Swimming and Racing

Jason took Will to his first NASCAR race today at the Chicagoland Speedway.  They made it through about half the race before the little guy tired out.  After Will woke up from a nap on the couch at home, he gave me a recap of the race, including his impression of how the race cars went "really really fast."  He also came home with a coveted new little race car decked out in M&M logos.  Since it's his favorite candy, of course it's his favorite car.   Not sure if race day was as big of a hit as Jason was hoping it would be.  He seemed satisfied if not thrilled with how the afternoon went.   

Saturday night we took Will to the gym to go swimming.  This was our second trip this week (we also went Sunday evening), because I have been so impressed with Will's new found enthusiasm and confidence for the water.  He has never been a particularly fearful swimmer -- especially with his puddle jumper on -- but his favorite water activity is to go down a slide over and over and over again.  Our gym pool doesn't have a slide that Will can ride and only a part of the pool is shallow enough for him to stand, so mostly we float around working on kicking,  play catch with a ball or have races to the wall.   (They actually have a slide, but it's restricted to very short operating hours and 48'' tall riders - both of which are lame and not part of their marketing pitch on facility tours. . . .)  Starting on Sunday he seemingly out of nowhere starting jumping in without coaxing; flipping himself onto his back to "swim backwards" and putting his face in the water voluntarily.  We even progressed to the topic of dive sticks and goggles last night.  So excited to see him getting comfortable in the water!  Swimming is a very important skill for a person to acquire, and it's an activity our family loves.