I like to plan things out. There, I said it. But I couldn't make definite plans for Tuesday until I woke up and looked at the hourly forecast for the morning. Bobby did his best to help me check the morning forecast much earlier than I would have preferred. This is why "(almost)" is in the title. Bobby woke up at 2:00 am. Amazingly the forecasted rain was going to hold off for the morning.
He fell back to sleep on the couch hours later, but started waking at 7:45. I got him up, made him toast, brushed teeth, wet down his hair, got him dressed and 20 minutes later we were getting in the car to go to the bus stop. I contemplated keeping him home, especially since we were picking him up from school less than an hour after the school day started. But..........Bobby LOVES riding the school bus. Grandma Carolyn had spent the night and rode to the bus stop with us. While I was getting Bobby on the bus, she got out and took a picture....
My mom and I went back home and got a big surprise ready for Bobby. We both had breakfast, got dressed and packed pool bags to get ready for Bobby's favorite place.
I think that he was surprised when we showed up in his classroom so early to pick him up, but he definitely didn't complain. "French fries?" No Bobby. We got in the car and saw the beach towels and pool bag. Me: "Do you want to go see Coach Lorri?" Bobby: "Coach Lorri....Coach Lorri....Coach Lorri" Yes, this means he knows where we are going...Krepps Pool for adaptive swimming!!!
Who is Coach Lorri? Well, thanks for asking. She is Bobby's Adaptive PE teacher. She works with special needs kids in Mon. Co. schools and helps them learn how to catch, throw, dribble, swing a bat and other fun, active skills. More importantly to Bobby, she manages Krepps Pool over the summer. Coach has been working with Bobby since he started school when he was 3 years old and he had a couple of rough years where he wasn't exactly thrilled to go off and work with her. Actually, getting him to walk into the gymnasium was a struggle for years. Thankfully he has gotten over the most challenging struggles with PE/gym class. When Bobby sees Coach Lorri over the summer it means swimming at Krepps and Coach turns into a god in Bobby's eyes.
Bobby could hardly wait to get out of the car and bolted across the little bridge to get to the pool. Boy, this sure beats staying in school this morning!!!! Every time we go to the pool it takes Bobby a few minutes before he gets in, he has to mentally prepare to spend the next couple of hours in the water!!
Fun, Bobby trying to push Coach into the water. Who is going to win this game??
Love the look on Bobby's face as Coach is in the water!!
Our friend Andrew arrived. Andrew is one of Coach's students too even though Bobby and Andrew go to different schools.
Andrew's in...
He somehow manages to jump in and not get his hair wet....that's true talent!!!
I just LOVE how swimming make kids truly happy!!!! If anyone has some extra $$ laying around and would like to donate it to Mon. Co. schools to put in an indoor pool so that the kids can have adaptive swimming all year long, it would be really appreciated!!
Grandma Carolyn got in the pool to play too...
I got in for a couple of minutes too. I have stayed in the water with Bobby every other time that we have gone swimming at Krepps, but Bobby didn't need me this time.
More tug of war with Coach....
Bobby "wins" again....or, Coach jumped in!!
Andrew went over and jumped off of the diving board...
Bobby was swimming around in the water and stopped to watch Andrew...
Isabella then went and jumped too...
Bobby watched the two of them take turns jumping. He even counted "1...2...3" out loud while Andrew was at the end of the board to help him jump. Bobby played around in the deep water and got out jumped in, got out jumped in and he started swimming out a few strokes into the middle and then turn around and swim back to the side.
So happy...
Bobby then did something pretty amazing, but I got ZERO pictures of this...boo :(
Bobby got out of the water, where a few of us were sitting pool side while he played. He got out and ran to the other side of the pool. He then jumped into the 5 ft. water by himself. He then started swimming one of the lanes....floating, bobbing up and down, swimming. Bobby made it to the rope that separates 5 ft. from 8 ft. and he went under the rope and swam clear to the ladder where he started. Bobby swam the entire lap in water that is over his head ALL BY HIMSELF!!!! No adults in the water with him!!! Yay Bobby....you are a official swimmer!!!
He started across the pool where the lifeguard is and swam all the way to the ladder. So proud!! He then turned around and swam off across the 12 ft. waters to diving board area...
Who is this super swimmer??!!!! Whoo Hoo Bobby!!!
I had to take a picture of Bobby beside the number 12 to prove that he was in the 12' water!! Then...
Bobby went over and stood by the diving board. We all started yelling for him to jump off of the diving board. Coach Lorri went over and gave her assistance...
Look at that smile...he is happy to be out on the diving board!!
He jumped!!! OMG!!! He jumped!! The first time off of the diving board and there are no adults in the water to assist because he figured out how to truly swim!!! AWESOME!! Such a big boy!!
Sorry that the pictures are blurry but I was too excited to keep the camera still.
The cheering section was yelling loudly!!! Yay Bobby!!!
It wasn't a flook....he jumped again....
Yay Bobby!! He's laughing out loud!!!
Coach, do I get extra credit in my PE grade for this??
Bobby only spent about 5 minutes of his hour and a half swimming time in the kiddie section. He used to stay there almost the whole time and now he's a big boy and stays in the big pool!
It was finally time to go and get some lunch. It was almost noon and Bobby was ready to eat. Guess what Bobby wanted to do after we got home?? Swim! He spent some time in our pool practicing his new trick....going under the water over and over. Soon he will be able to swim under the water.
At the end of last summer, someone told me about a special needs swim time at Wave-tek pool in Fairmont. I asked around to find out if they still do this and they do. The Special Olympics of Marion Co. has the pool every Tuesday from 6:30-8. Bobby was playing in our pool so nicely and we were all tired that we were thinking about not going. Then Bobby says "ride in car" so we got him out of our pool and grabbed our things and Grandma Carolyn and I took Bobby to Wave-tek.
He has never been to a wave pool before and this was a new place, so it took him quite a few minutes before he actually got in the pool. After he got used to his surroundings he went in and sat down by one of the fountains....
Then the waves started and Bobby LOVED them!! He bobbed up and down in the deeper water and then he came to the low waters, sat down and let the water splash all over him...
This must be sensory heaven for him because he is LOVING this!!
Then the waves stopped and Bobby ventured back into the deep.
There was a huge difference in the way that the two pools were run. All I'm really going to say about it is that Coach Lorri would have had a MUCH better handle on things. I was thinking that I would probable take him every week, but we may go back once or twice, definitely not weekly.
Whoo Hoo, the waves are back...
They got everyone out of the pool at 7:30 and opened the water slide for 30 minutes. All in all it was a GREAT time. It makes me excited for the beach and I know that he is going to love the waves. I hope that he wants to sit in the low waters of the ocean and let the waves lap over him. I also know that he went right to sleep a little after 9 last night and had trouble getting up this morning at 7:30 to get ready for school. I hope that he is not to bummed today that he has to complete a full day of school.
