The Bub in the Belly

Ryan turned 19 months on Sunday, 22 August. Coincidentally, that morning his swimming coach decided that it was time for Ryan's class to get upgraded to the next level, meaning that at the end of the lesson, the little swimmers would get out of the pool, stand in a row, and collect two stickers each.

Previously, at the end of the lesson the parents would sing this song while swishing the little ones in the water:

A yippee-yappee yay-oh! We're finished for the day-oh!
A swish! a swish! and we all say Bye-Bye!

Ryan loves this song and actually, so do I. We sing it all the time (with the hand actions), even when we're not at swimming class. Actually, I think all the children are familiar with the routine and they all love this song.

That Sunday, at the end of the class, Coach Dave said, "Everyone go over to the wall and stand there and I'll give you stickers". The little ones were so confused and just stood around not really knowing what to do. Eventually, however, with a little prodding, they understood and everyone lined up and got their stickers. I guess this is the prelude to the next level, where the children are more independent and can listen to and carry out instructions.

Ryan collecting his stickers from Coach Dave

After that, the children went off and the next class (for older children) started. Ryan still hung around the side of the pool though, and Coach was wondering why. I told him that Ryan was waiting for his "Bye Bye" song, so Coach quickly sang it for him and after that, Ryan was willing to go.

The following week, Ryan was a pro. He even tried to follow Coach into his office when Coach went to get the stickers. No more hanging around the pool after that either. I think I missed singing the Bye-Bye song more than Ryan did.