Rocco, Gabby & gymnastics

Rocco has started gymnastics!

The original plan was for me to enroll both Rocco & Matteo in September. Matteo would have really LOVED it. And, I would have SO loved to see him enjoying it too. But, instead... Rocco started the "Tumble With Your Tot" class solo in August. Both his and Gabby's class begins at the same time, which is convenient.

Gabby recently moved up a level, and she really enjoys it. There is more focus on coordination type skills, more time spent on the beam and bars, and more energy put towards having the kids learn/do certain tumbling skills correctly... not just flopping through the motions. Gabby really likes the challenges of her new class and was thrilled that a friend she made at gymnastics also joined her in the move to this class.

Rocco thinks the gym is fabulous. His class is 45 mins long and consists of 15 minutes to do whatever he wants (bar, beam, trampoline, floor, ropes, mats... whatever), 5 minutes of circle-time stretching, ~10 minutes of obstacle courses, ~10 minutes of tunnels, balls and hula hoops, ~5 minutes to jump in the pit, then the goodbye song, stamps & paper. On the first day, I couldn't get Rocco to focus on anything... he spent the entire class running everywhere and testing everything out as quickly as he could. I was exhausted at the end and probably sweating more than him!

During the second class, Rocco actually sat in circle time for an entire minute before running off out of the circle (while all the other kids sat stretching nicely, of course). And, during the third class, he actually did 3 minutes of stretching with the other kids before running off. By the third class he also followed the kids ahead of him through the obstacle course nicely instead of trying to zip by them, go around them, or run off to do something else entirely. His focus seems to get better with each class. I think the enormous gym just really excited this little guy!

During class, Gabby will often wave and yell a "Hi Rocco! Hi mommy!", which is cute. And, I often have to catch Rocco from running over to Gabby... he'll point and say "Babby!"

I find myself wondering what Matteo would have liked best about the class. I wonder if he would have followed Rocco around while laughing, knowing they were making me chase them both. Or, if he would have had more focus from the start. I imagine he would have enjoyed the circle time stretching and the obstacle course. I think he would have also clung to me quite a bit and would have been a bit bothered every time I had to run off to chase Rocco.

I'll always wonder... no matter what we do. I'll always wonder what Matteo would have done.