Like A Fish

Ellie started swimming lessons last Monday. She is doing them at the YMCA and we are doing a two week class 4 days a week for 30 minutes. She has a great teacher and is in a class with 3 other kids. She LOVES it! She is so excited every day and can't wait to go back the next day. She is learning to float on her back by herself and swim freestyle by herself. She has also been a little chatterbox. The third day she did a little too much talking and I reminded her that making friends is fun and important but to make sure she listens to the teacher. The next day she did awesome of balancing the two. The fourth day they practiced swimming the length of the shallow end of the pool. They had a noodle around their waist and would hold their kick board. Ellie was zooming past them and was the first to get her noodle off and fly solo. They even played catch Ellie for practice. She also was practicing her freestyle swim and was completely comfortable going underwater. She was super brave and jumped in the deep end to her teacher. The teacher told me she is right at the brink of swimming on her own and is swim team material. Ben was out of town at camp with the middle school students for the week but I would send him pictures of her every day in the pool. We are both so proud of her! I told Ben I was even getting a little emotional as I watched her on that fourth day. (I am going to blame it on being pregnant.) She is so proud of herself and we go to the pool after her lesson and she is so eager to practice all her new skills.
It has also been a great thing for her socially and led to great conversation with her and I. She noticed this week that other people have darker skin than her and so it led to a great conversation with her in which I told her that God makes all of us different and unique and that we all have different shades of skin but that doesn't make us any different than any one else, we are all His children and created by him. She has always had people in her life whether it is our friends or kids at church or even Ms. Kammy, our go to babysitter, and her family that as Ellie says "have darker skin than she does" and she has never once noticed or asked about it. This week she noticed for the first time in a way that made her ask me about it, but at the same time only said anything about one person instead of all 3 that she swims with. I love the way her brain works and the way she is so inquisitive. It gives us great conversations and allows me opportunities to instill in her God honoring values and love for others as he intended for us to love. So this week has brought about more than just learning to swim with confidence but amazing teachable moments that are the reason I love being a Mom especially to my little thinker, my sweet Elliebeans.

 First Day

 Getting Loose

 Back Float

 That is her sweet little head that is barely visible as she is practicing her freestyle stroke and flutter kick.