After six weeks of no swimming due to our pool being closed for resurfacing, we're finally able to get the kids back into the pool. I think I have mentioned before that we have discovered that swimming is a tremendous help for Abby. When she is swimming regularly her behavior is more manageable, she focuses better, she is less impulsive, and she is emotionally more stable. It isn't a "cure-all," but it is one of the best things we have found to help give her damaged brain the organization it needs. FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) are so varied and misunderstood that it often feels like we're on our own to find solutions and treatments that help, and I am so grateful the Lord directed us to this activity because it has proven so helpful to her (and Mommy & Daddy)!
An added bonus is that for some reason Abigail was put into the class with the oldest and best swimmers (I'm not sure why), so she spends her 40 minutes in the big pool where she can't touch the bottom. She is swimming full lengths of the pool, which is a lot for a five-year-old! Her instructor is great and said she loves having Abby in her class because it challenges her to find new ways to teach her how to swim (currently she is having difficulty coordinating arms and legs and breathing all at once).
Abby is thrilled because she is now learning to dive! I actually missed her diving for the first time (busy chatting with my friends...oops), but I hope to get a picture or video next time. The lifeguard who was her teacher most of the time last year was so excited by her dive that she called her over and gave her a big high five (making me feel like a crummy mom for missing it all).
Last week on Veterans Day the schools were out, and the pool was packed during our swimming time. So the instructors decided to focus on water safety for that whole 40 minutes instead of spreading it out over the whole eight lessons the way they normally do. The kids had fun rescuing each other and learning how to stay alive in the water.
Ryan has been making progress as well. His class gets to go jump in the deep pool at the end of each lesson, but Ryan is terrified of not being able to touch the bottom, so he has to be talked into it each time. Hopefully, he'll overcome this fear just as he has all his other water phobias!
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