Today was the first day ever of swim classes for Addie, Hudson and Grant. They all did amazing.
I knew that Addie would do really well. She's been counting down the days for today to finally come. I also thought that Grant would be great. He really likes trying new things. I knew with every ounce of my being that the kid to be really nervous would be my sweet Hudson. He acted excited on the outside all week but once we were by the side of the pool he couldn't hide his true feelings. That boy was so scared. He has always been scared in the water and has refused to ever get is hair wet in the pool before. Addie and Grant both were the first kids to get in the water. Grant is in the Narwhal class and Addie and Hudson are both in the Manatee class. At one point the head swim class instructor asked Hudson if he wanted to join the Narwhal class, but he didn't want that. It's probably for the best that he didn't because Grant would have fed off his energy and become nervous as well. Grant idolizes his big brother and is always mimicking him. He'll even pretend to not like some of his favorite foods if he thinks Hudson doesn't like it. So I'm kind of glad it didn't happen because Grant was thriving in the water. Luckily both classes were right next to each other so I was able to watch both with ease.
An instructor gave Hudson a cup to play with while he worked up his nerves but said that he'd have to fill it up with water himself. I think it helped him a little.
Trying to get Hudson in the water felt like it was taking forever but when I went back and checked my phone I realized that it was just under twenty minutes. Eighteen minutes to be exact. I ended up just lifting him and placing him in the water myself. Class is only 45 minutes long and I was becoming more and more aware of how long all the other kids were waiting on us. As soon as I put Hudson in the water he realized that he could in fact fully stand in there without going under and was all smiles. There was a yellow platform in the pool to help the kids stand up. I was worried that maybe me putting him in was the wrong move since every kid is different and I'm not always sure how they'll react but this was the right push for Hudson. He was so happy once he was in there. He started telling everyone who could hear him how he was finally in the water as if he had just jumped in himself haha. He was extremely proud of himself and I was so happy for him. I had to quickly snap a picture of his beaming face because I don't want to ever forget it. I knew he would be scared but I also knew he'd happy doing it. I'm so proud of him.
I'm proud of all three of them. They all did fantastic. Hudson never did dip his head or even get off the yellow platform, but I am still so proud of him nonetheless. The fact that he was in the water was a huge deal. As the class went on he got slowly more comfortable and would stand there not holding onto the sides for stability.
Some more pictures from their swim lessons.
When class ended all the kids got out of the water except for Hudson. I couldn't believe it and never would have predicted that. He was the last one to get into the water and the last one to leave it. He was showing everyone how he could get on his knees and have the water reach the bottom of his ears, which is totally a big deal. I told Addie she could play in the play area while I was trying to get Hudson out of the pool. He finally told his teacher that he'll see her next week and once home all three couldn't wait to tell their dad how fun swim lessons are. I'm so happy all three ended up having a great experience. I can't wait for next Saturday and to see all of them get even better each time.
