Anna's Gym

I rearranged Anna's 'gym' the other day. I've been trying to switch things up to offer different challenges and adventures. Haven't found one yet that she doesn't love and find new ways to use it.

I put her little sun tent in the great room for a couple of days and she crawled in and out of it, played in there for some privacy and also figured out how to walk in by ducking her head - makes her a bit more aware of that big noggin and its limitations! She really liked when I went in there with her. Once I went in and zippered it up so we couldn't get out - she thought that was a riot and everytime I came near the tent, she motioned for me to go in it!

I removed the tent after a couple of days because I want it always to be fun. I figured I'd pull it out once in awhile as a treat. I replaced it with the fort. I filled it with some toys and put stuff on top of it. She likes it, but I think she's getting a little big for it. Perhaps it's time for an addition!

This past week I turned her gym mat into a street. I used tape to define the lanes and am working on some stop signs. Anna and I bought some cars the other day at Target so they now have a place to 'live'. Anna really likes the cars - she especially likes to run them along the walls but is getting much better at moving on when I tell her 'no'.

The 'street' also doubles as Anna's walking trail. She loves to walk back and forth on it. She's even trying to jump a little bit although her feet don't quiet leave the mat yet. And it's a great stepping stone for stepping up onto something instead of crawling up. She still crawls up the stairs instead of hanging on to the banister and walking up. So because the mat is a short rise, it's a great way for her to practice without the daunting task of a flight of stairs in front of her - I think she'll be walking up the steps come summer. . . but don't hold me to it!