A Sweet Melody

Here we are. Almost year after we met our sweet Melody. As I look back on all the memories we have created this past year, I'm reminded of our biggest, scariest, most joyful memory so far - the day we met.

I'd love to share with you as many memories as I can remember from Thursday February 2 when we were admitted to Friday February 3 at 5:45 when we met Melody for the first time. So.. here goes.

Thursday afternoon we had our usual weekly appointment with our midwife. Except this week was week 40 and we were 4 days past our due date. While we were on the schedule to be induced the next day, I had gone ahead and packed our go-bag and other hospital necessities just in case Melody decided to come on her own.

Clearly, that did not happen, but the midwife suggested we have a final ultrasound and go ahead and come back that evening to begin labor. With new plans and the anticipation of Melody arriving that evening (which did not happen either), we walked down to the ultrasound lab.

It was then our technician told us Melody was measuring in at about 10 POUNDS. I knew I looked giant, but geeze!

We left the hospital at about 4:00 in the afternoon and couldn't check in to L&D until 9:00. So, we had 5 hours to kill in Ada, Oklahoma. Garrett and I decided to have a nice dinner at a little Italian place because we knew that wasn't going to happen again for awhile. After that, we meandered through Wal-Mart looking for any 'extras' we might have forgotten - like Oreos, comfy pillows, and red bull for Garrett.

At 9:30 we were admitted into L&D, I was hooked up to an IV, a heart monitor, and told to 'get some rest for the big day'. So I watched A Million Ways to Die in the West, Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire, and Ground Hog Day (twice) instead of resting while Garrett slept on the couch.

At 4:41AM, anxious and terrified for 'the big day', I pulled out my bible app and read Isaiah 41:10 over and over again. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you." Deep breaths and I could do this. It was around this time that I had my first contraction, and Melody's heart rate dropped.

After she was stable and they had a heart monitor wrapped around my giant McDonald's sized belly, I texted Mom and asked if she would please please please come sit with me.

Sometime later in the morning, more family arrived and sat in our hospital room, but I hadn't progressed any farther than a 2 all night. At 9:00AM we moved to a labor room and they started me on pitocin.

In case you haven't had to induce labor before, pitocin is the worst and makes you feel like someone is driving a semi over your body. During all this fun, I had to wear an oxygen mask because Melody's heart rate still kept dropping. The possibility of a c-section was discussed, but no serious plans for it were made. It wasn't all bad though; Garrett sat next to me and we sang songs for quite a while. He was the best during all of this.

Around mid afternoon, I got up to use the restroom, and since, I was very adamant on staying modest, I had Garrett walk behind me holding my gown closed while I wheeled my IV pole. Uh-oh. Either I peed all over Garrett's feet or my water broke. (Did I already mention he was amazing?) Embarrassed? Yes. Excited that Melody would be here soon? Yes. In Pain? Oh, yes.

The nurses called my favorite person in - the anesthesiologist. He gave me an epidural, and I told him (multiple times that evening) that he was my favorite.

It was almost dinner time, and the midwives were trying to get me to move along since I was stuck at 5 cm. They insisted that I, numb from the waist down, roll on to my stomach with a birthing ball between my legs. During this tango, the back of my gown flew open and there went any sort of modesty (but honestly, what was I thinking? Modesty during labor? Yeah, right.) While they helped me roll around like a paralyzed cow, I noticed someone's legs in my bed and panicked. "Who's legs are those?" I yelled. Oh, wait. Those were mine. I just couldn't feel them.

Finally on my stomach, Melody's heart rate again got dangerously low.

Right before everyone in the waiting room was going to leave for dinner, the midwife came in and said "We think you're going to have to have a c-section. Sit tight though. The doctor's on his way." Where was I going? I didn't even know my legs were mine.

Not two minutes later, a gang of nurses comes into our labor room, escorts our moms and Garrett's sister out, throws scrubs at Garrett, and begins wheeling me out of the room.

