We LOVE Kindermusik!!!

It was never a question as to whether or not I would stay at home when we had children. My mom worked very little when we were younger and my husband's mother was a stay at home mom as well. But, as a stay at home mom who also babysits, I am always looking for ways for Graham and I to have Mommy and Me time. I sometimes feel guilty for always making him share his toys, his house, his food and his MOMMA! So when summer was over and I got the opportunity to cut back to 3 days a week of babysitting, leaving 2 whole days for just Graham and I- I was excited! What kinds of fun things could we do together to fill our days? After all the #1 reason I don't work outside of the home is for Grahammy! Graham came out loving music. His dad and I are music junkies. Martin played piano as a child and young adult and has self taught a little guitar. I was always involved in chorus in school and loved performing in musicals as well. It was a given that our child would know about music and be exposed from it from in utero on! Yes, I was one of those mom's who put headphones on my big pregnant belly and read books to the baby in there. I never got huge into the research about it but always had the attitude of "what could it hurt?". Graham now enjoys all sorts of music and has been dancing since he could stand and singing since before he could talk. I had heard about Kindermusik from parents at the schools I worked in before getting pregnant as I had heard from mom's in the neighborhood- it was a great way to let kids express themselves and have fun while learning through music! Intrigued from the beginning I knew when I had kids I would give it a try. I am an Occupational Therapist still at heart even though my license has lapsed and it's been 2 1/2 years since I have worked as one. I LOVE learning about our sensory systems and how they work, and I have a kiddo who is very sensory orientated. Kindermusik was definitely only going to further explore his sensory system and help him learn through it. I have to admit I was nervous and had no idea what to expect on the first day. But Katie Henderson (Mrs. Kindermusik) is absolutely amazing and the BEST! She intuitively knows how to involve each and every child in there and coaches the parents on how to involve their children as well. Graham was very well behaved on the first day and participated beyond my expectations. He instantly fell in love with Mrs. Henderson and wanted to be by her a lot and even gave her a kiss and hug on the way out. The first day was all about learning the routines, getting to know one another and trying out new things. Some of the kids had been there before and were experienced. I was beaming with pride after leaving that first day because had I not known Graham I would have thought he was an "experienced" kiddo himself. The second week didn't go as smoothly but he still did GREAT! We are starting to learn about high and low and I love having something to carry through with at home. The take home CD is AWESOME! Although I am getting a little tired of "the carpenter's hammer" (his and Lana's favorite). ;) I kind of feel like it tailored to Graham specifically because we talk about all things around the house. Anyone who knows my kid, knows this is HIS THING anyway. He is obsessed about talking about the smells, sights, sounds, textures and tastes around home and has always been "hypersensitive" to them. Once again definitely a sensory kiddo... We were already using much of the vocabulary we are learning about in class in our home. I am so thrilled to have it all reinforced at Kindermusik. I am PSYCHED to continue our semester in Kindermusik and I know it won't be our last class. It is something for both Grahammy and Mom to look forward to each week! I am in LOVE! There is a video of Graham demonstarting his singing skills as well as some pictures of him and his "beloved Kindermusik bag" when leaving for class today.