Little Swimmer Girl

Elodie has been swimming since she was about 5-months old. She loves it. It's been fun to watch her learn what to do, engage with others, and participate in class. She's gone from being completely reliant on me in the pool to wanting to be as independent as possible. She knows the warm-up songs, stretches and dances; kicks her feet; jumps in while standing on the ledge; goes down the slide; and participates in all activities. 

We're not allowed to take photos during swim class. I've even gotten yelled at for trying to sneak a photo from the parent viewing gallery while Joe was swimming with her. Yep, they're pretty strict about that.

So I was really happy when the gym hired a professional photographer to come in and take photos for a couple of classes. Of course the photographer is charging an arm and a leg for a print, so I downloaded the images below from their website - which is why they have the website marked on them... I'm sure this is totally legal, right? ;) But don't worry, I did give in and buy a couple anyway. I'm just waiting for them to arrive in the mail.

B-Class

Warm-up stretches

Underwater!

 

Happy little fish!

 

Posing with her teacher before going down the slide.

  Giving Anpanman a pat, then jumping in!

Joining this class is one of the best decisions we've made for E. I can't even begin to tell you how much she loves to swim. It's just pure joy to watch her. I hope this continues throughout her toddler years, and the rest of her life for that matter!

The problem is that once the instructors discover that I'm pregnant, we'll be kicked out of the class. This country doesn't allow pregnant women do anything - women are seriously treated delicately and like they should be on bedrest. My girlfriends bought me a swim shirt to go over my bathing suit for my birthday... so hopefully that will give us a couple extra months before I'm really showing enough for them to say something to me. Although, I'm only in the late stages of the 1st trimester and already showing. I guess what they say about showing earlier with a second pregnancy is true.

I want her to continue swimming as much as possible, so we'll keep going until they notice my belly - then I'll play the "foreign card" and play dumb like I didn't know I wasn't allowed to swim while pregnant. ;)  After that, it will be just Saturday classes with Joe, while I enviously watch from the viewing gallery.