Just Like Little Fish

For about ten years now, we've been trying to teach the girls to swim.  Okay, I guess that's not right since Sonya is only seven.  It just feels that way.  In reality, this is the third summer in a row the girls have taken swimming lessons.  You might remember the stories from the past summers. and finally, FINALLY, about a month ago Sonya really started swimming:

(Did you like the way Lana had to get herself in that video? Now, I was claiming victory.  At least one of them was somewhat comfortable in the water!  At least one of them will  put her head under without going into hysterics!  I just figured we'd worry about the other two next summer.  Then Lana (yes, Lana! The same one who did this one summer.) surprised the hell out of us and a couple weeks ago started doing this out of nowhere:

So now we have TWO of them at least willing to try and move in the water!  Georgia is still very hesitant, but fortunately we live in Southern, CA where is will be summer until at least November.  This is my friend Stacy's pool, and I plan on living there until I have all three of them swimming like Michael Phelps.  Or at least like Michael Phelps when he was three.  

Hats!

No real story behind this picture.  I just had to share it for no other reason than, aren't they so damn cute?!  This was after swim lessons one day in the lifeguard office.  I went to get their swim teacher's number, because we love her and she will make a fantastic babysitter.  These are the hats some of the lifeguards wear when they are on duty, so one of the guys put these on the girls, while they waited for me.  They loved it and I had to take a picture because again-so DAMN CUTE!

Here We Swim Again!

Well, it is that time of year.  Swim lessons time.  Last year didn't exactly go well and I was dreading the lessons this year. The girls didn't make much progress at all last year.  If you've been reading this blog for a while you might remember those adventures.  If not, you can read about them here, here and here.  Yeah, fun times. Part of the reason for that, I thought, was because our lessons were in the morning, which is not a good thing in June in L.A.  THIS year I thought I would be smart.  THIS year, I figured I would sign them up for afternoon swim lessons so the "June gloom" that we experience here in Los Angeles, would be gone for the day, and the sun would be shining in the afternoon.  Except I forgot that some days the gloom lasts ALL DAY LONG.  Luckily, they do heat the pool so the water hasn't been too bad.  Still, I was sure that we would just be starting from scratch, sun or no sun.  


This year, Georgia's lessons are first.  As it turns out, she LOVES to be in the water. She's still too young to be in a class on her own, so we have a  mommy and me class.   She's not so hip on getting put under the water, but she will kick and float, while I hold her on top like nobody's business. Well, this was progress as far as I was concerned with her.  One down, two to go.  


Sonya and Lana are in the same class again.  Despite taking these classes last year and even a handful of one on one lessons last year, by the end of the summer my girls were still terrified of the water.  Andy is convinced that they will never learn to swim, but I refuse to give up.  They WILL swim, dammit!  I was thinking that Sonya might be a bit better this year.  She was apprehensive about it, but she's starting to get to a point where she understands things better and has an easier time over coming her fears.  Lana, however, was the one I was most worried about.  How surprising, right? It took two lessons last year for her to even stay in the water for more than 5 minutes.  Then when she did she would only go in the water when an instructor held her, and the rest of the time sat on the ledge.  I was pretty sure we would be right there again.  My only hope was she wouldn't run out of the pool the first two days again.  


Then an amazing thing happened.  Something I hadn't anticipated.  Right before Georgia's class started on Monday, the heavens opened up and smiled down on me.  Into the pool walked Lana's best friend, Angelina, and her family.  As it turned out, Angelina was signed up for the same class as Lana and Sonya.  I was sure this would make it a bit easier.  Nothing like a little peer pressure to get your kid swimming!


Unfortunately, the first day of class the instructors separated the kids into two groups and Angelina and Lana got separated.  DAMN!  Lana did stay in the water, though, even if she did still sit up on the ledge again.  I noticed Angelina at the other end of the pool in the water, hopping around, going under, and actually swimming.  By herself.  I made a vow right then that Lana would sit by her the next day.  


Tuesday came and I made sure all the girls went to the same instructors on the same side.  Lana, once again, sat on the edge of the pool, but this time she was next to Angelina who was bouncing up and down in the water, holding on to the edge.  I heard one of the instructors try to encourage Lana off the wall, but no dice.  Then I left to take Georgia to the bathroom.  When I came back this is what I found:

I couldn't believe it!  Lana was actually in the water!  Holding on to the edge!  BY HERSELF!!  For the rest of the class she stayed there and bounced with her friend and her sister in the water.  At one point, I saw her hang on with one hand while putting both feet out of the water, almost floating on her back.  In the last couple days she has progressed even more. At one point she actually went UNDER the water.  WILLINGLY!!  


So, perhaps my girls are on the road to swimming for real this year.  Maybe, just maybe, I might actually get them to let go of the wall and swim to me at some point this summer.  It's certainly a thousand times better than last year already.  I also signed them up for another session later on this summer.  A session I   believe Angelina is in as well.  See, peer pressure and influence isn't always bad!  Sometimes it helps your kid learn to swim.  I'll worry about it making them want to smoke and drink in ten years from now.  For right now, I'm fine with Lana following her friend jumping off a bridge.  Especially if it's into water that she can learn how to swim out of.  

Noticing the Differences

Tuesdays are turning into a- crazy I'm only home for a minute here and an hour there for the girls naps and maybe for a snack and then we are back out again for something else-kind of day. I would love to write about Lana starting preschool today, but I don't have the time for a post that long. Instead I'll give you this gem she gave us two days ago.

Sunday afternoon we went across the street to our neighbor's pool, since it was the last hot day we are going to have for a while. A little side note-Can I just tell you how great it is to have neighbors who have a pool? A NICE pool even. And they like us and tell us to come over ANYTIME. It's even better than having your own pool. Forget all the expense of putting your own pool in! Just move across the street from people who already have a pool. Only, they have to be nice people. I'd just like to say how incredibly awesome Kelly and John are for letting us swim over there all summer. Not to mention all the free babysitting they do. Since we don't have much in the way of family out here, having great neighbors helps out a lot. Thank you Kelly and John! And now back to my story.

We were all standing on the steps of the pool easing our way into the water. Now keep in mind we've been swimming at the pool, and going to the beach all summer. Not to mention, Andy walks around the house without a shirt on quite often, so it's not like Lana has never seen his chest. However, for some reason, she just noticed he didn't look the same as me. So she looked at him and said,

"Who cut off you big boobies?"

I kind of half heard what she was asking and Andy must have too, because he told her to repeat it.

"Who cut off you big boobies?" She asked him again.

That is when I burst into laughter. Then Andy calmly explained that he was a boy, and boys don't get boobies like girls do. Well most boys anyway. That is a different discussion for when she is older.

"Oh, okay," she said, satisfied with his answer. Then she was ready to swim.

I was still off to the side of the pool giggling for about five minutes. I found her question funny and odd. Funny that she thought Andy had boobies at one point, and apparently they were big in her mind. Odd that she thought someone had cut them off. That part I can't figure out. It might be all those Saw movies I keep letting her watch. Could explain the nightmares too.

It's Going Swimmingly

I thought I would perhaps give you all an update on the swimming progress of the girls. Well, maybe some of you don't really care, but then again if you didn't really care you wouldn't be coming here to read this. So I'm going to assume that if you are reading this you do care. Or at the very least are mildly interested. So here's how things are shaping up with the Burbank Parks and Rec swim classes.

Sonya has been progressing well and is even going under the water for two whole seconds at a time! By that I mean her WHOLE HEAD under water. Not just her face. That is progress for her, trust me. She seems to be less afraid and is having more fun. I'm hoping this will continue as we go to friends' pools throughout the summer and she doesn't decide to become fearful again at some point.

Georgia absolutely LOVES going in the water. She can't wait for her class, and when Sonya and Lana are at the end of theirs, she begins to yell,

"Mwy tuwn! I go in pool!!"

It's all I can do to keep her from getting in the water before the other class is out. Today they had us practice putting the kids on the side of the pool, either sitting or standing, and "jumping" into us. This basically meant I held her hands and kind of pulled her in the water. She had a blast with this. She must have made me do that with her at least 25 times. She would jump into me then would immediately say,

"I tye again!"

So yeah, she's all good with the water now too.

Then there is Lana. Oh my Lana. Well, we spent Tuesday much like Monday. She was eager to go in the water. She sat on the ledge, when everyone started kicking and she got splashed, she was done. I begged, bribed and pleaded with her to get back in the water, the rest of class. That child is just so stubborn, and it wasn't until all the kids were getting out that she decided to sit back on the ledge again. I didn't know what to do. So I went home and did what I always do when I get frustrated with the kids about something and it's not 7pm or "wine time" yet. I called one of my sisters to bitch.

This particular time I called Beth. She suggested using a reward chart. This is what she did when she was having a difficult time potty training Zach last summer. She told me to get a timer and for every 5 minutes Lana was in the water, she would get a sticker on the chart. It had ten spaces, and when she got to the end she would win a reward of her choosing. Then if I needed to, we could start the chart over again.

So, I logged on to Supernanny.com and printed out a reward chart they had there. (This is a great resource to go for ALL moms! That British lady really knows what she's doing.) We bought some colored smiley face stickers at Target, and a digital kitchen timer, and by Wednesday morning we were good to go. My other thought was to keep Lana out of the water until the rest of the kids were done with their warm up kicks in the water. This way she wouldn't be splashed in the face to begin with.

I had explained the chart to Lana the night before and she seemed to understand what we were doing. She sat out of the pool for the first couple minutes and when they were done with the kicking, I took her over to get in. She sat herself on the ledge and I started to the timer. I also told her that in order to get her stickers she had to do what the teacher told her to. The first time one of the teachers came to do an exercise with her, she shook her head no and began to cry. But the teacher was persistent, yet nice with her. and she did what was asked and sat back on the ledge. Then she turned around to me and said,

"I want to get out now."

"Not yet," I told her. "The timer just started you have to keep it going to get your sticker."

She turned back around and waited until it was her turn to get back in the water. The next exercise there were a little less tears. Then she hit her five minute mark and got her first sticker. I think I was more excited than she was, but I could tell she was getting used to being in the water and collecting her stickers.

She ended up staying in the pool the ENTIRE REST OF CLASS. And, AND, she was even giggling and having fun by the end! I called my sister as soon as we got home and told her what a genius she was. The chart worked! There was no more begging and pleading. She managed to get halfway through her chart on Wednesday and finished it yesterday. Yup, she stayed in all day yesterday and today without any chart at all. She seems to be enjoying it now and is excited to get in the water. Since she has started to trust that the instructors are going to hold her and not drop her into the water, there has not been one tear. I honestly thought we were going to spend the entire session with Lana not doing anything in the water. Instead she's spending time in the pool and becoming less afraid of the water, and actually learning to swim. She's not going to be joining the Olympic Swim Team anytime soon, but at least it's a start. Then again, as you can see Lana surprises us. She may be challenging Michael Phelps before we know it.

So, even though week one of swim lessons started out shaky, it ended pretty successfully. Plus all it cost me was a few stickers and a trip to Menchies for some frozen yogurt yesterday.

And that's waaaayy cheaper than a pony.

Sink or Swim

Just when I think I won't have anything to write about for the day, I take my kids to swim lessons for the first time. Oy!

About two months ago, I signed the girls up for swim lessons through the Burbank Parks and Rec department. I am finally able to put Lana in a class by herself, well without me in the water anyway, and Sonya has been old enough for some time. I signed Georgia up for a "Mommy and Me" class. Sonya and Lana are in the same level one class. I knew from the beginning that this would most likely not go well. If you haven't realized by now, my girls are not the type to" jump in with both feet" to do anything. A pool is no exception, so I was pretty sure this was going to be a tough time.

