Chloe started her first gymnastics session of the season the other day. It was long overdue.
It had been awhile since Chloe had an activity that was all about her and had nothing to do with driving her sisters somewhere, eating rice crackers in the car and having to draw an endless number of circles with a pencil I would find on the floor at a rec centre on some Zehrs receipts from my purse.
The entire drive there, she couldn’t stop smiling and shouting things like, “This is going to be so much fun!” and “I love Gymastress!!!” which I think is a combination of gymnastics, gym-mistress and gym-mattress.
She was entertaining the entire one hour lesson. I can’t nail down the exact reason why it was so much fun to be a part of this experience with Chloe.
Maybe because this is my third time around and I am just now realizing how quickly all of these first come and go, becoming distant memories as the kids age and become more coordinated which is way less fun.
Maybe because when I had Hanna I was always looking ahead to the next thing and with Chloe, I find myself living more in the moment, for the here and now.
Maybe because she called it the arm-pit instead of the foam-pit.
Maybe it’s because Chloe kept giggling and shouting, “Hey Mommy! I love this! I’m a clumsy dork!”
Okay, that was weird to me too but she said it with such enthusiasm and excitement, it was tough to find the negative when her tone and understanding reflected something completely different.
The cute-as-a-button moment came for me when Coach Jane was instructing Chloe on how to do a somersault.
“Come on over to the cheese wedge Chloe.”
Chloe looked everywhere for a block of cheddar but settled on the triangular crash mat Jane was resting her knees on.
“Okay Chloe, reach your arms up nice and tall.”
Chloe gave it her all, reached up towards the ceiling, staring up as high as she could, tippy-toes, entire body flexed.
“Okay, Chloe, now I want you to look at your belly button.”
Chloe stuck her stomach out a foot in front of her body, grabbed her belly and squeezed her belly button trying to make it protrude through her suit. Her body now hunched over like an arthritic cat.
“Okay, Chloe, I want you to reach your arms up high again.”
Up went the arms, the head, the tip-toes.
“And now, look at your belly button.”
Down came the arms, the head, the hands on the tummy, stomach distended another foot.
“Let’s try touching your toes.”
She squats backwards, tummy forward, arms to the ceiling, head up and falls. I’m pretty sure Chloe thought it was a form of Simon Says that had gone terribly wrong.
I really just wanted to tell Coach Jane she knows how to do a somersault but watching this display was so much more fun.
The cutest, clumsy dork I’ve ever laid eyes on.
She tripped on a gym mattress on our way out.
