Ballet and Baseball

  This spring I signed the kids up for a ballet class at Pan Am through the city. They had been dying to do ballet for a while now and I finally signed them up. They didn't allow the parents into the class as it was being taught. We didn't know this on the first day, and so I assumed Olivia would balk at the idea of me NOT BEING IN THE CLASS with her. 

  On that first day I tried to meet Olivia half way: I'd go in for a few minutes, but when the class started she'd have to be there with Robin. Jen had previously had success leaving Olivia with a swim instructor that she REALLY liked, so I was cautiously optimistic. After watching for only a few minutes, I crept out of the room with Sydney. No cries of panic! It happened! Robin being in the room with her was a big factor in this, so I've got to give her credit.

  For the next couple of months, I'd take the girls to their ballet on thursday afternoons, drop them off in the class (after getting on their ballet gear in a panicked rush), then walk Sydney to sleep in the stroller. On those few occasions where Sydney actually did fall asleep and not just stare at me babbling, I was left with almost twenty whole minutes to myself! The amount of things I got done in that time was astounding! Actually, I usually fell asleep with my arm on the stroller, and was woken up as the two little ballerinas burst out of the class and down the hall to scold me for not waiting RIGHT BY THE DOOR.  How selfish of me to find some seats down the hall.

  For the last class they did a performance for anyone who wanted to come. Grandma and Ba'cha both attended, and I filmed the show. I was pretty impressed. Olivia told me about how they each stood on their own butterfly (hers was rainbow) and she even held another kid's hand for part of the act! Here is the footage, with a little bonus video in the end.

  During the evenings in the spring, Jen coached baseball for the kids at RA Steen on a team called the "lil' RAScals". Jen played and loved baseball growing up, so was pretty excited that they agreed to sign up. This involved Jen doing little drills with the kids, like fielding grounders and learning that you only hit the ball with the bat when it's your turn. It also involved Olivia sticking like glue to Jen's hip the entire season. And not wearing the jersey. Or the hat. Or wanting to be in the individual photo without Mommy being in it too. And not smiling for the picture. No smiling. Robin had a great time and she picked up a thing or two. She might not be super strong, but she's fast! She has Ba'cha's and Grandpa's running genes to work with.

  It was not lost on me that we were continuing the non-traditional family roles: Jen goes to work and went to baseball with the kids, I stay home and brought the kids to ballet. I think it's a good thing, so our daughters don't feel pigeon holed in life. There even seems to be evidence to back this up.

  We're lucky to have the time to do these things with our kids. I have to remember to tell myself this whenever Robin tells Olivia it's her turn to sit in that one (random) chair at the table and Olivia says no it's hers, and they fight and bicker about it until Robin finally bribes her for the chair with a piece of garbage off the floor and Olivia accepts it because it sparkles, and then two seconds later nobody wants the chair.