Grade 3

4years 156days

This is a horrible quality photo. I totally accept that. It's awful. I don't care. It's not even an emergency blip. I have stunning portraits from today of her. But this, This very second caught in the shot, is Katie about to burst with pride in herself and me right there feeling the same.

She's been excited for this day for weeks. She's talked about it all week, particularly all day today at nursery. Today she started Grade 3 swimming. Today she moved into the big pool. And she utterly rocked it. When her and her tiddler friend walked up for the lesson and gave the teacher their names she did a double take. They are about a foot shorter than most of their class, Katie is 2 to 3 years younger than some of them.

I was so nervous for her- I knew how important and wonderful it was to her, the idea of that overwhelming her and spoiling it hovered on my mind. It was needless concern. She got in with a huge smile. This huge smile. We hovered very near to poolside today, nervous mummies for our girls. But those smiles stayed there the entire lesson and they rose to every challenge.

The teacher was great with them, grouped the grade sensibly and paid such careful attention that our girls could immediately get to the island or the steps at the other end as neither could reach the bottom (mind you, both proved repeatedly with great giggles that they could sink themselves to the bottom and get back up!). They swam much more than in the previous grade which was good, they worked hard and tried hard. Beaming the whole time and bouncing in between.

When we got them out, the teacher gushed for a while- saying "they're so gorgeous! Just so gorgeous" as well as saying how brilliantly they'd done. Katie charm strikes again- the teacher renowned for being quite stern and firm is well wrapped around their little fingers!

Very very well done today, my baby girl. Another first tackled with style and your huge beautiful smile xxxxx