Sonya began proving my point this morning, when she started to get a pouty look on her face about a half hour before we had to leave. I tried everything from, "there's nothing to be afraid of", to "there are instructors there to help you", and "I used to get nervous about swim lessons myself." All being totally true. I can remember every year taking swim lessons, as a kid, and feeling like I was going to throw up at the beginning of each session. Then I learned what we would have to do and began to relax and have fun. As you can see, the apple did not fall far. Lana and Georgia didn't seem to care, which made sense, since they didn't really understand yet what we were doing. Oh but they soon would...

We got to the pool and the other classes were still in the water. Sonya got even more quiet and nervous. I continued to try and reassure her, but it didn't seem to be working. Lana, however, was ready to dive in the minute she saw the pool. I put sunblock on all of them and Lana continued to beg me to get in the pool. I told her we had to wait until it was our turn and that there were other kids still doing their lesson. Sonya would have been fine waiting until they closed the pool in September, but Lana wanted in RIGHT NOW! Georgia just watched and waited to and see what was going to happen, and who to take her cue from.

Finally, the other class was over and it was their turn. The time had come for them to get in the water. Sonya was hesitant, but managed to make her way over to the wall where all the kids in class stood and clung to the side. Lana eagerly entered the water. Then after placing one foot on the steps, she immediately changed her mind about wanting to get in at all. Still, the instructors managed to get her over to the wall and sat her on the ledge. She looked back at me with that, "I'm all done with this, can I please get out now" look. I encouraged her to do what sissy was doing. She responded by whimpering and threatening tears. I tried my best to ignore this.

Then the lesson began. They started by holding on to the wall and kicking their legs behind them fast then slow. Sonya tried this and eventually got into it, but as soon as Lana got the first splashes of water on her, she jumped up from the ledge and out of the pool, running over to me crying. Yes I have THAT kid. I spent the next 25 minutes of class promising her anything to get her back in the pool. That girl is so damn stubborn though, and no amount of ice cream, Mickey, candy or ponies was getting her back in the water. Great. So we sat on the edge watching everyone else while she whined about not wanting to get back in, and I pleaded with her to try, if even for a minute. I did manage to sit her back on the ledge and put her feet in the water. Then she even play splashed one of the instructors. This was the last two minutes of class, but at least she was in! Sort of.

The good news was, Sonya warmed up to it and allowed the instructors to help her try the things they were teaching. She was still nervous and scared, but she did everything, including jumping into the pool in the end. Well the instructor was there to catch her, but still. Then she got out out of the water and declared,

"That was fun!! I can't wait to come back and do it again tomorrow!" I'm just hoping this sentiment holds until then.

After their class we moved to the other side of the pool where Sonya and Lana sat and ate snacks, while I took Georgia into the water for her class. Lana was totally fine at this point and promised me tomorrow she would go in the water and do better. Uh-huh. Just like I was going to get that pony I promised her if she would just get back in the water to begin with.

Georgia wasn't too excited about swimming either. I'm sure her sisters being so enthusiastic didn't help matters. She cried for about the first five minutes of her class. Luckily I was in the water with her, so it was easier to convince her it was fun when I started to spin her around. I think her problem was the initial chill of the water, which wasn't really that bad, after we got used to it. By the end of her class we were singing songs and dancing in the water and she was having a great time.

Now according to all of them, tomorrow they will all be eager and happy to get back in the water and learn to swim. My question is do they realize that tomorrow is just a day away, or do they think it's some far off time they don't have to worry about for a while? Since they've never seen Annie, I'm guessing they don't know just how close tomorrow is. Unfortunately I do, and now I'M dreading it. Along with the rest of these next two weeks. Classes aren't done until next Thursday. Yay.

I think we might just end up with a pony by then.