Black Eyes and Swim Lessons

Jake had a rough week.  The black eye is from falling off the bed.  The fat lip is from falling at the gym daycare.  It doesn't look too bad in this picture, but as the week has progressed it's gotten darker.

Marley started swim lessons this week.  It's been a little very frustrating.  I arranged to have a lifeguard come teach her and couple of her friends in our pool Monday - Thursday.

Day 1 of class - she didn't even put her feet in the water.

Normally, I wouldn't push her to do something.  However, knowing how to swim in Phoenix is a MUST in my opinion.  Especially because we have a pool.  She's not scared of the water.  She likes the teacher.  She's in her comfort zone -- the kids that come are her friends.  The bottom line is that you can't force Marley to do something.  She likes to do things on her time table and if she feels forced she refuses.  Ahhh!

Day 2 - sat in a chair and refused to participate.
Day 3 -  Everyone went to sit down on the side of the pool.  Marley started her routine of refusing.  I held on to her and told her she had 2 choices:  1.  sit down and participate on her own.  2.  I would put her in the pool right then.  She started throwing a fit so I pushed her in up to her neck.  She immediately stopped and sat down and participated.

Marley loves the pool.  Jake goes down for a nap just as the kids are finishing swim lessons so we normally swim after everyone leaves and she's a little fish.  She loves it.  It's so frustrating to pay so that other kids can come to my pool and take lessons.  Today was the best day yet.  I spied on her the last half of class.  She was the first to volunteer for everything and giggled the entire time.  Hopefully we are finally past the power struggle -- ahhh!