The verdict is in and....

WE ARE DONE...with swim lessons that is. I have decided to listen to my mommy instincts on this one. It is not in anyway productive for us to both go to something we hate. It is not good for Mommy and Kiya bonding time.

She liked the songs, being tossed in the air, splashing in the water and believe it or not sticking her whole head under water. Yes she is quite the daredevil. She hated the structure, the "jumping" in, the life vests and I am pretty sure she wasn't a fan of the teacher either.

Kiya wanted to just sit and splash and play in the water. We have a kiddie pool at home and that is how we will spend the warm days of summer.

I think she was just too young for that kind of structure. I don't want her to hate water and that is my fear that forcing her to be miserable will result in her not liking the water at all. So we aren't going to ruin a good thing.

I guess part of me thought this might happen. Kiya is an independent girl. She likes what she likes, how she likes it and there isn't much that can change that. I signed up because she loved water so much...oh well we will wait until she is closer to 3 likely to try again.

We did sign her up for another 2 weeks in the middle of July but will not be attending those either. We paid in advance and there is no refund but my quality alone time with Kiya is more important than the $60 we paid for lessons. We can spend that time doing things she loves and strengthening our Mommy/daughter bond. Life is way too short and Kiya is growing up way too fast. I want both of us to enjoy our time together.

Pictures

Here is some proof that Miss Kiya doesn't hate water. She just hates swim lessons. That water was FREEZING cold and when we first put her in she was not happy. We took her out to just play with the water and then after awhile we put her back in and she loved it. Cold water or not the kid loved being in the pool. So much so that when we took her out because she was shivering so much she got very mad.

Nothing is better than watching Kiya smile and laugh. Only to be beat maybe by her new found singing abilities. She has always been a singer but now that she knows a lot more words it is even cuter. For example, she still loves Ring Around Rosie and can now sing the Ashes Ashes we all fall down part. However when Kiya sings it, it sounds like "Asses, Asses, all all DOWN." Yes my daughter says ass instead of ash. Too cute. And she usually screams down. Truly nothing better. Our goal is to get it on tape which is challenging as Kiya is fascinated with all things electronic and either stops what she is doing or makes a grab for whatever it is you have.

We will try though as it is just too funny. I will also try to post some video from Kiya's first wagon ride. She LOVES the wagon. Being the daredevil that she is, the faster the better and lots of laughs and screaming of "weeeee" were to be heard throughout the neighborhood. Totally adorable.

The drama that is swim lessons

I have reported on this blog before how much Kiya loves water. I have also reported that she is quite the daredevil. So based on these two things, I assumed she would LOVE swim lessons. The jury is still out on that but the last couple of days haven't been stellar.

There are some unusual circumstances that haven't helped. Kiya was sick. I think I saw a two year old molar popping in. Monday the water was FREEZING. Tuesday classes were cancelled due to rain. Wednesday the sun was in her face. I know drama.

Kiya does well for maybe the first 15 minutes of the 30 minute class. Then it is time to practice jumping in. I thought my crazy climber would LOVE this part. Well, she HATES it. She tries to climb out and crawl away. From there on out the class is ruined.

At some points she is just fine. She likes the songs and bouncing in the water. Then she will get mad and grab on and suck her thumb. That is a whole other post about the thumb sucking....

The locker room situation is less than ideal. There is no changing table or really adequate place to change the little ones. The first day was pure chaos. I spent $1.00 tyring to figure out the locker. I forgot to shower before getting in the pool. Our clothes got all wet. Yes the clothes we were supposed to change into after class. It was awful.

Day 2 was better. I have settled for changing Kiya on a bench like the other moms do. It is a little awkward. The benches aren't very wide. I have figured out the lockers and the showers. The showers are WAY too hot for a little one though.

I am hoping the weather will hold up and we can go the rest of this week and then next week also. I have learned a few things for next time too. First, we are looking for indoor swim lessons. Second, Daddy may have to start going with as this Mama is not a fan of water and sticking her face in water. I don't want Kiya to pick up on my fears. Third, we aren't doing swim lessons every day. It is just too tough on everyone. Once or twice a week would be better.

We are definitely on for lessons today so fingers crossed that we make a little more progress today. I think part of the issue is Miss Independent doesn't like being restrained and she has to stay with mommy the whole time. Wish us luck.