He's My Starfish

Blake had his first swimming class and we had our first taste of sports lessons. Every day Blake looked forward to his class and we looked forward to the thirty minutes by the pool together. I loved seeing how happy he was as he splashed with four other four-year-olds at our community pool. He put his right ear in the water, his left ear in the water, kicked on the wall, and traveled around the pool with his teacher while holding a kick board or floating barbells. He also learned how to do "over water, under water" arms.



We did all the typical sports family things: An extremely rushed family dinner that had to be set out right at 5 PM. I tried to start preparing dinner at 4 PM, 3:30 PM, and even 3 PM to get it on the table by 5 exactly and some nights it seemed like diaper changes, injuries, tears, phone calls, or other chores prevented the stars from aligning just right for a 5 PM dinner start. The result was a white mini-van quickly zipping through neighborhood shortcuts at 5:48 PM with a wet swimsuit that had made it into the washer but not the dryer before class time (Mom, where's my uniform?!!) -- The wet swimsuit thing just happened once.

Once we arrived at the pool, it was like our own little paradise. The pool is only a few years old and the edges of the pool have water lapping over the side like a beach. There is a shallow end that is shaped like a beach and Grace and I would walk along the side (or she and Robbie would walk) and dip our toes in every night.







I really looked forward to it every day. I heard one of the parents of another toddler say, "No, you have to stay in my lap (on the pool-side chair). I don't want you to fall in." "Grace is not going to fall in," I thought. "This is so fun for us, and she is sure on her feet and is watching where she's going."

On the second to last day of class, she did what toddlers do best and toddled for a moment as she was turning around to see Grandma who had come to see Blake's lesson, too. She fell into the 1.5 foot deep water and was under the water for about 1 second before Robbie lifted her out. He had been standing right beside her and had pointed out Grandma to her, who had just arrived. In her excitement to look she slipped and fell in, back first. She was looking up at Robbie from under the water, not knowing what was happening, not moving to get up. It was very scary to me - a mom who thinks of myself as a super fun, laid-back and cool mom but of course also worries about if the water would have been deeper, if he hadn't been right there, why she didn't move to get up at all.

My friend Sarah just completed a swimming class for her daughter that teaches babies and young children how to save themselves if they fall into the pool. Her instructor is full for this year, but I would love to have my kids learn from her next spring.

Blake loved his swimming class and our family had our fill of sports for the year. Our dinner time is calmer and more organized now, the laundry does not have a crucial deadline, the kids are getting to bed earlier and Blake has the chance to do "school with Daddy" (15 minutes of 1:1 time where they do a lesson) at night again.

I love you so much, my Starfish!