Swimming and Nails

With new friends, K and L

Nothing says summer more, than watching little kids in their first swimming class. The photo above is Maiya, a few weeks ago at her first swim class at the Y. She is in Pike's, the beginner's class for 3-5 year olds. And the difference is, that we are not in the pool with her anymore, instead, we are outside the pool area watching with all the other parents in 2 rows of folding chairs. I had been taking Maiya swimming twice a week for the weeks before the class, to get her comfortable in the water. She loves swimming, and it's amazing she doesn't swallow more water because she is always laughing and smiling and shrieking with her mouth wide open when swimming. I was amazed at her fearlessness jumping in the water like a flying squirrel, and watching her paddle by herself across the shallow end of the pool and back with the floaties on.

A few minutes before she started crying in the pool

Anyways, she did great the first 2 weeks of class. But then, her little pinky fingernail came off in an unrelated injury last week, and it has put a bit of a damper on her swimming at class, hanging in the wading pool at preschool, taking baths/showers, washing hands. Her swim teacher thought it might be stinging because of the chlorine. Anyways, since Dr. C cut the remainder of her fingernail off last Friday, we decided to take today off from swim class since her teacher is out this week, and because she seems a little bit freaked out by water these days, but I'm hoping that she will be ok by Wednesday, because there's only a few weeks left.

Being very brave with Dr. C.