a brief re-cap: N has been going to swimming classes since last June. She has a lesson a week since then. Swimming has been hard for her, first there are the motor aspects of swimming – her biggest struggle to date has been with separation of motions and that was what she worked on with her OT (when she held a pencil and tried to write all her fingers did the same motion, her entire body moved with her), swimming is all about separating motions, your hands moving separately from you legs etc. second – there was the psychological aspect of “I don’t do things that are hard for me or that I am not the best at”, and third – the emotional aspects – the ability to analyse and see into all the “what ifs” of the future, and in deep water there are a lot of “what ifs”.

All this is a re-cap, and I think that I have mentioned before that one day  she was in the water with the instructor, giving her whole “I cant breath/I’m scared/leave me alone” whine, swimming one stroke and then turning and going back to the wall, when he tried a relaxation technique on her and took her floating on him. she turned around to him, informed him that she could manage from here, and proceeded to swim. and another lap, and another. she is now one of the best swimmers in her class (they go to the pool twice a week in summer camp and I was watching them, most are still using water wings and others are doggy paddling). the next water obstacle was diving underwater, you know – picking up objects from the floor of the pool. she refused. refused and refused some more. until one day she just did it. she went right under, tummy on the floor of the pool and picked up the darn toy. and ever since she has spent her time at the pool throwing things and diving for them. the last obstacle she overcame on Saturday. she jumped in the water. Princess N, of the “this is the list of all possible dangers”, of the “by jumping I loose control therefore I don’t jump”   school of thought – JUMPED into the water. and then she ran and jumped. and then she ran further and jumped higher. and then she tried diving into the pool and did pretty well (not even a belly flop, her head did go in first!). I guess that once again she has proved to me that she is going to do things when she is good and ready to, and not when i want her to. and, like everything she does, she is going to do them well.   

hey – I just realised something. N started walking at 1 year and 2 weeks. she just stood up at crossed our friends living room. she completely skipped the 2 steps fall on butt phase, she didnt   do much       cruising the furniture. she just got up and walked and was awake until midnight that night walking backward and forward laughing with excitement. Amazing to realise that that is just who she is, and looking back – to understand that that is who she has always been.