Progress and Amazement

Ellie showed significant progress Tuesday.  Last year Ellie was perfectly comfortable in the pool.  This year, she won't leave the stairs.  Up until last week, with a life jacket on and me holding her close, she still held on for dear life and screamed.  She's been perfectly comfortable to let her feet float while she's sitting on the stairs, so we've let her just stay there on her own schedule.  Last week, though, I decided to push her a little.  One day we spent a 30 minute session of her grabbing on tight and screaming.  The next session she was more comfortable, so a few times I pried her off of me and let go for her to float.  I don't have a picture of that because I felt it was mean enough just to do it.  She floated with her head up and feet down, spread eagle, frozen, with a look of complete terror on her face.  Moments later she'd start the screaming.  See, it just wouldn't have been right for me to take a picture.  I don't think it's as much of a fear issue as it is a control issue.  Surely that's not genetic...right?  Anyway, Tuesday I glanced in her direction, the stairs, and realized her whole body was floating.  She was sort of treading water in my direction!  She's now completely comfortable doing that and when I grab her she pushes away from me to head back to the stairs.  Great news, but now I've really got to watch her like a hawk!  She still doesn't know how to return to upright if something makes her tip.
Also, Tuesday at the pool, she way playing on the stairs.  She randomly said she was poopy, so I was about to change her.  Instead, we took a trip to the potty and she made her first successful attempt!  I don't expect much more of that any time soon, but still, it's a good start!
As for amazement, yesterday John amazed me.  He was playing with 3 heart-shaped beads on the table.  He looked at them and said, "Hey, I made a triangle."  I bet him he couldn't arrange them so they didn't make a triangle.  He tried a few things and realized that every way he put them made a triange, even if it was a really big, skinny, or tiny one.  I couldn't believe, though, when probably less than 2 minutes into the dare he put them in a line and solved the puzzle.  He's one smart cookie!