Izzy Learns To Swim

One of my primary goals this summer was to get Isabelle swimming without water wings. We enrolled in the Red Cross swimming classes that her sisters have taken the last three years running. This time, though, thanks to high gas prices, we drove to Chiefland instead of Crystal River. It is a smaller, private pool which was great for Isabelle--a little less overwhelming. She started crying immediately the first day, I so knew that was going to be the case. What I didn't know, is how resilient she can be, and by the end of the class, the other two kids were crying and she wasn't! And she was so proud that she wasn't crying! She made up her mind on the second day and after class told her teacher, "I'm not going to cry tomorrow" and she didn't. I was very proud of her.

Here's Izzy in the deep end! She had to swim across the pool, face in the water, lifting her face for breath. She made it all the way across with no help from the teacher.

This look reads, "I cannot believe what just happened. I'm standing there with all my clothes on and they PUSHED ME IN!" It was intentional, of course. I knew it was going to happen but she sure didn't. Total surprise. The lesson is that you can swim with your clothes and shoes on, so that if you fall in water unexpectedly, you can swim to the side or edge of the water even if you are not in your swimsuit. They taught them to leave their shoes floating, hat sinking, etc, and just swim. It was a good lesson but a bit scary for her.

Here's the swimmer doing her underwater float in the deep end

Just swam across the pool and can't quite believe she's done it!