Taking O to gymnastics class for the last time was bitter sweet. She’s been going for at least the last 6 months and we’ve had so much fun watching her. It wasn’t until recently as Jake got bigger that we realized we needed him to have an activity as well. The days of him asleep in his car seat while she jumped around the gym are long gone. Now that he’s almost 17 months he’s up an running around looking for things to get into!
When O was around a year old (before Jake was born) we took her for swimming lessons. She loved being in the pool and it was a whole lot of fun for us. We were able to spend really close, quality time with her in the pool and it was a great experience! So, we decided we’d enroll both of them in swim class. Turns out the class is for children 6 months to 3 years old. What’s awesome about this is all 4 of us will be in the pool at the same time! What a cool family activity, right??
The downside? You’ve got two 30-something parents wondering how we’re supposed to show up in the pool looking like this? Of course, The Boss, has nothing to worry about. She’s got a great body and should feel good about how she looks. She doesn’t think this way and is going nuts looking for a “one piece” bathing suit. Me on the other hand? Like I told her, guys are screwed. The one area that a guy cares about (his gut) can’t be covered.
Yeah, our bathing suits cover our asses and thighs.
What guy cares about his ass and legs?
Exactly!
So like I told her, my nastiness is hanging out and there’s nothing I can do about it. The only saving grace is I have lost 10 lbs. and am planning on losing more. Isn’t it funny how a little public display gets you motivated to get in shape? O and Jake aren’t going to want to get out of the pool because they’ll be having fun. I’m not going to want to get out of the pool so people don’t see my fat ass. Oh well…
Before I leave you I want you to check out this little video I did of O’s last Gymnastics class. Towards the end she gets me on the trampoline and I have a little crash landing. Enjoy!!
If you’re new to DadStreet and last week was your introduction you might think you’ve stepped in to the Sad House. Well let me assure you that is the farthest thing from the truth around here. I’m the funniest guy out there. Really I am! What you don’t believe me? Look I’ll say something funny right now. Right this very second. I’m going to say something funny…NOW! Are you with me? Don’t go away cause it’s coming right now…Something very funny…Damn, I can’t think of anything…nothing…Oh well, the point being is last week with the letter to O and Jake circulating the interwebz it was a sad time indeed.
Rest assured I’m on the mends and getting back to my normal goofy self. Don’t get me wrong I’m not claiming to have miraculously healed myself of depression and unfortunately my mom still has cancer. But, this doesn’t mean we can’t have fun either, right?
So, to this end I’m gonna share a little with you about one of my favorite weekend activities, Gymnastics. We’ve been taking O to Gymnastics for the last few months now. Every Saturday morning we roll out of bed, throw on something to wear while getting O and Jake ready, and hit the road at 8:45. Half asleep we arrive at Gymnastics with all the other Mom’s and Dad’s and their young kids filled with glee over the thought of jumping and rolling around. O is no exception as she just loves it there! Lately, I’ve been going with O as The Boss and Jake watch from the viewing area above. O just loves jumping and running and rolling…it’s so fun to watch her!
There’s a couple of things I’ve realized though that are challenges for this team the two of us are a part of. One of us is young, flexible, energetic and the other is a fat hairy dude. Can you guess which one of us is the fat hairy dude? Yes, you’re right It’s O! Well not quite and this is becoming increasingly obvious to me as she takes on more activities there. Take for example the trampoline she insisted we go on. Folks let me tell you. This thing is meant for small children or very skinny, athletic people wearing leotards. I don’t fall into either one of those categories. O insisted I stay off the trampoline as she was bouncing around. She wasn’t bouncing too high as she’s about 33 lbs and with that little weight there’s not much inertia going on. I was standing there thinking how fun it looked and thought I should give this a whirl. Just at the same time O invited me on to the trampoline as she stepped aside.
I looked for signs all over…You know? The kind that read, “If you’re a fat hairy dude thinking you’re gonna have fun stay off!” or the one’s that say, “If you’re out of shape, have back problems or carry a gut enter at your own risk”. I saw neither sign around and O was chanting me on to get on the trampoline. So on I go…slow bounces at first…hey I’m getting the hang of this…higher…higher…I can see the whole gym from up here! Oh shit!! I’m really high up! How am I going to stop! The higher I go up the harder I come back down and the cycle continues! As I bounce up to what felt like 20 feet off the trampoline I see O down there smiling at me. She was probably thinking…that poor bastard’s gonna get stuck on that thing all day or how fun it would be to see how I’m going to stop. Since I wasn’t sure if you’d ever see me again I thought it’d be appropriate to capture what a fat hairy dad jumping on a trampoline looked like:
The things I do for my little O! Here’s me breaking my ass on a trampoline at Gymnastics!
Don’t ask me how I stopped because by the time my back stopped tingling and my legs began to reawaken from their sleep I had forgotten how I landed. Needless to say I realized I had no business being on there and that I needed to get in shape…like quick! It was fun though and I really enjoyed making O laugh even if I cracked my back and slapped myself in the face with my gut.
I love spending time with O and I love watching her partake in activities that are not only healthy for her but are fun as well. We’re deciding on other sports to start her in and we’ll have to see how I’m going to be able to adapt. I can only see what the future holds for me…tutus, swimming trunks, softball, who knows? Maybe she’ll fall in love with football and she can watch Daddy get his fat ass tackled! Either way, I’m gonna love whatever we do because being around her and watching her learn, laugh, and light up just means the world to me. If I get injured on the way I’ll chalk it up to a small price to pay for a beautiful gift in return.
Here’s a video I shot of her at Gymnastics doing her thing:
