YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dokata doggy paddled for brief spurts yesterday!!!! I know, I know..doesn't seem like alot..but for Dakota...it's a huge deal.

When Dakota was three...before my saved days....we went to a cookout for my community band. Because we had the children with us Jon and I opted for soda instead of beer. Dakota dropped her bracelet into the pool, we she leaned over to look she toppled in. Praise the Lord...Jon and I, perfectly sober made it from the florida room to the pool quicker than people outside did. Jon pulled her out and handed her to me. In that brief time she was already unconscious...having been a corpsman in the Navy and having my AA in emergency med...I immediately began beating on her back. It seemd like an eternity, but it was probably only 2 or so minutes till she coughed up the water and regained consiousness (sp?). It was a rough day. We had already lost her twin at four months old to SIDS...I would not have survived the death of another child. Especially a preventable death.

Dakota has been petrified of water ever since. This summer we have put her into private swim lesson. We felt with her phobia that private would be better than a class.

Now..for the special part. Dakota has absolutely been my gift from God. I often say she kept me sane when her sister died. She is a very spiritual child, loves church, and loves God. She got saved a year ago, but she has been very bothered over baptism. The only reason she agreed to take swim lessons was because she wants to be baptized so badly. We are on the home stretch now, I think she will be able to deal with her fear and get baptized before the summer is through.

I uploaded pics of my kids today. I have picture of Dakota taking her swim lessons...but because she is in a swimsuit, that pic is set to friends only, so if you are on my friends list, and want to leave an encouraging comment for her, post it and I will let her see it. Or if you want to leave a post for her here I will let her read those as well.