Wednesday 23 May 2012

Kindergym

Yay, I'm learning to stand!
I've still been feeling a bit sad about Playgroup changing times and wondering what I could do with Felix to give him some interaction with other kids his age. Today I found the solution! Mum and I took Felix to Kindergym for the first time this morning. It's held in a local gymnasium and is set up beautifully for little ones. Everything is on a big padded floor so it's safe and there are soft places to fall. There are tunnels and ladders; there are lots of things to climb on and climb inside of. It's a toddler paradise, and Felix definitely thought so!

Sometimes when there are a lot of people around, Felix can be a little bit wary and stay close to me. Today I was really excited because the second I put him onto the floor he took off on his new adventure. It was great to see him wandering away from me a bit and not being frightened to try new things. He had the opportunity today to experience lots of different things in a completely different environment and he really thrived which warmed my heart. 

Fun at Kindergym this morning

One particularly good thing about today was how welcoming all the other Mums were. The lady who runs the Kindergym made a huge fuss of Felix when we arrived. She had seen his photo in the local paper a couple of times and joked about him being a bit of a celebrity. Everyone was so friendly and I felt really comfortable there so we'll definitely be making it a regular thing. I'm looking forward to getting to know a new group of Mums as well as renewing friendships with some familiar faces I know from Playgroup as well.

Felix was sound asleep in the car before we even got home from Kindergym today. He was absolutely exhausted from all of his exercise. He slept for two hours and when he woke up he ate an enormous lunch and then kept signing for more food all afternoon. I don't think I've ever seen him sign 'more' or 'banana' that much ever before; he was one very hungry boy. He ate a huge dinner tonight and was well and truly ready for bed after he'd finished eating. 
Singing with Granny

I finally got around to booking swimming lessons for Felix today. He starts this coming Saturday morning. I'll have to have a play around with his earplugs between now and then to make sure they fit him properly, and hope like crazy that he will actually keep them in his ears. The lady I spoke to on the phone about his lessons was really helpful. I mentioned that he has Down Syndrome; not because it will affect his ability to learn to swim, but because sometimes people react with surprise when they meet him if they don't know beforehand. I was really pleased when she told me that all of the instructors at the pool work with  kids from the 'Special School' when they come for swimming lessons, so they are used to teaching kids with differing abilities. That made me feel a lot more comfortable because when you have a child with Down Syndrome all you want is for them to be treated the same as everyone else. I'm confident that Felix will have a great experience learning to swim.

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