Unlike Mateo, Anika seems to be more of a water-lover. While Mateo will try to get out of getting his face and head wet while swimming, Anika seems to be drawn to any body of water, whether it is a small puddle or the open sea.

When we went swimming last week, Anika slipped while walking in the child-size pool. The water just reaches up to her elbows so she was adamant that we let her walk around on her own. Ramil followed her around but Anika still went under when she slipped. Ramil hurriedly held her under her arms and helped her stand up again. We were afraid that it will end her love for the water because she was caught off guard and we figured being under will scare her. Surprisingly, she gave us a huge smile right after brushing the water away from her face then she immediately wanted to walk around on her own again.

So now, I want to enroll her in swimming lessons. I planned on enrolling Mateo as well last year but he begged off of it and I didn’t want to force him. I guess I will not have that difficulty with Anika and she will probably beg for it if she can. I remember going to my own swimming lessons when I was smaller. Every summer, my sister and I will anticipate waking up really early and traveling to a far place where my mom enrolled us for lessons. Until now, the smell of pool chemicals brings back feelings of trepidation and excitement at the same time. Various pool accessories were a common sight to us every summer and despite not completing any of the courses we would enroll in every year, we always looked forward to the first few days.

So yes, I am thinking of trying out swimming lessons for Anika. With her immense love for water, we just might have a chance of bringing up a competitive swimmer.