My parents have a pool and since they opened it for the season in May, Leni has been in it nearly every single day. We quickly discovered that she sprouted just enough to touch the bottom of the shallow end.

Game. Changer.

Gone are the floaties on which she so long relied. We have been ever so grateful to the genius that is the Puddle Jumper the past two summers (possibly 3?). It was pretty clear by last fall, though, that Leni was getting eager to go floatie-free and this new development finally made that dream a reality.

The transformation in her abilities in the pool ever since has been something to behold.

We decided to invest in private lessons at my parents pool while we’re still living here for the next few weeks. Did you know this was a thing where an instructor will come to you? Fancy fancy. Anyway, we are four lessons in and just the other day she swam across the whole pool (deep end and all) 10 times in a row with my brother’s encouragement! I am seriously blown away!

I am also super relieved to see that she is learning to navigate the water safely (HUGE) and, of course, I love seeing her enjoy swimming so much. She is constantly practising. She would be in the pool all day if we’d let her, really. Me and my siblings were all like that as kids. Put us near water and we’d be occupied for hours. All my nephews and my niece too, come to think of it.

Leni has also been trying handstands (like mummy) and teaching us all the water games her instructor has shown her. She no longer hesitates when she jumps in the pool and loves swimming down to retrieve things in the shallow end.

Come by for a swim and you’ll find Leni with her bejewelled pink goggles, fluttering around the pool (primarily the shallow end still, thank goodness) as her main underwater alter-ego, Elsa Diamond the mermaid.