Swimming milestones...

This picture was taken at the end of last summer...I haven't had a chance to get one of him at the swim center he attends in town...My little fish!

Last night was a big milestone for Zachary. He has been taking swim classes at a place we found here last summer, Swim and Tumble school. It has a huge indoor swimming pool, so we thought it would be a great spot to send him year round. When we moved here Zach was still overly attached to his life vest we had used at Edwards. They had a baby pool that was not so fun and a big pool, but no shallow area for kids who weren't babies and wanted to be in the big pool...it was way too deep. He never felt safe. They offered life vest there because they didn't let you use any other kind of floatie...standard of the AF to be super rule driven and make a simple thing like a trip to the pool full of protocol. Not complaining....glad we had a pool, but it was a huge negative with a kid like Zach...he learned to jump with the vest and then thought, with no vest I can's swim. We tried all summer to coax him out of the vest...no luck. Brought him to the pool with friends...no luck. Finally we went to this school and he had to go in with no vest and they started slow with lessons. Erin went too, but after the puking in the pool her days were numbered and I eventually took her out all together.

Well Zachary went from being scared of swimming to my fish. Last summer he went to our pool one day and told me he didn't need his vest anymore and that was that. We have had him up there in classes since the summer and he has been stuck at level 2 for months. He refused to open his eyes under water without his goggles. Every week the same thing, you can't move forward unless you do this skill, etc. So last night I was done. This isn't being mean, but it is expensive and if they can't move him he is only learning the same skills over and over. I told Brandon to ask the owner if they can make an exception until he gets over this fear. She actually brought it up to him before he said anything and said they would move him on since his diagnosis was in the file and just continue to encourage him. Before he had left I told him he needed to just try once...he would get to ring the bell and move to a big class, like going from Kindergarten to first grade...but if he wouldn't try we might have to stop going. I know, I know, that seems mean, but I felt like he wasn't getting it.

Sure enough moments after Brandon spoke to the owner, he went to watch him...off came the goggles and he went under and opened his eyes. I swear this child has a way of just shocking the hell out of us. Just when we think he won't go over that hurdle he musters up the stuff to do it. He called me after he changed and was so excited...I could here it in his voice...pride! He got to ring the big bell at the pool and got a medal. He was absolutely beaming when he got home. I am so proud of him in every single way.