Astrid goes to the gym with mommy

My gym has a nice daycare center that's very convenient for mothers. (I say mothers because it's an all women's gym. They make an announcement over the loudspeaker when a man enters the building.) The service is for members only and they charge $4 (for one child) for 2 hours.

Today I took Astrid with me. I thought she would enjoy playing in the room with all the toys and books. (There's also a big plastic jungle gym with a slide, but she's still too young for that.)

When we first got there Astrid was hanging onto my leg as two little girls ran up to her and shouted in unison, "It's a baby!" They couldn't wait to play with the living, breathing, walking blond baby doll named Astrid. But Astrid wasn't too sure she wanted to be played with.

Astrid soon spotted a teddy bear in the toy chest and started smiling and laughing and feeling more comfortable with her new surroundings. While Astrid was getting acclimated, I showed the daycare provider the contents of my diaper bag and was told that they're not allowed to change diapers and if she smelled anything they would come and get me. I had visions of a woman running out onto the gym floor to tell me my baby had just taken a dump. Thankfully my one on one personal training session wasn't interrupted by a mad dash to change a dirty diaper.

After I put my belongings away in my locker, I checked back in and saw that Astrid was happily playing (and the two girls were watching her every move).

As soon as my session was over (an hour later) I rushed back to see Astrid, who had just started crying. The daycare provider was trying to distract her by reading a book to her. She told me that Astrid did really well for her first time, and most kids her age don't do as well. She also told me that she's never seen a happier child. She wants me to bring Astrid every weekend so she can play with her.

Here are some photos: