My little yogini

Another yoga class with my little man! I can't even count how many yoga classes Henry has been to. Definitely more than Alexa. He loves it! I massage him, push his knees up, bicycle his legs, stretch his arms wide and then crossed... He rolls back and forth, does baby bridge pose, fish pose and pulls up to standing! He laughs and squeels in delight the whole time. We love it!

Alexa takes the train! Henry does yoga!

A little bit of gender reversal today. Alexa got to ride the train to school today with Daddy. She was a little nervous at first, but then couldn't stop talking about the big train that goes Choo Choo Chugga!

Meanwhile, Henry and Mommy went to another baby yoga class with baby Chaney. What did Daddy think about that? "Smart boy. He already knows that chicks dig yoga." And what did Chaney's mom say? "He's on the Approved list." Nice. Way to make a good first impression with the parents!

Toddler Yoga with Avery!

When I was out maternity leave, one of my favorite activities was going to baby yoga. Alexa loved it too! My friend Blythe introduced me to this wonderful yoga studio that offers lots of classes for kids. We went several times when she was a baby and learned some fun poses to do together. Our last class there was just about the time that Alexa started really crawling. She was all over the room! Well, that was nothing.

At today's toddler class, my little runner ran all around the room! All the other toddlers sat in their mom or caregiver's laps nicely. Not Alexa! She wanted to explore! She proclaimed to the class that the radiator was "hot!" (It was mildly warm, but "hot" is one of her new words.) She also loved crawling through a nylon tunnel tent like the one her friend Nate has. (Note to self: Gotta get one of those!) And she had fun chasing bubbles and balls. Here she is playing with her birthday buddy Avery.

Also, check out their cute matching  "A" T-shirts, courtesy of fabulous Mommy Mae! I actually won a give-away on her site! If only the girls would stand still so I could snap a proper picture. Is that possible with active toddlers? Arg!

Alexa wears polka dots to yoga

Today we said goodbye to Grandma E and got ready for our second Itsy Bitsy yoga class in Rockville. The class is offered through the county recreation department, so it's pretty cheap. There are about eight moms and babies and we sit in a semi-circle with mats.

We put the babies in poses that help them stretch and digest, like pushing their knees in toward their tummy. We also swing them through our legs and put them on our legs to give them a bouncy ride. It's hard to explain without showing you!

Alexa loves it. But then, we do all these same things at home too, so the class really seems unnecessary. Still, it's nice to get out of the house and see other babies and mom friends!

Here is Alexa on her blanket watching her friend Brandon crawl across the room! She was studying him intently, trying to figure out how he does this crawling thing. I think she figured out how to get up on her knees from watching him at a previous mom's group get-together. So cute!

Back at home, Alexa played on her activity mat while contemplating this new crawling thing.

Alexa's first Yoga Class!

Today we met up with some other moms in my mom's group for a Mommy-Baby yoga class! It was great! Here is Alexa all dressed up in her yoga outfit, ready to go!

The class was taught at a nice yoga studio in Chevy Chase, D.C., which is about 15 minutes from our house. It was packed - 16 mommies and babies! Other than myself, there were two other moms from my mom's group, my friend Mary Clare and her baby Catherine and another former co-worker Laura and her baby Luke.

The class started off with us massaging baby's shoulders and belly. We then held their arms out wide and then folded. We also moved their little legs like riding a bicycle and rocked them gently on their back (like the "happy baby" pose). Then, we let the babies relax on their blankets while we did some mommy poses, like down dog, plank and warrior.

Alexa loved the first part of the class, then she got fussy so I fed her. But then she fell asleep! Unfortunately she fell asleep during the most fun part, where all the mom's sat in a circle and bounced their babies in and out of the circle. She eventually woke up toward the end of the class, which was nice, because then I could take her picture:

We are looking forward to going back the week after Thanksgiving!

Another productive day: Our 1st Open House! And we continued Our Search!

Sunday was a beautiful day, so I went out for a nice 5-mile jog/walk in Rock Creek Park. I hope whatever house we buy is close to a running trail!

Then our Realtor held our first open house from 1-4 p.m. It went pretty well, lots of traffic. And we have two people coming by Tuesday for a 2nd look! Crossing our fingers for some good offers!

Meanwhile, we spent the afternoon Northwest D.C. and Bethesda, Md., to continue our search for the perfect house! Altogether, we saw 8 houses on Sunday. We liked two of them...

One is in Bethesda on Glenwood Road, a very kid-friendly street with a big back deck and yard. It has a nice family room addition and finished basement, but no master bath and the kitchen is a little small.

The other is also in Bethesda and has a big kitchen and fabulous living room with huge windows that opens to a great patio and yard. The only thing is that while it is large (4Br/2Ba), it is a rancher with only ONE level. That's right, no upstairs and no basement! But, hey, that's how it was in Hawaii where I grew up!

I ended the day with another candlelight prenatal yoga class. One of the other women in the class found out that she's having a girl! So far, everyone who knows what they are having (4 women) are having girls! I wonder what that means for Lima Bean... We find out SOON!

More prenatal yoga

I didn't decide until the very last minute (6:20 p.m.) whether to sign up for the Candlelight Prenatal Yoga Series, which runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. every Sunday.

But I'm so glad I did! 

Here is the description of the class: This 6-week series will nurture expectant mothers during their magical journey. In class, you will learn to use yoga's mind/body awareness to connect with your own innate wisdom, body and your growing baby. Our warm and supportive community will allow you to freely discuss any issues, from discomforts and concerns to the wonderful new changes your body and baby are experiencing. 

I really enjoyed this class! It was taught by a different teacher than last week and I definitely felt like it was more focused and challenging, while also very educational. The teacher explained what poses we could do and ways to modify traditional poses to make them pregnant-friendly.

Also, at the end of the class, one question from another women in the class about signing up for daycare led to an impromptu discussion with all the other pregnant yoginis, most of which live nearby. It was really nice to meet and talk with other women who are also going through the same things I am! We plan to exchange e-mails so we can keep in touch throughout the week.

There were seven of us in class, ranging in progress: one is 15 weeks, then me at 15 1/2 weeks, then one is 17 weeks, one is 18 weeks, one is 23 weeks, one is 27 weeks and one is 32 weeks. At least two of them are also planning to deliver at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Looking forward to next Sunday!

Took my first prenatal yoga class

This afternoon, I finally worked up the courage to check out the prenatal yoga class at Flow Yoga Center, the studio across the street from our condo. I have been practicing yoga there for about four years, so I was curious if I would get any looks walking into class with my little pooch of a belly hanging over my cute Lululemon yoga pants.

To my surprise, my "pooch" was NOTHING compared to what most of the other women in class were showing off! There were 10 of us and -- other than one woman who was 11 Weeks along and not showing yet -- everyone else looked pretty close to popping.

So, needless to say, the class moved a bit slow. It was kind of like a stretch class. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It might be great when I'm a little farther along and having trouble doing much else? Still, there were some very cool elements to the class.

I liked how at the start of the class our instructor told everyone to put one hand on our heart and one hand on our belly to connect our beating heart with that of our baby's.

And it was interesting how at the end of class we did some chants because supposedly the vibrations are soothing to the baby. I wonder if any of the ladies who were father along felt any movement or kicks when we did that?

The class meets every Sunday at 3:30 p.m. I'd like to try it again with the regular instructor (today we had a sub) and see what she's like.

Another option is to sign up for a 6-week candlelight pre-natal yoga series (with the regular instructor) that will meet every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (Cost $108)

Considering that we're pretty busy on most Sundays going to open houses, this might be a nice option. I also like how it would be the same group of women each week so that you are practicing with more of a community than on a drop-in basis.

As always, let me know what everyone thinks! As you were.