Swimming Lesson #3, To Float or Not to Float

Our new lesson was on floating. However, we didn't get to learn how to float because right as the lesson began Isaac had to go potty. So, out of the pool and back inside to find a potty. If you haven't been swimming lately, kids under 3 not only have to wear their little swimmer and a swimming suit but a vinyl swimming underwear too. I can't even tell you how fun it is to peel off 3 layers of wet clothes on a boy who is anxiously waiting to go potty and then put them back on again! We finally made it back out and my cousin, Stacy taught us the 3 floats. For my sake in remembering them, they are:

1. Arms around my neck and legs floating straight back. (Isaac was doing this but the legs straight back part looked more like a kick, hop, kick! 

2. Floating on their back with their cheek and your cheek touching.

3. Their head laying on your chest, floating on their back. (These last two Isaac hated. He would kick and his ears would get wet and he would get upset... so I think we will keep working on float #1) 

Normally, we would have the full 1/2 hour to practice this and I'm sure he would have gotten it by the end but we were going on a field trip to the shallow end and we had missed most of our practice time by finding the potty. 

We made it to the shallow end and all the kids were so excited they could touch the bottom! Isaac looked like he was walking on the moon, kind of a slow motion bounce - he was saying, "mom! I'm walking!!!" He got a little brave and started running all over. Inevitably, I knew it would happen... he tripped. It's hard to run in water to get to anyone fast enough and the few seconds Isaac's head was under water felt like and eternity to me as I was trying to grab him. (Terrible flashbacks of him falling under water in the kiddy pool water last year and my brother-in-law Gordon saving him.) But the good news was when I grabbed him and pulled him up he looked like he was holding his breath! And as Stacy and I waited for a loud terrible cry, he sputtered a little and said, "my ducky floated away!" (He was chasing a little plastic duck and that's how he tripped) So off he went to get his duck. Stacy and I were both a little surprised! When his ducky was safe and he turned around, looked at us, and said while he was patting his head, "my hair got wet mom. my hair is wet." We burst out laughing! What kind of boy have I raised? Here I thought he was drowning and he was concerned about his hair! Luckily, it didn't affect him in the least... so off to 5 more adventurous swimming days.