Gymboree!

Today marked our first Play & Learn class at the Arlington Gymboree. We met up with fellow February mama, Lindsey Byrnes, and her little one, Isla. Actually, Isla will be one on January 26th - she was due in early February but arrived a bit early! We'll be going to her first birthday party at the end of the month. We'll have to take a few notes for Jack's first birthday party at the end of February, though ours will be on a much smaller scale.

Anyway, we arrived a bit early and were greeted by a very enthusiastic young woman, who said - as we walked in - "You must be Jack and Isla! Welcome to our fabulous Gymboree!" Well, thanks! There were about five or six other children ranging in age from 10 to 16 months (level 3, apparently). One child was walking, but all the rest were crawlers, so Jack (and I) felt very comfortable. The teacher was appropriately enthusiastic and Jack liked her and giggled at some of the things she did. We did a few songs, but concentrated more on playing with balls (rolling them, pulling them out of a box and putting them back in, etc.). We also had them push a rolled up mat and Jack took a few steps while his hands were up on the mat. The last activity was the large parachute, which Jack loved! When he was much younger, I used to let scarves drop slowly over his head and he liked the patterns and light. This was similar but on a bigger scale and he really responded to it.

They "get you" on the way out by saying, "Put on your shoes and meet us at the front desk." Well, Lindsey and I signed up for an ongoing membership that allows us one class a week, and five days of "open play". Since the Gymboree is one minute from our house, I'm going to try to take advantage of it often.