on swimming (or not)...

we decided to go for a session of "school year" swim lessons to mix things up about, and to give us a good reason to get out of the house at this point in the winter/spring. we normally do several sessions in the summer, but wanted to give it a try without the usual summer pool craziness. i have to say, the results have been mixed at best. partly because it's still cold/flu season around here (i.e. lots of missed lessons and who knows what kind of germs floating around that pool) and also because it's a different teacher and dynamic compared to summer. good thing it's so cheap, so we don't feel like we're eating too much cash if we miss a week or if a certain two year old refuses to go near the water.

not surprisingly, isa has been gung-ho since day one and is really improving on her swimming skills. she can swim the length of the hot tub on her own and can swim the same distance in the big pool solo too. it should be a fun summer for her as she gets better and better swimming on her own.

sylvi hasn't enjoyed the same enthusiasm, which was a pretty big surprise after how much she enjoyed her last (big kid) session over the summer. we're not sure if it's the class size or the teacher or what, but she wants nothing to do with it! my hunch is that she isn't too keen on this teacher, who can be pretty gruff and not exactly gentle when it comes to getting reluctant kids into the pool. ok, it's no longer really a hunch as sylvi said very emphatically today, "i really don't like that lady!" as we left the pool. but despite the effort and the drama, we are still insisting that she suit up and atleast try, even if it ends in the now predictable shower of tears. and truth be told, mommy is pretty glad that wednesday is the last day of swimming til summer rolls around!