Our Little Swimmer
It wasn't too long after Gavin was born we introduced him to a real water bath. Previous to that day we used warm sponges to get him clean. He took to the water naturally and never seemed afraid or apprehensive. When this summer kicked off with long periods of warm weather we began taking Gavin to our neighborhood pool to introduce him to the water more. It has been absolutely amazing to watch him progress. To help Gavin learn more about swimming and that a little fear is okay, Lindy enrolled Gavin in swimming lessons. Every Monday morning they go to an indoor pool in Hendersonville and work on swimming fundamentals such as going underwater, hanging on to the side of the pool, floating and moving arms and legs to propel through the water. Gavin and Lindy have both enjoyed this special time together. Several occasions this summer we've taken Gavin to my parents houseboat on Dale Hollow Lake. He loves to watch the boats, greet all the people, and of course swim off the back of the houseboat. Each time we visit the boat we take our Flip Video camera (highly recommended) and shoot footage of Gavin swimming. Below is one video we took on July 5 followed by four videos we took today. If you watch them in progression you can really see how Gavin is much more confident and "at home" in the water this month than he was in July. Furthermore, his progression this weekend alone is quite incredible. He went from jumping off the boat into our arms and being dependent on us while in the water, to jumping in and surfacing by himself and swimming around (in all directions) by himself. We are thoroughly enjoying watching Gavin grow, learn new things, and become more confident in himself!
July 5: Gavin jumping off the houseboat. He was a little tentative and needed help getting to the ladder in order to get out of the water.August 3: Gavin jumps off the boat and shows how he can swim way out to Mimi.
August 3: Gavin swims around with a noodle and shows how he can navigate different directions.
August 3: Gavin demonstrates control while rolling from his front to back and back to front. He also copied me when he intentionally fell backward off the ladder.
August 3: He continues to fall backwards off the ladder before jumping off the boat and showing how relaxed he is while swimming by himself.
0 comments - Posted by Aaron at 10:22 PM - Categories: Gavin | Vacation
