Big kid class

We have been in the same gym class for about 8 months now.  When we started our two were some of the youngest in the class and we made some great friends with both parents and other kids (including another adoptive family!).  Our two were even beginning to learn the other kids’ names.

Here lately we started noticing how big and strong our two seemed compared the rest of the kids.  We were the oldest kids in the class and it seemed like the kids had outgrown the class.  We asked to be switched into the next class for 23 months-3.5 yr olds.

Last Saturday was our first day, and wow do we feel out of our element.  The kids are the youngest in the class, and there seems to be a whole social hierarchy among the kids.  The kids actually play together, rather than barely noticing the others exist (like in the previous class).  All of the kids are girls, which means Cooper is the lone boy.  The kids all talk, and even sing along to the songs!  The parents follow the kids around and constantly ask ‘do you need to go potty?’.  It’s all so knew and foreign because we haven’t hit any of these stages yet.

The funniest thing that happened is when Cooper and Charlotte were jumping on the trampoline.  Another little girl wanted to ‘jump with friends’ and tried to hold their hands, and when Cooper and Charlotte bumped into each other and fell down, the little girl thought it was a game and kept bumping into them and falling down.  Cooper who has learned how to say many more words, tells her ‘no!  go!  off!’.  Oh jeez, I have to explain to him that it’s fun to jump with friends!

We do like the class though.  The skills are a little more advanced and are challenging to the kids again.  I think the other kids will be great peer models for our two and help them develop even faster.

I think we might even give potty training a try out this weekend.  Both of the kids want to wear underwear all the time, and when they pee in the underwear they get upset and go sit on their potty.  It’s almost guaranteed that they’ll pee on the toilet if we put them on it.  In fact, Cooper is tall enough to get on the toilet by himself now.  Cooper seems to be able to hold his pee, while Charlotte tells us she is peeing while she is doing it.  I think they really could be ready.  We’ll try it and if they aren’t, no big deal!

(No news yet, but I’m really, really hoping by the end of the week.  The good thoughts are working so far, so thanks!)