Look....no hands!

Today we had a great day. We spent a majority of it as just the four of us. We started the morning by going to the YMCA to the "open swim" time. Cassie and I practiced not being afraid in the water. Well, actually Cassie practiced that and I practiced patience and prying clamped arms/fingers/legs from my body.

Good news...we made progress. After some tears, (from Cassie..not me) I got her to hold onto a mat with me holding under her stomach and her sitting on my leg. Mind you she also had a cube on her back. We played Ring Around the Rosie which at the Y goes something like this...

Ring Around the Rosie
Pockets Full of Posies
Splashes Splashes
We all (then we name something to do like...put face in the water, put chin in the water, or Cassie's favorite...make an alligator face. This is where you put chin and mouth in water and only nose and eyes are out...like an alligator.)

After a bit, I moved my leg away. Of course, Cassie noticed it. I calmed her down and after another little bit I let her go. She got scared, but I talked her calm again. And TA DA....she was holding the mat with a cube on her back and noone was holding her. This is HUGE!! I made a humungo deal about it and made her excited about her new accomplishment. She even said "I'm very proud of myself."

Then...pushing just a little more I took her about 2 feet from wall, gave her a noodle under her arms with her cube on her back and had her swim with no help to the wall. It was great. I can't tell you how happy I am with her. We'll keep practicing and getting her more comfortable in the water, but I can't even put into words how proud I am.

After the Y, we went to lunch and then grocery shopping. We did some stopping at people's houses, but ended up spending part of the night cuddling, as a family, on the couch before the kids had to go to bed. It was a very nice day.

Tomorrow morning I work again. Back to my prunish self :)