I think Garrett had it the worst, because they told him to wait in the room alone until they had me ready to go on the surgery table.

Don't let his smile and thumbs up fool you. I chose this picture of the other
because he looked absolutely terrified in it.

Back in the surgery room with my gown used as a curtain from my waist down, I was told "Don't panic if you see smoke coming from behind the curtain." Smoke? What? It was then that I started shaking. Not just like shivers. Full on body tremors. (I was later told that this is common from the adrenaline and the pain medicine)

James Blunt playing in the background and barely blinking while staring at Garrett's eyes, I hear the electric saw start up. A few seconds later the saw stopped and I hear the sweetest sound - Melody's cry.

It was like a literal weight was lifted off of me just hearing her voice.

The nurses ask Garrett to help with weight and height and to swaddle her up for the first time. Remember how the ultrasound tech said she would be about 10 lbs? Yeah, no. She was a whopping 7 lbs even.

Our sweet Melody had made her appearance into this world, and we were the luckiest parents alive.

Thinking of meeting our little girl for the first time still makes me weepy and happy and overwhelmed with God's glory and grace. Of all the memories we've made over the past year, this one is still my favorite.

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135.

There are 135 dancers that I see and teach each week with my biggest class holding 23 students. Wowza.

With ages ranging from 2 to 8, I have to get creative with what I teach and how I teach it. For example, you might see us tiptoeing around the room or playing head, shoulders, knees, and toes but, believe it or not, we're actually learning technique!

While we gear up for our Christmas show (which is in less than three weeks), I'll share what we are doing in class and how we are learning basic skills.

Age 2-3 Ballet/Tap:

This class is the MOST FUN. We usually begin with tap in a circle, in hula hoops. We do a very choreographed warm up where we tap our toes and heels and do small jumps. After that we do the princess hockey poky and a basic following directions dance (like We All Clap Our Hands Together) to work on listening and following the beat. Once we use our hulas to shake our hips, we move to the barre. I know what you're thinking, Miss Cami! 2 year olds at the barre? Yes! Even if it is for 2 minutes, it helps they learn that barre is part of dance class! We do shuffles by 'painting' the floor different colors and shuffle hops.

We then move to ballet where we stretch together, work on kicks (little kids love to kick!), and skips. After we're nice and warm, we dance like different animals and walk around the room different ways such as tiptoeing (up on our toes), marching (high knees), or skating (gliding gracefully). If everyone has paid attention during class we all dance with toy babies. We point our toes, work on passes and balances, and learn soft touches by gently hugging and patting our babies.

So, while you might see and hear funny songs and noises from our room, we're really learning body parts, following directions, skipping, walking tall, and how to treat our friends!

Age 2-4 Hippity Hop:

Hippity Hop is like a creative movement class but with fun music and a little more shaking. We start class in hula hoops with a stretch song. Then we do a pike stretch while we do head, shoulders, knees, and toes. After we yell all the body parts of head, shoulders, knees, and toes, we do if you're happy and you know it to get excited for class and then go across the floor. When we go across the floor in hippity hop, we work on getting low, marching, shaking our hips, running backwards, and running while kicking our booties. I usually go across the floor with each kid, so at least 20 times.

Each week we try to learn a combo or work on our recital dance. Recently, we've been working on our Christmas dance which is 1:30 long. They do great! We learn really big chunks (about 30 seconds or so) each week so we can work on dancing big for the show. Our biggest struggle is cleaning hippity-hop dances. So instead of making sure every dancers toes and fingers are going the same way, we make sure everyone is dancing as big as possible and smiling. (Let's be honest, that's the best part of watching little kids dance)

Age 3-5 Ballet/Tap:

The biggest the thing I do with this class is hold each dancer to high expectations. They come in ready to have fun and learn something new each week. All combo classes start with tap (because parent's can tie all the tap shoes before class starts, and we can easily slip ballet shoes on when we switch shoes in the class room). This class begins on their spots in two rows. We warm up our feet, review shuffles, shuffle hops, and shuffle ball changes before we go across the floor. When we go across the floor, each dancer works on heel digs, running flaps (we just call them brush stomps right now since they are slow), and ball-heel walks.

