Then and Now: A Post for Snapper in Years to Come

As of 2 weeks ago, Snapper has been doing swim team for two years. It has become a really important part of her life. She is at the pool 4 afternoons each week. Most of her friends swim with her. We moved in June largely to be closer to the pool and to get Snapper into school with these swim friends. We believe that the solid relationships she is forming with this awesome group of kids is extremely important for her, especially since she has gone to so many different schools in the past years. We're hoping to keep her in this same school district all the way through the rest of school. We couldn't be happier with all that swimming brings to our lives, and its many benefits for Snapper. I hadn't planned on posting about this, but tonight I was looking through some 2009 photos with a friend and I came across photos of Snapper's first swim meet. I was blown away at the difference in my swimmer girl. I thought it would be fun to post them, just as a way to mark how she has changed.

Little Snapper, age barely 7, at her first meet swimming for the Arkansas Dolphin-Lasers. Crying during warm-up because the 20 minutes of continuous swimming was too much for her. Crying on the starting block because she was afraid her goggles would come off during her dive. Struggling with asthma. Didn't know any of her teammates yet, and very shy about introducing herself. Enjoying practice, but not too sure yet about this whole swim team thing.

Bigger Snapper, age almost 9, at a mid-summer meet with her Florida team. Swimming a mile or more during practice and coming out of the pool ready to run a mile or ride her bike. Only deals with asthma when she is sick. Bold and confident, bonded with her teammates, fiercely competitive, cheering for her team, and completely loving every aspect of swimming, except for push-ups and lunges on dry land days.

Timid dive at the first meet, October 2009

Strong, gorgeous dive now, April 2011

Notice the absence of muscle tone in her back and shoulders, October 2009.

Check out the muscle tone now! She grins when she sees this photo, taken October 2011.

Yay for swimming and yay for Snapper! Baby girl, this post is just for your memory book.