I’d been looking for a place to bring J to get out his energy where falling wouldn’t mean bruises and cuts, as it does on our all-hardwood-floor house! I checked online and found The Little Gym, which offered a free trial class. As much as I wanted this, I was hoping I would be able to participate with him and not be limited by my disability. After that first class, his weekly gym class at The Little Gym in Westboro is a highlight of his—and OUR—weeks! 

His leader, Mr. Christian, is great with him (though we could do without him giving J a nickname!) and J lights up when he sees him. At the first class, he didn’t shake the bells, put them away or play with the balls. He clung a bit to our legs, which is uncharacteristic of him. He wouldn’t touch the balance beam, either. He’d look at the rings and the high bar and touch them, but refused to wrap his pudgy fingers around them. The bubbles at the end of class perplexed him. The only thing he would do is let us stand him on the edge of a round platform and let go of him so he fell softly on its squishy center. The other thing he was able to do? Chase the girls in the class!

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He’s come a long way, though! He’s been able to learn to do a forward roll, shake his bells, chase and play with the balls. He’s grown to love the bubbles and now reaches to grasp the bars and rings!

While he isn’t yet fully walking, he’s exploring more on his feet, holding our hands or cruising along the gym equipment.

The best part is he comes home tired and happy. And my fears about my CMT interfering with our experiences have been unfounded. While I have trouble maneuvering on the soft mats because of my balance, Mr. Christian or my wife help. I can’t get up on my own from circle time, but it’s OK. I instead make a game of it and crawl race J to the closest piece of equipment I can use for leverage. All in all, we love the Little Gym and so does J!