celebrating a new skill

[Guest guest]

I took the kids swimming tonight and we totally forgot the goggles and 's swim mask. First I should explain the history. is 13 but did not put his head under the water to swim until last year and that was with a diving mask. I can't remember what possessed me to buy it but it was the best thing I could have done! wore the mask pretty much all that first summer and learned to go under water. He had previously been afraid of getting water in his eyes, ears and nose. Once his eyes and nose were covered he was able to overcome the fear of getting water in his ears. I was SO excited. Then after a few visits to the town pool with the mask we were told couldn't wear it there. Some sort of liability issue. So then I got to try goggles

and a nose clip. He wasn't happy but he tried

it. He still preferred the mask, however.In February of 2010 we joined the local YMCA. Both kids had been begging me to join so they

could go in the pool. They allow diving masks so we were VERY happy to

join. has been wearing his mask while swimming since then. He was even able to wear it when we went on vacation to a resort that had a

water park! They even allowed masks on the water slides! We were SO happy. got over his fear of water slides during vacation.Now

back to tonight. I forgot the mask and the goggles and I was bummed out because I thought would insist on leaving but he didn't. The pool wasn't very crowded. Actually, there are two pools. likes the warm pool so we started there. Later Rayleigh wanted to go in the cold pool (lap pool) so I went with her. I would normally be pretty nervous about leaving in the other pool

for fear of some kind of conflict but there were very few people and no

kids his age. Just parents and little kids. Rayleigh and I spent some

time in the cold pool then went back to the warm pool again. When we got in was using his mouth to blow bubbles in the water. I told him, "now try that with your nose". AND HE DID! Then he went all the way under the water a couple of times and I taught him how to use his hands to wipe away most of the drips of water. Then he practiced off and on for a while and finally started to swim around with his face under the water while blowing bubbles. I was so happy I wanted to cry.

I couldn't, though, because Rayleigh was already SO annoyed at me for making such a huge fuss over 's achievement. She thinks I never get

that excited about anything she does. The thing is, she just doesn't REMEMBER because all of these milestones happened when she was

a toddler. I do make a fuss over her achievements but with he seems to take me by surprise and it's always something I've been worrying about in the extreme and suddenly he GETS it. So I get very very happy about it. I swear watching that boy swim around blowing bubbles under the water was the most beautiful thing. It's like first steps and first words.I was talking to one of the lifeguards about it because, of course, such things need to be shared. The lifeguard knows us because we talk to her every time we go. She knows has AS and that going under the water has been an issue. She told me that while Rayleigh and I were in the other pool he had been practicing. LOL. He was totally alone in the pool for a little bit during that time. It was like he just needed to have no distractions, nobody wanting to help him, nobody watching and hoping. I'm just insane with happiness. LOL.Miriam