Getting out with Aaron

This is how I found Aaron upon returning home from story time at the library yesterday. Normally the handle is behind the canopy of the car seat so he can't grab onto it, but yesterday was overcast, so I left the canopy back so he could see outside.

He loves to grab onto the handle with both hands when he can. The day before, he grabbed onto it when I put him in the car seat and kept a grip on it all the way down to our yoga class - every time I peeked in the rearview mirror, I could see his little hands on the handle.

Monday was our first Mommy and Me Yoga class. It is a 6 week class offered at the outpatient center of a hospital about 20 minutes away and is for moms with babies 4 weeks to 1 year (and not walking). There are 8 other moms in the class and Aaron is the oldest. The next oldest is a 7 month old baby girl and most of the other babies were about 3 months and younger. I think the class would be easier with a lighter-weight baby.

Some of the poses involve being on hands and knees and the baby beneath you on the blanket. Aaron kept turning over, so I just sat him up in front of me with some of the toys supplied by the instructor. Unfortunately, he thought it was fun to pull my ponytail when I was doing downward-facing dog. For standing poses, we were supposed to hold our baby, and trying to do that with a 21 lb baby is a challenge. I had to set him down a few times or break from the poses. Unfortunately he was a little fussy and didn't want to be set down. The last poses were on our backs, with babies either on our tummies leaning against our legs, or with our knees to our chest and babies on their tummies facing us. At the end, she turned down the lights while we did the final resting pose and she came around and did minute long shoulder rubs on everyone. That felt wonderful!

She warned us that the first class would be the most difficult, but that we should come back. It was definitely challenging with Aaron and I couldn't concentrate on the poses, but I think it will get easier. I've been trying to do yoga at home with a DVD I found on sale a couple of months ago. This class gives me ideas of how to incorporate Aaron into the workout, which gives me fewer excuses for not being more active. I realy liked the instructor and I found out she teaches the same class (for free) at a library not far from here, two Wednesdays a month. Today is one of those Wednesdays, so I might try to go (I have to call the library when they open to make sure space is available).

Yesterday, Aaron took an early nap in the morning, and was awake in time for story time at the local library. He's usually asleep during story time, so we haven't been since last year. Unfortunately, they don't have the version for babies anymore, so we went to the story time geared for 18 months to 3 years. Since many moms have two kids, there are usually other babies there with their toddler age siblings, so Aaron wasn't the only one "underage". I think the one for babies was better for Aaron's age, but we'll probably go back, unless I can find another story hour nearby - which might not be too hard - there are a lot of libraries within 15-20 minutes of us.

Tomorrow we are going to meet a friend of mine and her daughter for lunch. I try to get out at least on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I don't have child care until 3pm, when my niece comes over after school. If it weren't for the yoga classes, I wouldn't normally go out on Mondays and Wednesdays, since Julie comes at noon to babysit. Now that Aaron is so alert and curious, it is harder to spend long hours at home with him. It really helps pass the time to have outside distractions. Plus, now that he is more interactive, I like for him to have opportunites to play with other children.