Swim Lesson # 2

Not much going on in the Unfinished Dad universe today, so the best thing to do is update you on Annie’s swimming career. We had lesson number two yesterday. From the outset, things were looking much better than lesson number one. This time when she was handed into the pool she did not break into instant tears. She still grabbed on a little tighter, but the paralyzing fear seemed to be gone. She’s already one step ahead of her Dad.

Most of the class is about comfort and easing the babies into it. So far I haven’t seen a lot of kicking or paddling, even out of the two year olds. The best any of them muster is some half-hearted splashing. We do a lot of back floating, a safe way for babies to begin. They simply lay there while you support their heads. What a transition it will be when Annie realizes that those fat cheeks and thighs have a purpose in this life. She will be one well balanced floater; sort of like a flesh catamaran. Essentially the class is just like Gymboree, only with water and a less enthusiastic teacher. I guess it’s just too hard to be super cheery when every class has a baby who looks as if he is about to jump out of a plane for the first time. It must wear a person down.

Fortunately, Annie doesn’t seem like she will be that baby. This week she willingly went underwater and cried upon surfacing out of sheer surprise more than fear. The tears only lasted a second, and when she went under a second time she looked up to the surface with those big blue eyes as if to say, “I see you there, you better catch me when I come up.” Even underwater she is as observant as ever.