Elina recently tried out an Aquatot swimming class, which is the next level up from the class we all took together. B and I were really wary about her even participating. In the Aquatot class, the parent just sits on the side and the child goes into the water with the instructor. Because of Elina's fear of adults she doesn't know well, we thought for sure that Elina would refuse to go into the water. But I figured we'd take her to check it out anyway.
Man, did she prove us wrong! She totally surprised us. She sat down next to the other kids anxiously awaiting her turn. She did a sit dive into the water when the instructor asked her to. And she kicked and moved her arms around like she was really swimming. Each time she jumped in she would look back at me and make sure that I was there and watching her. It's funny because ALL the kids did that. Whenever the kids looked back and saw their parents, they would beam with pride. It was pretty cute.
The instructor said that Elina is definitely ready for Aquatots. I'm so excited for her and I'm so excited that I don't have to go in anymore. When we left the pool, we had the following conversation:
Me: You were so brave! I'm so happy that you went into the water with the teacher!
Elina: Are you so proud of me??
Me: Yup, I'm SO proud of you!
Elina is getting so much better at talking to strangers, adults, and other kids now. She still has her moments where she'll look away and pretend like she doesn't see you. But overall, she's come a long way the past few weeks. She's more comfortable around others now. At the last playgroup she played with the other kids. Normally she plays by herself or with one other friend or she hangs around me, so this was one of the most exciting things for me! She's really growing up and becoming more brave. Thank goodness!
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