This is one of those stories I may have to delete in a year or two when Kate starts school and her friends start Googling her, but for now it’s going in the blog.
Kate has been asking to take dance classes, so I signed her up for a free trial at The Little Gym. We’d never been there before, and Kate adjusts best to new environments when I do a lot of foreshadowing with her and she doesn’t feel rushed or pressured, so I planned to arrive early and this was the loop coming out of my Mom Mouth all morning long:
“Okay. First we’re going grocery shopping, and then after grocery shopping we’re going to The Little Gym for your first dance class. When we get there you need to use the potty, then we’re going to change you into your leotard and skirt. First you’ll have dance class and then you’ll go into the gym to do some tumbling.”
Repeat.
20 times.
Kate and I arrived at The Little Gym absurdly early. Kate skipped in full of excitement while I lugged in her bag full of every possible thing we might ever need, including her little green potty chair that I keep in the car. (She’s afraid to use “the big potties” when we’re out and about.) The two staff people who were there greeted us kindly and offered to give us a tour. Kate was content in the lobby/parent viewing area and the place was empty, so I let her be while I turned the corner to look into the dance studio just a few feet away. I chatted with the instructor for about a minute and then said, “Excuse me, I’m just going to check on Kate quick.”
I peeked into the lobby area, expecting to see her playing contently, and there she was – middle of the room, pants down around her ankles, sitting on her little green potty, doing her business.
Right there in the lobby.
“Kate!” I exclaimed. “Oh honey, what are you doing?!”
“Mom,” she explained, “you told me the first thing I have to do when we get here is go potty.”
Apparently in addition to her first dance class, Kate was also looking to log her first misdemeanor.
As much as Kate enjoyed clicking around in those tap shoes, she got a horrible blister on her foot (thus beginning her band-aid obsession) and decided she preferred the tumbling portion of her trial class over dancing.
And that’s the story of how Kate started gymnastics.
Other firsts for Kate this month include doing her first somersault (which we’ve now learned are called “forward rolls” in the gymnastics world), taking her first shower instead of a bath (she loves it – and she sings in the shower, too!), getting her first big dollhouse, and having her first play date at her BFF Gwen’s house.
I’m sure I sound like a broken record at this point, but Kate has a voracious appetite for learning, and a phenomenal memory. (A killer combination we hope will continue so her college fund can become our Europe fund.) I recited the days of the week for her, and after hearing me say it only 3 times, she could repeat it back to me perfectly. That was pretty neat, but what really impressed me was the next day when I asked, “Hey Kate – do you remember the days of the week Mommy taught you yesterday?” She thought for a moment, and then rattled them off in perfect order.
(Remember that, Harvard.)
One of Kate’s loves this month is tackling Daddy. He started this little game with her where he says, “I’m pretty sure you can’t tackle me!” and Kate takes off running from wherever she’s at and plows into him to knock him over. G tumbles backward to the floor, taking her with him and they burst into a pile of hugs and giggles. It’s the cutest thing! Sometimes Kate pops up from their pile and adds, “and STAY down!” which always cracks me up.
In a similar show of affection, Kate loves running toward me for a hug. She’s always done this when I pick her up at daycare, but now she likes to do all the time. If I come home and she’s near the door she’ll insist we walk away from each other so we can greet in a running hug. Sometimes we’ll just be walking to the park and she’ll say, “Mom, wait right here.” And then she’ll run up ahead, turn around, and stretch her arms out wide, running toward me. It’s THE BEST.
As much as I adore our running hugs, I have to admit it’s pretty much been the Kate & Daddy show this month. One of her most favorite things to do is snuggle up with G on the couch and play Mario on the Wii. I’m not even sure she knows what she’s doing, but she adores every minute of it.
We love snuggling with Kate before bedtime, and lately G has started this new thing with her where he traces letters on her back and she guesses what they are.
Kate & Daddy show.
Also THE BEST.
Aw, I don’t know how you survived that potty incident because I would have had to pee from laughing so hard. You’re definitely going to have to take this story down when Kate gets a tad bit older!
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LOL, thanks Heidi! I think I’ll come back and hide it once she starts school, haha.
Ha, ha! Love it the potty in the lobby story!
Thanks Julie – I couldn’t resist!
So funny! She did do exactly as you had said…
Is it The Little Gym in Fitchburg? Do you like it? I’m thinking of seeing if I can sign my daughter up there soon (she’s 11 months, but I think they have a babies/toddler class that a friend’s daughter does there).
Oh my gosh, driving home tonight I realized my question seems really stalker-ish. You can ignore that, lol!
Oh gosh, no worries at all, girl – I’m happy to help!
She goes to the one in Middleton, actually. The class times at that location worked better for us. There’s a baby/toddler class right after Kate’s class and its the cutest thing – you should definitely check it out!
so cute about the potty! I guess Mom speak does work! I can’t believe how big she is getting. Can you do a blog post about toddler snacks? I am eating clean, but it seems like all my dd wants to eat is pb&j, mac &cheese.
Oh these kids – they really try us when it comes to mealtimes, don’t they?! I did a post today about our current favorite snack (found here:http://www.allthingsgd.com/2014/01/kid-approved-pumpkin-zucchini-muffins/). Think your daughter would like these? I’ll try to round up some other ideas for you too, cc!