She SWIMS!

A little history: We started Sidney out in swimming lessons this session, and two weeks into it we were all frustrated. She was in tears, and we were sad to see her struggle. A week later she had a change of attitude and started to embrace her class. And holy buckets I can't say how happy we are that we all stuck it out. Because trust me, we were very close to letting her quit. We even justified it between ourselves that this style of learning was not for her. 

Fast forward to today: Today, as we hunted for things to do on a dreary, COLD, wet, COLD day, we opted to head to a local indoor pool, with one massive water slide. At first we played on the kiddie side, both girls going up and down the 5 foot slide, landing safely in a puddle of water. But soon the big water slide opened up, and we watched as kids flocked to that side of the pool. Ryan and Regan headed over, but Sidney was upset, wanting to join in the fun. So we ventured over to the lifeguard, who told her "if she can swim, she can go down" (the slide lands in 3' 6" of water...over her head). We knew it was a little bit of a risk, but she was soooooo eager to give it a whirl. So she proudly walked up the stairs with Ryan and Regan. I anxiously waited on the bottom, knowing full well that I might be jumping in to save my sweet Sidney. First came Regan, who knew to slowly make her way to the safety zone (in the event she too needed to help save her sissy). Then came Sidney, we had coached her to puff out her monkey cheeks just before reaching the bottom in case she went under. I watched her monkey cheeks as she landed in the water....and then she did it;  she swam to the side! All. By. Herself. Her little arms paddling herself and legs kicking away as she made it a solid 6 feet to safety. Whoop whoop! She was beaming. I sure wish I would have gotten a video of it. Unfortunately, after about 10 times going up/down the slide, the water park had to close due to poop in the pool. 

Yea, mega gross. 

(We all took 2 showers this afternoon, one at the exit of the pool. And another upon returning home. Icky!)

Congratulations Sidney!! We simply cannot wait to get you into the pool this summer, and watch as you jump off the board and swim to the edge on your own, without all the gear that keeps you afloat!