Well in addition to these favorites, Shilo has another love, dancing or shall I say ballet. Last year we took a mommy and me ballet class together for 8 weeks. It was every Sunday for 30 minutes and it basically taught the little ones about balance, body awareness, movement, and following instructions. It was a lot of fun and Shilo loved that she got to wear a tutu and ballet slippers.
Although it was hilarious at the same time because a year ago she was still so little and I could tell not really ready for anything more advanced than the basics that a mommy and me class provided. So, the class ended, and we decided we would wait a while before we re-enrolled to see if it was something she would want to do again or if that was all she would be interested in. We moved on to swimming. Well, it seemed ballet was something that she really attached to. She would mention it all the time and would even call herself a "ballerina" when she was doing some of her moves or singing her cute "Cris Cross Apple Sauce" song. For me, I was happy to know she enjoyed it and that it was a positive and fun memory she held onto but honestly didn't really think it would go much further than that. I mean I had planned on signing her up again at some point but we had so many other things to try out in the meantime. However, Shilo had other plans. As her birthday started approaching and we started talking about what she wanted for her birthday she was consistent about one thing, "ballet". It was all she could talk about... ballet, ballet, ballet.
I started to look into the ballet options for her age group and there weren't really any more mommy and me classes, it would be a full blown dance class with an instructor and a recital at the end and everything. And more important, it was a class that the mamas were not allowed to stay and even watch (uh oh) it was a drop off and I will be back situation. I was a bit hesitant with this scenario as standardly Shilo is pretty shy and needs some time to adjust to new people and places. But, the girl kept talking about BALLET. So, after several consistent weeks of the Cris Cross Apple Sauce song, the tutu's just because and the question of "mama can I do ballet" I figured it was probably worth a shot. So when Uncle John and Auntie Randa called to see what Shilo wanted for her birthday I told Auntie Randa all about ballet, it didn't take much convincing for Auntie Randa and Uncle John to set it all up and get Shilo signed up for her first "official" big girl ballet class.
You can imagine her excitement when we told her that Auntie Randa and Uncle John got her ballet for her birthday. It was all she could think about, it was all she could talk about and to make it all even more exciting, grandpa and grandma sent her a brand new tutu
and a ballet case for ballet slippers! It was all a dream come true! 
The only problem... her birthday was in March and ballet didn't start until June. I can only imagine how long those three months must have seemed for Shilo cause they seemed like a lifetime to me - ha!But, the time finally came, it was "ballet week" and the anticipation and excitement were unforgettable. I will say, watching your children love something so much and knowing that you helped make what they love so much become possible (either directly or indirectly) is truly one of the best gifts a parent can ever receive.
On Wednesday morning Shilo woke up at 5:30 AM SO excited to get ready for ballet and to put her new leather ballet slippers on with her pink ballet tights and her new leotard. She could not wait to spin in her new tutu and put her hair up like a "real ballerina", it was literally all she could stand to wait until... 10 AM!!! Poor girl had to wait 4 1/2 hours before she could actually go to her class. But she did. She waited patiently, and she waited patiently the entire time in her beautiful ballet outfit.
On the way to her class I reminded Shilo that mama would drop her off and she would be with Miss Sue and all the other little girls but that mama would be right outside and then when the class was over, Miss Sue would open the door and then mama would come in and get her. I kept watching her from the rear view mirror her eyes fixed on her new leather ballet shoes not listening to a word I was saying and I will admit, I was a bit nervous about how all this might go because the instructions explicitly say, we are to drop our children off and then pick them up, they do not want parent distractions, and I so did not want to be the mom with the kid who decides to completely flip out at the thought of me leaving her ballet class.
So, we get to the class, we get out of the car and walk into a room filled with other little tiny dancers all dressed and ready to go and one teacher, Miss Sue who is responsible for my little girl for the next 45 minutes. So I walk Shilo up to the stage where they all sit and wait for class to begin and I point out who Miss Sue is and then I begin to remind her of where I will be and before I can even finish my thought, Shilo grabs my hand and looks at me with those beautiful big brown eyes and says, "its okay mama, you can go, I will be brave." And with that, my little girl has officially become a big girl and more importantly a beautiful ballerina.
