"Analese the Ballerina Bernhardt"

So today was the BIG day! Analese was finally able to begin her dance class. I was a bit nervous, as we had received a phone call last night informing us that the pre-ballet class we had signed up for was canceled. They suggested placing her in the "tot combo" class, which was a combo of ballet, jazz, tap and tumbling. I was pretty hesitant-it was an hour long and I was worried it might be too much for Analese to take in. BUT-I also had the dilemma where she was expecting to go to dance class that morning....so we decided to give it a try.

This morning Analese was soooooo excited, mainly to put her leotard on again but also to go see all the mirrors in the studio :) We talked about listening to her teachers-I asked her what she was going to do if Ms. Dar said to sit down...she said "I am going to dance!" and that was her answer to everything.

As we drove to the studio, she kept saying "I am just so excited!" I just crossed my fingers that the excitement would continue once we got there. Once we walked into the studio, she became a bit nervous but still kept the smile on her face. She wanted me to hold her as more and more girls came in all dressed in their leotards, so I did for a bit. We put her ballet shoes on, and her teacher told them to come into class and sit down. Analese took a few steps into the classroom, and then turned around. We made eye contact and her eyes started to get wide...uh-oh, I thought, she's going to cry. But, her teacher noticed her standing there and told her again to go join the kids and have a seat so that they can start class. Surprisingly, she headed over and sat down.

Greg showed up to watch her first class too. I love that about him. He doesn't want to miss out on these moments, and will work late in the evening if he has to so that he doesn't. He also helped take Mara for awhile so that I could just watch Analese. It gave her such a thrill when she looked out into the window and saw us there.

The first few minutes she just watched, taking it all in. But as her teachers began to show them warm-up exercises, Analese slowly began to copy them. She watched her teachers very intently, and I was so proud at how hard she tried to do what they asked. Even the other mothers commented on her level of concentration. Yes, my baby has no problems concentrating! She is the smallest in the group, and one of the youngest. I am so mad that I did not bring my video camera...next week.

Of course, I will admit to feeling a bit choked up from time to time. I couldn't help but think of a time not too long ago when no one could look at Analese-let alone touch her-without invoking a stream of tears. My baby has come a long way, and is now ready to take on some new adventures on her own. It took awhile, but she got there.

So she did very well, but I knew the hour was long for her. Once we got into the car, she broke down crying. First-because Daddy had to go back to work, and then she just wanted me to hold her hand for a few minutes. Finally, we were ready to go home.

The funny thing-I had agonized over this studio because of how expensive it was, at $20.00 a class. The tot combo is $26.00, but Greg and I just decided we had to do it. I found out today it is "26.00 A MONTH!! How great is that?

As we pulled into driveway after class, Analese told me that she just wanted a carrot for lunch. When I asked her if she was turning into a rabbit, she said "No, I just Analese... I just a girl" I told her she would never be "just a girl" and she screamed "oh that's right! I ANALESE THE BALLERINA BERNHARDT!!!"

This had both girls giggling, so of course it was repeated, over and over again......