Madeline's first ballet class!

On Monday night I contacted a dance academy close by; spoke to the director on Tuesday; and took M to her first ballet class today. As expected she was hesitant but not nearly as bad as she used to be. I not-so-quickly reminded myself after her class that she was this way when we first began going to story-time with Mrs. Lori. I, of course, get lost! I looked on the map last night and knew it was right off the main road but don'tcha know I just kept driving past! So the class started out walking on the balance beam - surprisingly, Madeline did it! Each girl (there were only 2 other little girls today) got a designated color foot to pick up, and my Emmy girl decided to pick up ALL of the feet. She was quite the helper. Then she began getting apprehensive and whined (shocking, I know!) about me not picking her up. After that she mildly joined in. Mrs. Jane gave her a Ballerina stamp on her hand, and two stickers on the other (which immediately came off, and eventually torn in half). She says she had fun and wants to go back- so that is going to be her Wednesday thing now. It's a Mom & Tot class so I don't have to be away from her.. I hope that this class will bring her more self-confidence, friendships, and a stronger bond between the two of us as we have "fun" dancing.

Afterwards, we zipped over to the mall for story-time with Mrs. Lori! I don't know what it was about today but I did not have her stroller and she did not put up much of a fight about her God-forbid, walking! As soon as Mrs. Lori arrived Madeline was literally in-her-face. She never gets that close! She just stood there as she was reading. I tried so hard not to laugh, and cry- because it was so brave of her and I was so proud of her, even if she seemed a little on the obnoxious side. I kept trying to wave her to sit down and she kept waving back and pretending to whisper something to me. Then running back and fourth for Agua she eventually did sit down- thigh to thigh with Mrs. Lori!

Afterwards, I took her over to get chicken fried rice from the Chinese quickie-restaurant. She LOVES rice- it's such ashame I am the worse rice maker in the world. She munched that right up...

Then got candy out of a machine...

and finally, it was time to go home!

Madeline- Mama is so proud of you. You are developing bravery and that was not a word I would have used to describe you before, but it is now. You're developing your butterfly wings- and while it's sad to me to know that you're becoming a big girl, everything that you're accomplishing now makes me (and Daddy) so proud of you! I love you!!!