Swimming Lessons

Andrew takes swimming lessons with his buddy, Jon Ivan twice a week.  I teach with Jon Ivan's mom, and these two were in the same daycare class for several months.  He calls him, "Ji Ji."

The class is a mommy and me class, so I get in the water with him.  We use an indoor, heated pool which is very nice. 

So far, Andrew has been working on blowing bubbles in the water, kicking his feet, "walking" the wall, holding his breath when he (briefly) goes under water, and waiting until he hears me count to three to enter the pool. Jon Ivan also works on floating, but Andrew absolutely refuses to do this.  When his teachers asks him to try, he will tell her no and uses sign language to tell her that he is finished with floating. 

Andrew likes to practice his new skills in the bathtub.  He blows bubbles in the water when he takes a bath, and kicks his feet.  We were driving to his lesson yesterday, and I asked him if he was ready to go swimming.  He said, "kick, kick, kick."

I was in my bathroom putting on my bathing suit yesterday morning when Andrew came in the room. I told him that we were going swimming and he said, "suit."  Then he left the bathroom and quickly returned with his bathing suit.  I keep the boys' suits in a totally different place from their other clothes, so I was pretty impressed with my little buddy,

Because I have to get in the water with Andrew, I always take Joey to daycare during the lessons.  I did not think this would be a big deal, but I was SO wrong.  Whenever Andrew and I are riding in the car (after dropping Joey off) to the pool, he gets so upset that Joey is not with us.  He tells me over and over again that I do not have Brother.  I try to explain to him that he is with his friends and that we will go back, but Andrew is convinced that I have forgotten and left his beloved brother.