I’ve become quite creative in babyproofing this 100+ year old house. Because of its age, the walls aren’t exactly straight up and down, so securing baby gates can get interesting. The latest gate that I installed downstairs fit on the bottom but didn’t touch either wall on the top so I stuck dish towels in the gaps and, for now, it works!

First up, Gymboree Play & Music. We got to try out a class for free and it started out in the colorful gym-type room with other babies all around Lillian’s age. Perhaps we started out on a bad note because all of these other kids were crawling around like crazy and my little girl could not. No matter how many times I read the phrase, ‘Your baby is an individual’, in the baby development books, I get freaked out when Lillian isn’t doing what other kids her age are doing. Anyway, the class had a lot going on, with singing, dancing, mom sharing time, play gym things, and bubbles. Great variety, but perhaps a little too much. Lillian got cranky by the end of class and didn’t want anything to do with the giant parachute activity. I was hopeful for the mom sharing time, but some of the women came off a little too competitive when it came to their babies. Perhaps I was being sensitive due to the crawling issues, but even so, these moms also seemed to be the types that wanted to talk about their baby 24/7. I love Lillian, but I just can’t talk baby all day! Can a girl get some quality discussion on the latest Bachelor episode, please?! After the class, I got the awkward sales pitch and had to push them away. One, because I had a cranky over-stimulated baby, and two, because $59/month seems like A LOT of money for four classes a month. Granted, you also can attend the open gym times when your baby is mobile…did I mention that we still have a non-mobile baby? The package may have been a bit more attractive if that price included the music and art classes, but no, that was an additional $16/month.

Luckily, I had found a back-up baby class! We have a local independent children’s book store, Blue Manatee, that is the cutest place EVER! Add to it an attached coffee bar and cafe, and the fact that it is within walking distance from our house (when it’s not gray out, of course), and it is pretty much perfect. I had received an email communication from them that mentioned their music class for only $8/class and signed up. The class was for children 17 months and under, and there was a good mix of kids at, above, and below Lillian’s age. It was a nice half hour of singing activities with Miss Meghan who wore the cutest pair of toe socks with little smiley faces on them. Lillian LOVED it! She was shaking the musical eggs, waving, bobbing her head, and laughing! The moms in attendance (and one dad!) were much more laid back! On our way out, we signed up for the remaining classes in February and March! I am looking forward to class next week!