Christian's Element

In many ways Christian is a very typical two year old boy.  He is talking more and more, he gets mad at his sister, he loves books and swinging, and man can he throw a tantrum!  But in other ways Christian is anything but typical.  Physically Christian falls somewhere in the four to seven month category.  However, there is one place where Christian doesn’t fall behind, in fact he thrives.  That place is in the water. 

Christian loves to swim.  Just before he turned one we started holding physical therapy sessions at the pool about once a week.  Before the pool he hadn’t been making much progress in therapy but that all changed once he got in the water.  All of a sudden I saw a confidence in him that hadn’t been there before.  From that moment on, Christian started to improve.  In the water he could move in ways that weren’t usually possible for him.  As he got older he would recognize the pool when we would drive past and call out “Pool, pool!  Wanna swim!” 

Back Floating

Recently he has started really swimming, while being supported under his chest, using his entire lower body to “dolphin kick.”  He has a constant smile on his face while in the pool and it is sometimes quite hard to get him to leave.  Christian is fearless in the water, he will dunk his whole head and come up smiling.

Today he had his second “swim lesson” with a very good friend of mine.  Almost as soon as we got in the kiddy pool he was asking to go in the big pool.  “Wanna go big pool mama!” he shouted over and over until I gave in and hopped into the bigger and much colder pool.  Christian kicked like crazy.  I walked backwards so he could “swim” towards me again and again.  I would count to three and we would dive under the water.  Christian came up with eyes squinting and a huge smile on his face.  “Again!” he demanded.

When he started to turn blue we would go hang out in the hot tub until he again insisted on going back to the big pool.  Not once today did I have to explain why he wasn’t sitting, or running around like the other kids.  He looked like every other toddler at the pool with their mom.  It seemed to me that he could sense this “sameness” as well.  He was happy, really happy, proud and confident. 

I try not to grieve the things Christian can’t do, but at times it is hard.  In the moments before he was born I confidently told everyone he would be fine, even though all their faces told me I was the only one who believed it.  From the the beginning I have been his cheerleader, staying positive when no one else could.  Today, watching him splashing and laughing, it was an easy job.  Water is truly Christian’s element.  He comes alive when he is swimming.  Today he was amazing and completely beautiful.