Gymnastics
Today was THE day. We took Olivia to her first gymnastics class. It was actually her first class of any kind. She was told that she couldn’t go to gymnastics until after nap. She asked to lay down at 11:30, she was that excited.
I watched as my little girl hopped and flipped around a bar, walked on a balance beam and grew to be very proud of herself. I also watched as she tried to disobey and do her own thing and was brought back to the group with some gentle guiding from her coach, and the fear that she might not get to play along if she didn’t keep the rules. I was proud of her. She was so big, she just hopped along and followed directions once she got the hang of what she was supposed to do.
For a reward for a good class they all got to jump into the foam pit that the older kids use to catch them as the practice dismounts from the bars and stuff. That was the highlight of Olivia’s life. They jumped in over and over. She was hoping to try that from the moment we walked into the gym and she said, “Mom, those kids are falling all over those squares!” with eyes as big as saucers.
She bounced and danced all night long. I could tell she felt a sense of accomplishment. She also had a ton of fun. “I am so happy! I am so happy!” was the chant the whole way out to our car. She loved it so much we signed up for the weekly class.
Something I need to remember
When I drink coffee after 2 or 3 pm Elise wakes up at 1 am and 4 am and kicks us frequently in her attempts to go back to sleep. I am too tired at 4 am to try to put her back to sleep in her bed, especially since she is violently angry at the thought of it and I have to be alert enough to be sneaky.
If I don’t drink coffee in the afternoons and opt for tea, Elise wakes up at 3am or 4am and I can quietly nurse her back to sleep in less than 15 minutes. She stays in her own bed until about 6am or 7am and we can sleep without vicious toes in our skin.
This is the same child with whom I had pre-labor contractions that drove me up a wall until I cut out caffeine around 38 weeks pregnant. Starbucks does not like Elise, or maybe it’s the other way around.