The Saratoga-Los Gatos Recreation Department hosted a free demonstration Musical Me class at the beginning of September. Since they normally charge about $300 for 3 months of classes, I took advantage of the freebie. The morning classes were all really badly timed for James and Julia's napping and eating schedule, and Julia ended up taking a monster nap that day, so by the time they woke up, were fed, and I drove there, the hour long class was finishing! Thankfully another class followed that one, and we were able to join.. The class was for 9 month old babies and up, and at a few days under 9 months James and Julia were easily the youngest in the room. The babies can mostly sit on their own - though Julia occasionally will fall backwards if unsupported - so I plopped them in Boppy pillows
The moms all sang, hit the floor and clapped while the babies watched. All the babies received a rattle to shake. James and Julia promptly tried to eat theirs. When it was time to give them up, the moms were told the wee ones could hang on to them if they didn't want to return them yet. Julia relinquished hers but James roared when I started to take his away so I let him keep it for several more songs. A few songs later there was a soothing song to help the babies relax and of course that's when James started shaking his rattle. So to recap: during the shake-the-rattle song James ate his rattle, and during the quiet song he shook his rattle.
Later on I gave the babies tambourines and bells and they enjoyed gnawing on those, too.
In conclusion, the class was enjoyable for me and the babies, though I'm not sure the babies got a lot out of it. Also, instruments are tasty.
The babies wear name tags in case they're confused with some other leg warmer-wearing twins.
"You use your rattle your way, I use it my way."
James as Henry VIII with a chicken leg
Julia shows off her new chompers.
"You call THAT tambourine playing? Bitch, please."
Mommy happened to wear striped socks but didn't get the memo to wear striped leg-warmers.
"Bells taste even better than rattles!"
Note James's drool drenched name tag.
James actually uses it as an instrument?
Yay! Victory! He appears to have hit it, well... once.
"Okay. Enough of that. Back to eating."
"This isn't right! Why can't I taste bells?"
"Much better!"
The twins are getting so big and are so darling! They look so healthy and happy. You are doing a great job, Kathy!
ReplyDeleteAw thanks, Beth! I assume by "healthy and happy" you mean "happy to gnaw on things."
ReplyDeleteLove the Henry VIII comparison.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Ronan is about on James' level when it comes to our Music Together class. Mostly, he eats things. But last week he actually hit the drum several times. I'm calling that progress even though he does the same things to tabletops and my chest at home.
James also LOVES hitting things. He likes to crawl outside the nursery to the hardwood floor hallway and hit in with the flat of his hand. Yesterday he got upset at Starbucks so I held him and he hit a metal table outside. That seemed to calm him. Anything involving his hand hitting something.
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