We swam with the kids yesterday, and it was really exciting to see Doodle making such quick progress. He jumped off the diving board for the first time. He’s on the steep part of the learning curve at this point. (He was wearing the little swimmer vest.) Marathon was in the water, ready to catch him if Doodle needed or wanted him to. He didn’t need help & was so happy with his accomplishment. “I want to do it again” and again, and again, and again….

Carman, Sudoku, & Doodle had a lot of fun together. Eventually, Doodle would jump off the diving board and swim to the other end of the pool. He must have done that 5+ times. (He was hungry when he got out of the pool!)

Here’s how I’m using the Little Swimmer vest. It’s really designed for a much bigger kid. So, I’ve pinned the straps together on the side to tighten it up for my little guy. Then I tied a knot in the strap that goes between his legs for a more snug fit to keep the vest from riding up under his chin.

Unlike with water wings, Doodle has to work to stay balanced in the water. This is a good thing; he’s getting much stronger. I’ll take out a couple of the foam pads next time we swim. Maybe we can go today!