Thursday, August 13, 2009

Swimming with Jacob



Jacob and Lucas also took swimming lessons so today I thought I'd share some of Jacob's pictures. I'll do Lucas' next.

Jacob has always been very iffy about the water. He was never one of those kids that would stand on the edge and jump to you so many times you felt like your arms were going to fall off. As a matter of fact he wouldn't even jump. If he got in then he'd constantly hang onto the side of the pool or stay on the ladder. He loved to play in the water but he would never venture away. Definitely not a risk taker so you never had to worry about him getting into any trouble in the water. You can tell by the progression of his pictures that he definitely warmed up to the idea of the water. He started actually having fun and it was so great to watch. On one particular day one of his teachers wasn't there so he had a sub and it was the best thing that could have ever happened. Of course it was the one day that I didn't take my camera. They did more in that one day than they had done in the previous 6 that they had been there. He was by far the best swimming instructor I have ever seen and he did wonders for Jacob. I only wish we could have had him the entire time...next time I think I'm going to have to ask for him specifically. He's doing much better in the pool now. He's still hesitant but he's much more comfortable in the water...he'll actually venture into the middle of the pool with his float on and even jumped in a few times over the weekend.


You can tell at the beginning he wasn't into it at all. The teachers would ask him if he wanted to do things and he'd simply say no. I eventually went up to him and told him that he needed to do what they asked him to because if not then he'd have sat there the entire time and watched everyone else from the sidelines.



He's still getting the hang of kicking but he's doing much better. He likes to bicycle kick more than anything and his teachers kept telling him he had to have straight kicks or he'd bicycle his way right to the bottom.



He really liked doing this. I'm still not sure what the purpose was but Jacob thought it was like climbing a fire pole and of course that's the coolest thing in the world to Jacob.




I love to see his face....I can tell such a difference in how comfortable he was in the water by the end.






The last day they did boat safety. they put life jackets on them and put them in a raft. Then they would make them get out and float before they swam back to the side of the pool.



Mission Accomplished!

11 comments:

Lori said...

looks like fun for all

He & Me + 3 said...

I could see the difference in his expressions in the pictures. That one he looks so scared. I am so glad he finished with a smile. He is adorable.

Vicky said...

Oh yes, I see a difference too :) Warms my heart to see him enjoying it towards the end. What a great swim facility, I don't dare show my own boys the boats and the "pole" or they'd insist on finding a different pool :) I enjoy getting to know each of your kids this way.

More Than Words said...

I can tell the total difference from the beginning to the end of the class!!

It's so reassuring when they take lessons, huh?

Shannon said...

I have such unreasonable fear of my kids & water. I can imagine yours is bad too after what happened. My neice is a lifeguard and has been giving my son some swim lessons this year. He's doing pretty good but I'm hoping next year it will "click" for him.

E @ Scottsville said...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, way to go Jacob! His expressions DEFINITELY changed from the first pictures to the last. =0)

How sweet. Glad you captured the memory!

Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com said...

That's great!! I'm so glad he had a good lesson in there. And you got some awesome pictures.

Stacy said...

You got some great pictures in the water:)

Veronica said...

Yay! He did it! You got a ton of great shots but the one I love the best is when he's looking straight at the camera and smiling! That picture was perfection!

Stephanie said...

I need to get Seth and Swae in lessons. They both love the water, but Seth is starting to get scared and not want anything to do with it unless someone is holding on to him or he can touch. Swae is a little fish. Lessons would be great for both!

Kim said...

AW! Glad to see a happy ending & a happy face!!! :) He's so cute!