It was a windy day today and both my baby and I are still terribly jet-lagged (we just got back from India over the weekend). We were in India for more than 3 months, and had a blast socializing with the entire family, meeting friends, chatting with neighbors everyday, and hosting a wedding in the family. Ruhi got the most attention and love from everyone. Being in India did wonders on her social skills development, and reduced her stranger anxiety to a great extent.
Ever since we have been back, its been kinda lonely. We are not going out much coz she sleeps a lot during the day, and the weather outside is a little bit chilly for her. However, I did not want to get stuck in a boring routine at home, so even though it was very windy today, I took her to a local kids gym for a trial class. This little studio has programs for babies (or bugs as they call it) as little as 4 months for motor skills development. Music, exercise, socializing - sounded like a fun thing to try :)!
Ruhi had an awesome time. There were 8 babies with their moms, 7 girls and 1 boy. The age group was perfect for her....they were all between age 6-9 months. The teacher was also fantastic. The class started with a couple of introductory songs where we were given rattles for the babies to rhyme with. We then did a few upper body gentle moves, after which we did some tummy exercises and some pseudo-baby-somersaults. I tried some of the moves for the first time with Ruhi, and was amazed at how well she adapted to them and liked them.
We then moved on to standing time (with support) during which she socialized with a cute 7-month old. Most of the stuff we did will help with her balance, co-ordination and body awareness.
The teacher then picked up Ruhi and took her to the bars (gymnastics portion of the class), where she tested her grip (which is very strong). She was happy with how Ruhi held on and said she has good core strength.
We then moved on to the most fun part of the class - blowing bubbles. We all stood in a circle with our babies standing up on our palms facing inside the circle (so that the babies face each other), as the teacher blew bubbles in the circle for the babies to play. Ruhi had a blast...she was trying to catch the bubbles while giggling and babbling. She was all smiles, even though she was tired and ready for her nap.
The class ended with two beautiful cleanup and goodbye songs. Overall, I am so glad I went. I got to meet other mommies in the area, and Ruhi had fun socializing with other babies her age.
There are a couple other studios in the area that offer the same kind of classes, so I will be checking them out in the next few weeks, and then will enroll in the one that I feel is best suited for us.
We are also planning to try out a kiddie swimming pool sometime soon, coz Ruhi loves bath time and splashing water around in her small tub at home.
Oh, the joys of parenting :)
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