Mer-lad (Updated: August 17th)

This summer we signed Caleb up for T-Ball and Swimming Lessons. T-Ball was not a success. After several Saturdays I asked Caleb what his favorite part of his T-Ball practice was and he replied, “Writing my name in the dirt. I also drew a house.” And.... that about sums up his enthusiasm for it.
Swimming, on the other hand, has been amazing for our Caleb.
A pool in Milford (about twenty minutes away) offers three week sessions, M-F for 30 minutes each day. The best part it is FREE. Which doesn’t happen very much in Massachusetts.
Caleb went into the first session (PRE-K Level 2)  not knowing how to swim, and not being too keen on getting anything above his shoulders wet. By the beginning of the second week he was comfortable putting his face in the water. By the end of the second week he was doing bobs.

By the end of the first session the following was checked off on his achievement card:
☑ Enter water by stepping and jumping in
☑ Exit water using ladder, steps or side.
☑ Bob
☑ Front Float, 3 seconds (assisted)
☑ Back Float, 5 seconds (assisted)
He loved his teacher Mary. She came from a large family and was able to handle the herd of preschoolers she taught very, very well.
Caleb was enjoying swimming so much I figured I’d sign him up for the second session- another three weeks. This time, per Mary’s suggestion, I signed him up for  
Pre-K Level 3. Part of me thinks she recommended another class because Caleb tended to cling to her and, well, be goody-excited to be around her. Hehe. That Thomson charm, I tell ya.

For the first two weeks he had Serafina (I kid you not) as his teacher. After his first lesson with her I reminded him to go say ‘thank you’ to Serafina to which he responsed, “I can’t say that!” ("that" being her name) I just told him a simple “Thank you” will do then. He complied. :)
For the last week (this past week) he has had Mike (“Like my daddy! But I sometimes call him (daddy) Michael” - Caleb) as his instructor.
The last Thursday of the session is test day and the last Friday is "fun" day.
Today is Thursday and Caleb crushed his test. In the preschool skill set provided by the American Red Cross the child is expected to demonstrate abilities with assistance. Caleb did all the skills independently. He was so proud. 

Just off the top of my head (since I don’t get his achievement card until tomorrow) he was able to:
☑ bob
☑front float
☑back float
☑ball float
☑front glide several feet
☑hold his breath for 9 seconds (the requirement is only 5 seconds)
☑jump in and swim to the ladder
☑front and back “blast-offs” with float recovery and glide back to the wall.
And  I don’t remember it being on the test, but I do know that Caleb loves to swim underwater- it is his favorite way to get around the pool. His dad taught him that last weekend.

So to sum up:
July 9th, Caleb didn’t like to get his head wet.
15 hours of swimming over the course of six weeks…
August 17th, Caleb can’t keep his head out of the water.

Mike (his dad, not the instructor) and I are trying to figure out a way to keep Caleb swimming in the off season. This is difficult since it requires an indoor pool… and those aren’t free. But we are so happy Caleb has found a sport he enjoys. I think a large portion of his interest was fueled by the Olympics this year. He stayed up every night to watch the swim heats and meets with us. I caught him during his skills assessment today acting bored and flushing his mouth out with the pool water...  

ugh. Thanks a lot, Phelps, for your stellar example of pool etiquette. Welp, there's one reason I'm glad the Olympics is over.

Question: What do you do while your older brother has swimming lessons?  

Answer: Lounge by the pool and have snacks.

-UPDATE-
So, Caleb did not get an achievement card today...

 he got a completion certificate!  

(doesn't he look like the Yao Ming meme here?)  

Which means he has mastered the fundamentals and is ready to move on from PRE-K swimming.

Congrats, Mister Caleb!!!