Saturday was our last swimming class at the YMCA. I’m not sure if Alec got anything out of it, but it was fun to spend time with him on a planned scheduled basis, and I think he’s getting better at going under water. At one point during the class I was having him sit on the edge of a slide overhanging the water, so he could jump or fall into the water and have some fun while learning to hold his breath. We’ve done this several times – but I’d never really let him fall into the water completely. Rather, I always held on to him and moderated his fall, just letting his face go a little under water. But this time, I let him fall without really holding on to him. I thought he would make a splash and then have some buoyancy keeping him in arm’s reach so I could just reach out and lift his head above water. Instead, I was shocked that he fell into the water and then sank like a stone.He was out of arms reach and I had to go under myself to get him, and at the same time figure out a way to grab onto him and pull him up to the surface. He’d never been under water for more than half a second, but this time he was out of reach and as I was reaching down and grabbing him I could count one second, two seconds, three seconds, four….up and head out of the water. I thought it would be bad. I sort of expected him to have breathed in some water, and he would start coughing violently, crying, or perhaps throw up. But he was ok. I think he was a little shocked and scared. But he grabbed on to me after wiping the water away from his face and eyes, and coughing a little, and he said, “I ok papa.”
As we walked to the car afterwards. He narrated the other cars leaving the parking lot. “Dat one goes down the hill bye bye.”
A log of Chris life