mastered since her first lesson:
Climbing up out of the pool with just a bit of assistance
Jumping back into the pool with confidence
Going underwater without freaking out
Kicking while holding onto the barbell raft thing
Splashing on the raft
Kicking her feet to  move to get the balls or the ducks

Her instructor, Deon, is absolutely phenomenal.  He kept his distance when he knew she was uneasy and now Eleanor is as happy as a clam around him.  He sings with the kids, smiles the entire time, and has just the right amount of energy for this age group.
The way that the class is structured is also a huge part of the reason E stays calm.  The activity that the class is working on changes every minute or so.  She never has too much time to go looking for what’s behind the glass.  Bam: quack quacks are out and now we are climbing out of the pool and now we are jumping back in!  And now get on the raft!  The whole class goes by really fast and every single baby is happy and learning.  That is skill right there!

We honestly look forward to her swim lessons–hands down the best part of the weekend!  With summer approaching we are so glad that E will be excited about the water and have the basics of swimming down!
Thank you so much Goldfish for creating such a positive experience for the whole family!

Hope you all have a great start to the week!
Erin

Also: In case you need some swimwear ideas, I posted several great options here!

*This post was written in partnership with Goldfish Swim School, but all opinions, as always, are my own!