Little Swimmer

Though it's not the focus of this blog, I've written before about my children's special needs, and how incredible it is when they reach a particular developmental milestone (such as S. taking his first steps or R. buttoning her PJs for the first time). It can take my kids months (or years) in therapy to achieve things that come naturally and effortlessly to other children. So when my children reach a hard-earned milestone, my pride in them (which is present at all times) is pretty much indescribable. I might burst with joy.

I had one of those moments yesterday with S., who is almost 5 years old. He has had motor delays since infancy. At age 6 months, his motor skills were like those of a newborn. He could not support himself in tummy time, could not roll over, could not hold his head up, and could not bat at toys. He has received physical therapy ever since he was 7 months old, and he is doing great now, even though he still lags in certain areas.

This summer, he's been attending a wonderful day camp with the help of his SEIT (special ed itinerant teacher) a few hours per week. The camp known for its instructional swimming. Since S. has never been crazy about the water, I thought this might help him get more acclimated, even if he didn't learn how to swim (yet).

Yesterday, parents were invited to come see the kids go swimming. S. had been telling me, "I swim by my own self!" but I wasn't sure how accurate this was.

But, lo and behold:





Almost his entire group at camp (mostly older four-year-olds), in fact, has learned to swim in the past several weeks. And every parent was snapping away with photos and videocameras (myself included). But I was also tearing up as I filmed him, because, again, this is a milestone that used to seem very, very far away.


And you know what's even better than the fact that he can swim now? The look of pride and happiness on his own face:

It was one of the best moments of the summer for me.

S. will turn five years old in early August. I'll tell you more about his progress (and share some more photos) then.