On Friday, we had our last gymnastics session together. I am despondent about this... we had so much fun and it really was almost the highlight of our week! Now that I am done teaching on Tuesdays, I'll have Fridays off, so Mommy or Daddy will be taking Abby. I'm sure they'll have fun, but I'll miss it sooo badly.
The first day of gymnastics, Abigail (and some of the other little ones, lol!) wasn't so thrilled. She was pretty clingy in the waiting room, wanted to make sure I wasn't going to put her down, and insisted on being carried into the gym. She pretty much just stood and stared at everybody during warm-up, and refused to "sing" even though she knew the song ("If You're Happy And You Know It"). We played with balls the first day, and Abby was too scared to go get a ball from Ms. Christina (the instructor) so her cousin, Lily, brought her one. :) During free play, she explored, but she wouldn't go near the other kids - she pretty much just wanted to watch. Mommy came to see us that first week, and she was pretty happy about that! :) However, during Circle Time, neither Mommy nor I could get her to stay in the circle, and when it came time to leave we had a little meltdown. We'd been trying to push her naptime later, since she was normally sleeping by 10:30 or 11, so she was pretty sleepy and overheated (it was the first really warm day of spring).
Now, after eight weeks of gymnastics, I'm so amazed at how much she's changed! She knows what gymnastics means, and will sometimes come to me during the week and "ask" me if we're going to gymnastics by making a stamping motion on her hand (she gets a stamp at the end of class). When we come into the gym, she runs in without me needing to carry her or hold her hand and knows exactly where to go. She still won't "sing" but I think she's still a little shy at the beginning. :) She knows what "free play" means and runs to her favorite activity when she hears it. Circle Time may be her favorite part of the session - she LOVES doing "Ring Around The Rosie"! Though she won't participate in "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" in class for some reason, she knows all the moves and does them perfectly at home with me. She also knows when it's time to get a stamp, and usually doesn't fuss when it's time to go home (if I linger too long talking to a mommy or Ms. Christina, she does remind me that she'd like to keep playing, lol). At home, she does a tuck and roll with a little assistance, and loves it. She jumps up saying "Again, again!" and grabs her little knees!
Something I've also noticed in the last few weeks is that her general overall bravery has increased. :) She used to take weeks to be willing to even try a new activity, but this week she ran straight to the edge of the pit (a big hole filled with foam cubes) and was very emphatic that she wanted to go in. We only saw the pit last week for the first time, and I'd thought privately to myself that she'd NEVER get in there without kicking and screaming! But Abster definitely surprised me! :)
She also seems okay with the other kids and parents, too. At the beginning, she would veer away if anyone came near her; now she jumps on the trampoline, runs on the track, etc with everyone and it doesn't seem to bother her. I'm not sure we've reached the point of playing WITH others, lol, but it's definitely a good start. :)
I told Chris I may need to crash a session or two if I get too lonely on Fridays. :)
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