Summer Extracurriculars

Summer is here, which means our extracurricular activities are piling up.

I like using the summer sessions of classes/activities to “test” them out on Abby.  The school year is way too long of a commitment for a high-spirited 2.5 year old (although, she will be 3 in August).  But 6-8 weeks is perfect.

Here is what we are enrolled for this summer:

Mommy & Me Ballet

Abby at ballet, last year (left) and this year (right)

This is our second summer taking ballet with The Tallahassee Ballet.  We did it last summer, and Abby enjoyed it.  I even contemplated signing her up for the year (Sept – May) but didn’t because I was due with Will in November, and, well, the logistics of having a newborn and shuffling Abby to & from class, plus the added expense of having 2 kids won out.  Plus, she was just 2 then, and I am not sure how she would have handled it.  Last summer, the class felt like chaos.  But now that she’s almost 3, it’s amazing how well she follows directions (from the teacher, never from me.  Go figure!).  And I think she is really enjoying it.  She talks about ballet all the time.  For the fall, we decided to put her in a ballet/tap program that comes to her preschool, Dancing Little Stars.  I talked to another mom from her class whose little girl is in it and she loves it!  Abby will have her first recital in full costume in May!

Gymnastics

Abby at gymnastics

This is another parent participation class through the City of Tallahassee.  We just started this summer.  I wanted to start in the spring, but the process to get registered is ridiculous.  No offense to the Trousdell GymnasticsCenter, but, they need to get out of the dark ages with pen & ink registration forms and a lot of sitting around and waiting type lottery drawings.  Invest in some software people!  Anyway, we really like the class so far.  The problem is, it is such a high-speed environment, it goes by SO fast. I don’t think 30min is enough.  They should extend it to 45min.  Especially since 5-10min of the class is wasted while people trickle in and they take attendance.  But, Abby loves it.  Her favorite (of course) is the trampoline and also doing forward rolls down the “wedge.”  The classes are so cheap and are a great way to wear her out so we will definitely keep her in it in the fall.

Swim Lessons

Baby Abby at her first swim lesson, at about 8mo

This is Abby’s third summer taking swim lessons through the city (a way easier registration process, and all online!).  But, I will say, you get what you pay for.  The classes are not that fantastic, although I hear that some pools have better instructors than others.  We’ve had the same mediocre instructor for 3 years, but we keep returning because it’s cheap, and this is the closest pool to our house that provides parent/child classes on a weekend.  Also, this pool has a huge kiddie activity pool.  So after class we stay and play for a little while.  We enrolled Will this summer too (ages start at 6mo) and he pretty much hates it.  Abby is our little water-baby, not so much Will it seems.  At age three they start “solo” classes, so next summer should be interesting!

A lot more activities will be open to her next summer when she is actually 3 and close to 4.  I can’t wait to “test” some new things out on her, like T-ball or soccer.

What do your summer activities look like?

First Day of School

Will started school this week.  Yes, I call daycare “school” instead of daycare.  I think it sounds more pleasant, and by calling it “school” it implies that he is learning something while he is there.  Which he is.

I was unsure how he would adjust.  It took him over two weeks to take a bottle when he stayed home with Steve.  So I wasn’t sure how he would do for strangers.  His (future) teachers suggested that we start dropping him off for 30 minutes in the mornings so he can become used to them, and the environment.  So we did that for about 2 weeks, and I think it helped.

Luckily, we have been through this before.  So I somewhat knew what to expect.  I at least knew what to pack.  And he got a new backpack for the occasion.

 

The contents include:

·         3-3oz bottles of breastmilk

·         6 cloth diapers

·         Wetbag

·         3 changes of clothes

·         Pacifier and clip

·         3 spare disposable diapers (for those extra messy days)

·         Naptime toy (he likes to fall asleep with something soft rubbing on his face)

 

When we walked into the room on the first day, I could tell those babies were having a case of the Mondays.  Total chaos.  I think it overwhelmed Will because he instantly started to cry when we walked in.  He was not happy.  I put him on the floor with a boppy behind him in case he fell over (he’s still learning how to sit – he’s pretty good, but still sometimes falls).  I quickly learned that he had a favorite swing in the room.  So that’s where I started putting him when I dropped him off.  Makes sense, since he usually takes a morning nap anyway.

Every day I nurse him at lunch, and by Wednesday, he was totally oblivious to me arriving.  He was also way too busy and distracted to nurse well.  So I started to nurse him in the church library which is a little quieter, but, apparently it is still way too interesting to look at, as he still doesn’t eat well during “lunch” – but I think it’s just his age too.

Overall, he adjusted better than I could have expected.  It took my daughter an entire 2 weeks to really adjust.  But, she did not have the opportunity to transition the same way he did, and she also started 4 weeks earlier than he did (she was 5mo, Will is 6mo). 

This week I threw some solids into the mix.  He will now be getting “breakfast” at school.  Also, in June, all children will move up to their new classrooms for the 2013-2014 school year.  While it will be another transition for him, the teachers will mostly be the same.  I think he will do fine.  Abby on the other hand, will probably have a harder time.  She will be graduating to a preschool room!