Gymnastics

I signed Ella up for gymnastics at the park district on Thursday mornings and at the first class I realized that there was also a parent/tot class going on and it seemed like a good idea at the time (you would think I'd have learned by now that when something seems like a good idea I should re-think it) to sign up with Katie and Ceci.

It's a HUGE gymnastics space full of equipment, mats, trampolines, etc and the parents and toddlers are able to use whatever they'd like to. They just ask you to stay out of the way of the classes going on. Sounds easier than it is.

When I let Katie and Ceci loose in that room you would think I keep them in cells at home and this is their one hour in the yard. I have come to dread that hour which has turned into an hour long adrenaline rush for me. They don't stick together and are both fearless which means lots of head first dives off of vaults, stacks of mats and into the big pit of foam squares.

I probably say "Sorry" one hundred times during that hour to moms of small children who have been stepped on, slid over or run down by one of the girls. At one point yesterday I was helping Ceci on the balance beam and thought Katie was right next to me when I heard an instructor saying "who does she belong to?" I didn't have to look because I knew who "she" was. Katie had run into the path of a four year old sprinting for the vault and almost been flattened.

I also hear over and over..."my, they are busy." I think they are nicely saying craaazy.

They love to find Ella's class and cheer for her "Ella Bella! Ella Bella!" Ella's teacher doesn't find it as cute as we do.

We are always the last ones out of the gym. Ceci refuses to leave. She lies on her stomach boneless. I end up trying to get her out of there with one hand because with my other hand I have a death grip on Katie's little hand afraid she'll take off back into the foam pit. It is not an easy task without looking like Mommie Dearest. The first day I ended up just dragging her for a while across the floor routine pad which resulted in rug burns on her nose and chin. I felt terrible.