As I get into my second year of being a mom, naturally I have come across a lot of situations that make me remember what we were doing a year ago. I’ll try to keep the yammering to a minimum, but this one has photographic evidence, so I thought I’d share.
Today, we started a new class. It’s at the same maternity/baby center where I’ve taken several other classes. It’s a little pricey (especially now that I have to pay for the 2nd kid…), but nice to have an outing in a child-safe place with developmentally-appropriate activities. Gets us out of the house, gives me new ideas, entertains the kids. And, it’s at 11AM, so gets them good and tired before the iffy PM nap.
The class was fun, seems like a nice enough group. There’s even another set of twins there, though they’re a touch on the younger side, and the mom brought the nanny along (and was surprised that I was there by myself… come on, just do it!). There were songs and toys and a story and a parachute. There was even a brief adventure with a water table (next week will, apparently, be sand). I was really struck by how big they’re getting, and the differences in each of the classes we’ve done.
Almost exactly one year ago, I started my very first mom/baby class there. I was the first one there, as tends to be my way. The oldest baby was 9 weeks, the youngest only 2. My kids were right in the middle. Almost the whole class was pretty mom-focused. We learned infant massage, we talked about breastfeeding and sleep and swaddling. We were all brand new to this whole thing, and the babies pretty much only ate or slept. We’d try a little tummy time. All of those babies are now a year old, most are walking. Some moms have gone back to work, some of us haven’t. One is even expecting her second. We have a Halloween party planned for next month.
Amazing, the difference a year makes. First, a picture I took during our third or fourth class. Big excitement: tummy time and mirrors (Daniel is the noggin in the middle)! Then, there was today. Water table and snacks! Just imagine next year…
But the fact of the matter is that I have two mobile-but-not-steady kids who don’t take direction and haven’t entirely figured out that you can’t crawl straight off of surfaces 3 (or 6 or 10) feet above the ground.
I let them sleep for a few and tried to relax and listen to the radio and check my email on my 
Daniel clung to me a little more, but did branch out and check out the scene. We’ll definitely be returning. The only trick is that it’s that slot between the AM and PM naps, and the drive is just long enough that I had to work to keep them from falling asleep on the way home. Still, though, tons of fun and a great indoor option.
A short outing is possible between the morning and afternoon nap (around 11, maybe 11:30), and a longer one can be done after the afternoon nap (around 3:30). Our short outings often involve terribly exciting errands, like the grocery store (hence this morning’s trip to Target). The later slot can be longer walks, a friend’s house, or something more fun like that. Yesterday’s later outing was a nice long walk with Aunt R, followed by a stop at Whole Foods, where they have some pretty cool double shopping carts.
We took the kids out for dinner. The last time we took them with us for dinner was when they were still able to be rocked to sleep in their infant carseats. This was a full-on dinner for four. It was a little too impromptu to be a runaway success
Anyways, it’s all of 11AM and we’ve got our wristbands (which ran out shortly thereafter, so it was a good thing we arrived when we did), and several hours to kill. I got a coffee, the kids had their bottles. We made our way to the kids’ section to hang out. They were great, happy enough to hang out, and made friends with all of the staff people in the area. They were a hit with everyone, as always. 
So, at 2pm, they let us in to the seating area they’d set up near the magazines. Unfortunately, I had to ditch the stroller. With Daniel in the Ergo, Rebecca in my arms, and a backpack on my back… I was quite the mommy pack mule. And still, there was an hour and a half to kill.
And finally, the band came on a bit after 3:30. Hooray! It was fun to be so close, fun to have all of the kids in the audience (the store did make sure to keep most of the actual seats for people with kids and babies, and let those unencumbered folks take standing room). It wasn’t excessively loud, fun to hear the new songs, and a touch of the usual BNL banter (regarding “whale” milk and set lists written on tortilla chips). The songs, as I recall them, were:
There’s no inconspicuous or quiet way to enter a room with two babies.
