Water Baby: Part II

So.. last summer I posted Zach's first pictures in the pool. He loved the water then, and nothing has changed.

I signed him up for an 'Infant Survival' and 'Baby Swim' class this summer because I just really felt that with the pool in the backyard, my kids should learn to swim as early as possible. He LOVES it and has been progressing amazingly well for how young he is and the short time we've been doing it.

I had to drive 70 miles round trip once a week for four months (there were no baby swim programs in this valley, so I had to drive down to Santa Clarita), which was a huge time/gas commitment. However -- I'm extremely glad I did it -- the results have been amazing.

Without any sort of flotation device, Zach can jump from the steps and 'swim' a short distance, jump off the side of the pool and turn around (and ALMOST grab the side -- he's just not quite strong enough), if pointed toward the steps, he can swim to them, pull himself up and get out of the pool, he's pretty close to floating on his own, and with a little help he can even dive for rings off the bottom of the pool.

Now, granted, his swimming isn't the most graceful or the most efficient.. but the point is that he can do it. We can work on all that other stuff later when he has a few more motor skills.