I think the heat is getting to me, because I completely forgot to post about a big milestone that happened for Samantha last week!
The girls have been going to their My Gym class for almost a year now, and have come a long way as far as being less shy with the teachers and doing all the activities. Several people even today commented to me at how much more outgoing the girls appear– hooray for my shy girls! It always shocks people to hear that the girls are totally crazy at home because they are so quiet and “dainty” in class.
Anyway, at the beginning of class every week, Mr. Kevin asks everyone to introduce themselves. Most of the two-year-olds will say their own name, but Samantha and Amelia always turn away and hide in my lap when it’s their turn. This, despite the fact that they are constantly saying their own names and talking about each other at home.
Last week, out of the blue, when it was Samantha’s turn, she busted out with a very loud and proud, “I’M SAMMY!”
It was like she had been bottling it up for months.
I think the other parents and teachers were more shocked than I was and everyone burst out in applause. Amelia sort of gave a muffled version of her name, but I couldn’t tell if she was trying to introduce herself or if she was just saying “No!” so I won’t count it for purposes of a milestone. I think she’s close, though.
It was an exciting day and Samantha seemed very proud of herself– especially when we told Daddy. It was nice to see how excited the other moms and teachers were too. Just to illustrate how big of a deal it was, I got a text the next day from my friend from class, Susan, who said she had been smiling thinking about Samantha introducing herself. Her son asked her why she was randomly smiling and she recounted the story to him. So sweet.
We had class again today and Samantha didn’t introduce herself this time, but when it was Amelia’s turn, Amelia said, “I’m Sammy!” and then Samantha pointed to Amelia and said, “Ba!”
I think we have a case of identity confusion! This is all after we had practiced at home the whole week in the hopes that the girls would give a repeat performance. So funny, but we’ll try again next week.
The girls usually like to sit and observe the teacher during warm ups, but last week and this week, they’ve started doing the arm stretches and toe touches themselves, which has been another big deal. They love practicing everything at home, but for some reason, in class, they get really embarrassed and prefer to be wallflowers. Ditto with dance and music class. Until it’s time to get up and run around the gym, that is. Once circle time is over, they transform into crazy monkeys!
I love remembering all these little things, and had to put this one down so I can smile at my overly proud mama moments in the future 🙂
Lots of love,
