Cate starts gymnastics

I wish I had pictures to share, but I'm afraid that will have to be for another time. I did, though, have to share about Cate's first night at gymnastics. A few weeks ago, I came home from work and Rick said he and Cate had gone to the Y that day and signed up for preschool (ages 2-5) gymnastics. Of course, I, the rule follower, immediately said, "But she's not two yet! We're going to get kicked out!" To which Rick said, "I think we'll be fine. Look at what she does already."

So off we went last night for one hour of gymnastics. Luckily, we quickly paired up with another mom and dad who had a little boy who wasn't turning two until December, so we figured we were ok. There was another two year old, but he seemed much more advanced than Cate or Nat (her new little friend), so I don't know if he was 2.5 or closer to 3, but the three of them (and us parents) were all put in a group together.

Over the course of the hour, we rotated through several stations- first, cartwheels. HA! Seriously. The leaders seemed a bit off last night, but the usual teacher was out sick, so there were some teenage helpers, who obviously weren't up on their 2 year old developmental studies. Listening to this 14 year old try to explain to Cate and Nat, who were paying no attention, how to do a cartwheel was a riot. The other mom and I finally politely explained to her that they had no idea what she was asking of them and said, "Can we just let them jump off the mat?", which they did, and which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Then it was on to the bars, which were loaded up with mats below so that they could stand on the mats, reach up, and grab the bar. The teacher at that station then held on to them and helped them swing on the bar, then push themselves up on the bar. Cate loved this part, and each time she pushed up on the bar (then above even our heads), she got a big smile and would say, "Hi!"

Third station was the rope climb. Once again- HAHA!! The young guy at that station also took the "way over their heads" approach to explaining the rope climb, to which we had to say, "Yeah, they're not going to get that." So he then climbed the rope to let them watch him, and Cate stared in awe (ok, and so did I) as he climbed hand over hand (not even using his feet or legs!) up to the ceiling and back down. I then said to Cate, "Ok, now do you want to try?" And she took off running over to the rope and dove onto the mat. He held her feet, and I held her middle, and she sort of "climbed" up the rope a little. She seemed amused by all of it. As we left that station, the guy apologized and said, "I usually work with older kids. Guess I need to read up on 2 year olds!"

The final station was somersaults. They had a wedge mat, and this was definitely one the 2 year olds could do. Cate is already good at putting her head on the ground and her bum in the air, so the tuck and roll part came easily.

Overall, I think Cate had a great time. I was afraid she might hang on my leg the whole time, but she quickly took to running all around. The spongy floor seemed to invite rolling, flailing, bouncing, jumping, and the like. There were lots of smiles and laughter, even if she couldn't do a cartwheel or climb the rope.

Perhaps another week we can get some pictures!