After tap, we put on ballet shoes in the classroom. Our warm up is a choreographed stretch in a circle that ends with chasses and kicks. After that we do two pieces in the center, one working on balances and one working on port de bras, we do across the floor focusing on ballet walks, burres and sautes.

Normally, I will pick one style every two weeks to learn a combo in, but lately, we've really been focusing on Christmas dances. For choreography, I have found that isolating parts of their body makes for the most clean routine. Take our ballet routine, we first port de bras through 5th and then, with our arms in a resting position (en bas), we do tendu to pique. This helps them focus on each movement individually.

Remember how I said I hold these dancers to high expectations? They prove they are big girl ballerinas by learning the terminology such as 1st position and tendu. Then, they have the opportunity to show me the following week. I keep track of their progress on a goal chart and let them put a sticker on when they show me a new skill. Our studio started the goal charts this year, and it has really encouraged the girls to think about what they're learning. Here is a downloadable dance goal chart that we use in class!

There you have it! A normal day of tiny tot dancing with Miss. Cami!

Thanks for reading!

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If you see me rolling on the ground in 2 year old ballet at 9 months pregnant, it's because I'm passionate about what I do.

I have taught dance for four years and if I could make it a full time career, believe me, I would. There's something sweet and humbling about helping little girls into their first ballet slipper and showing them they are so capable of walking across the floor with grace and poise. Or teaching an older dancer a new skill and seeing the light bulb finally turn on. Since our classes are packed with warm-ups, giggles, across the floor and choreography I don't usually get to tell these young girls everything I want them to hear.

So here goes.

Dear young dancers,

Please never stop dreaming. Never stop dreaming that one day you will be the beautiful princess dancing on the big stage. You are capable of so much and will go so far. But only if you keep dreaming the most wild dreams. So please never stop dreaming.

Please love yourself. You are talented. You are strong. You are able. With your tutu just so and your head held high, you are the most beautiful thing I have seen. You're beautiful because in that moment you love you and love what you do. You don't have to have the smallest leotard in the class, the most perfect bun or the highest leaps. Please love yourself because you are YOU.

Please be yourself. With all the makeup and smiles we ask you to put on, it might be hard not to be swept away. BUT DON'T. You are the most you I know and I would hate to lose that. You are joyful. You are curious. You are unique. Please don't dance like the hundreds of other girls at the convention - they are not you. Put your personality into every movement you do. Let you shine through and be yourself.

Please trust and listen to me (and your other teachers for that matter). We have your best interest in mind. We have been there and thought that. We know you are having a tough time learning the choreography or perfecting that skill. You can do it. We wouldn't trust you with that level of difficulty if we didn't think you were capable. Also, don't think we don't see you. Yes, you. Hiding in the corner. You are valuable to us and while you may not get a solo yet, trust us.

Please keep going. You have been blessed with a beautiful gift and some people will try to convince you otherwise. DO NOT LISTEN. You will be challenged, pushed, tested and stretched. It is well worth it, my friend. I am here to walk with you through those challenges and build poise, confidence, grace, dedication and discipline. You will not gain these things if you quit. You must keep going.

Please don't forget that I above all else, I will always be proud of you. Just because you threw a fit in tap class, you didn't land your turns or missed platinum by a few points, you will always make me proud. As you grow older and move out of my classes, I will always cheer you on from the audience. You will always hear me encouraging you. Please don't forget how proud I am.

Now that I'm older and not performing as much, dance is not necessarily my passion. My dancers are my passion. I love each and every one of you and dream that one day you will be as passionate about a crazy group of girls as I am.

With all of my love,

Ms. Teacher

Ms. Dance Lady

Ms. Cami

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Age 2-3 Ballet/Tap:

Age 2-4 Hippity Hop:

Age 3-5 Ballet/Tap:

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