Hitting the pool almost every day has been a huge blessing. Not only does it give us something to do, but it is a time when I am with the kids and [mostly] giving them my full attention, while also being relaxed.
Both Emma and I are making friends, while Toby remains very shy and refuses to play with kids he doesn't know, which is a shame because a couple kids from his new class in September go there!
The exercise is great for us all, but especially for Emma, who after getting a snorkel mask yesterday found a deep love of being underwater! I am truly astounded by how much she has taken to the water and is also not letting her disability stop her. The mask covers her nose and eyes, so she can see well, and she is sucking in her lower lip, holding it with her teeth to try and create mouth closure. For the most part she is doing better than Toby!
She is even trying to do somersaults in the water, and getting super close to flipping, but her derriere is apparently filled with air and she cannot get it below the water line. She looks like a duck when she tries to touch the bottom with her hand, bless her!!
Toby was wearing arm bands and a back float, until Monday when, in a bid to impress Aunt Kim, he removed the arm bands. Yesterday he was swimming so well with just the "backpack" and the new snorkel mask, I took the pack off him. He swims beautifully under water, but seems unable to swim with his head up! In fact he has to stop and put his feet down every time he runs out of breath, so we won't be leaving the shallow end for a while.
More incredible is how the boy who wouldn't put any portion of his face in the water the day before, now refuses to stay above the water - and subsequently keeps drinking it! I actually had to take the mask away to keep him above for a while.
Both Emma and I are making friends, while Toby remains very shy and refuses to play with kids he doesn't know, which is a shame because a couple kids from his new class in September go there!
The exercise is great for us all, but especially for Emma, who after getting a snorkel mask yesterday found a deep love of being underwater! I am truly astounded by how much she has taken to the water and is also not letting her disability stop her. The mask covers her nose and eyes, so she can see well, and she is sucking in her lower lip, holding it with her teeth to try and create mouth closure. For the most part she is doing better than Toby!
She is even trying to do somersaults in the water, and getting super close to flipping, but her derriere is apparently filled with air and she cannot get it below the water line. She looks like a duck when she tries to touch the bottom with her hand, bless her!!
Toby was wearing arm bands and a back float, until Monday when, in a bid to impress Aunt Kim, he removed the arm bands. Yesterday he was swimming so well with just the "backpack" and the new snorkel mask, I took the pack off him. He swims beautifully under water, but seems unable to swim with his head up! In fact he has to stop and put his feet down every time he runs out of breath, so we won't be leaving the shallow end for a while.
More incredible is how the boy who wouldn't put any portion of his face in the water the day before, now refuses to stay above the water - and subsequently keeps drinking it! I actually had to take the mask away to keep him above for a while.
And then the kids are ready for bed and sleeping soundly!
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