When I first had Alex, I started attending a "mommy group" for new moms at one of the local hospitals. You couldn't so much call it a playgroup, because the babies just laid there on their blankets, but it was definitely for support, advice and a chance to get out of the house for the mommies. As the months went by and our babies got older, we grew into friends and enjoyed watching our babies start to enjoy their interactions too. When we moved to Justin, it was just too far to drive so we had to sadly part ways from our friends.
There didn't seem to be anything similar out here, but the neighborhood has lots of young kids and stay-at-home moms, so I put up a flyer at the community bulletin board for a "Creepers and Crawlers" group, trying to start a weekly playgroup. Well, long story short, we had our first gathering today. Four months later, and we already need to rename the group, because there wasn't a creeper or a crawler in the bunch!
We started small, just three moms and three babies. It was fun, but a little chaotic. Certainly nothing like my previous "playgroup" where the moms chatted and the babies slept on a blanket! This time it was trying to corral three independent, active toddlers who were all used to being the only kid in the house. Alex wasn't sure he liked having other kids play with his toys and only wanted the toy that someone else was playing with. He kept trying to tackle William like he does with Mali, knocking them both down, then William would cry. Ryan wanted goldfish crackers but wouldn't put down the toy in either hand so he could pick them up. Each baby wanted the nearest sippy cup that wasn't his own. All in all, it was a success, as we all agreed that our lone-babies needed to learn how to play nicely with others, so I think we are still on for next week.
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