Jack loves yoga

Well, the first week ended with a very exciting outing for Jack and Gamma.  Lindsay came home Thursday night with a very special gift for us.  A certificate for two sessions of " Mommy and Me" or in our case, "Gamma and Me" yoga.  What a special daughter-in-law I have.  I was very excited about the prospect of a little exercise and the chance to participate in a class with Jack so I brought my yoga clothes the next day in anticipation of our little journey.

The weather in NYC has been unusually mild since I arrived so the prospect of walking a mile each way to the class was not problematic at all.  After I had performed the ritual of getting us ready and positioning the stroller on the first floor,( refer to previous post for the drama behind that one), I looked at the directions that Lindsay had printed for me and discovered that the yoga studio was actually 1.8 miles from the apartment and not one mile. Fortunately I was running a bit early, any of my friends and my loving husband especially, know that I tend to be obnoxiously on time.  This time it was a good thing.  We started the walk through neighborhoods I had never experienced before and my little angel slept the entire way.  We made it on time, not early Tom, and had no problem finding our way.  I could not help but think about the sharp contrast in this life to the constant in and out of the car I had experienced as a typical suburban mom.  You can actually live your life and take your children to activities and only rely on your two feet. Very illuminating.

I don't want to over do this but the class was one of the most positive experiences I have had in a very long time.  The instructor was welcoming and warm.  This is yoga of course so I did expect a degree of relaxation.  The class consisted of five babies, Jack was the only boy, three moms, an attractive looking urban dad, and one grandmother.  I was secretly disappointed when the other parents did not throw themselves on the floor with shock as they learned I was the grandmother and not the mother but one mom was gracious and polite and told me that I was indeed a very young looking grandma.  Okay, she was being polite but it made me feel somewhat redeemed.Of course, and I am not making this up, Jack was truly the most observant, flexible and best natured baby in that studio.  He loved the ceiling fan from the get go and focused on me as we went through the various exercises. It was so much fun I can't tell you. I stretched and posed with the best of them holding Jack and swinging him through the air as requested.  I was going to keep up if it killed me. We ended by doing the baby yoga versions of "I'm a Little Teapot" and the "Hooky-pooky" and Jack smiled and squealed with delight. A few of the other babies had to pause for a feeding or for their parents to calm them down but Jack just kept looking around and exploring the surroundings. What an exceptional boy and what a totally wonderful day.

Jack was tired after our outing but I was EXHAUSTED! ( No picture available of my condition.) It is a fact that doing yoga while holding a baby and balancing him while you pose is tough at any age. The four mile round trip was invigorating while I was doing it but when I was home and settled down I could not move.  I spent the night at Brian's and slept well after just one martini.  It was Friday, the end of my first wonderful week.

Finally, Jack still can't understand why the Bears are not in the Super Bowl.  Better luck next year.