Swim, Swim, Swim

Normally you are not allowed to take pictures at the Y swim classes but I asked the instructor, life guard and the parents in Mason's class if it would be ok. Mason has a small class (4 kids) so everyone said it was ok. Ms. Tami, an outstanding swim instructor and Mason.
Mason has turned the corner with his swim lessons (even Ms. Tami says so) and it's awesome to see him become confident about putting his head in the water, floating on his front and back (sometimes with help) and happy, happy in the water. Last week when I swam with him we both held our breaths under the water to see who could hold our breath the longest. Sherman swims with Mason when Ryan has his lesson and he loves to show off what he learned at his lesson.

Mason is getting comfortable with putting his head in the water when he swims.

Ms. Tami teaching Mason how to put his feet down in the pool after floating.

Ryan's class is on Saturday's and there are 2 classes running simultaneously with free swim at the other end of the pool so taking pictures of Ryan swimming probably won't happen. Ryan is doing good and enjoys the water but isn't quite as comfortable in the water as Mason. He'll get there as he continues to have more swim time and lessons. A few times we practiced laying on his back in the bathtub with enough water to cover his ears so he could become comfortable (and relax) with swimming on his back without holding his hands over his ears. This morning he told me that he can go underwater without holding his nose and covering his ears. I think he's been doing this for a while but he still refers back to when he was afraid --- and as I've told Ryan when he first started lessons, you can't swim if you put your hands over your ears or hold your nose. Yep, Ryan has come along way in getting over some fears of the water. Another push of encouragement - Sherman was on the swim team when he was 5 yr. old and Ryan and Mason saw a picture of him swimming the length of the pool. That helped them realize that dad could swim when he was their age and gave them a boost of confidence; hey, if dad can do this so can they.