Completely different kid

I took Gabe to story time last Wednesday at the library.  It's not the first time we've gone.  We used to go all the time, but when we moved up to the toddler one, he got a little overwhelmed by it.  Anytime we would go, he would get all shy and stick to me like glue instead of interacting.  They do songs and games and lots of active things in between stories, so it's not like they expect them to sit and be quiet the whole time, but I think between the sheer number of kids and the much higher expectations than the baby one, it was just too much for him.  Consequently, we hadn't gone in a few weeks. 

So Wednesday, I talked it up all morning, and we tried again.  He was like a completely different kid.  I was so proud.  He went in, grabbed a few books, and sat down quietly.  He snuggled up to me for the first song, but he did the signs and tried to sing along, which was a first.  After that song, he was hooked.  He did all the motions to the songs, tried to sing them, sat when he was supposed to sit, even went up and sat in the group with the other kids for part of it.  I.was.amazed.  I called Neil and told him I thought a Martian had taken over our kid's body.  He was so cute trying to sing along and imitating everything Miss Connie did.  He'd get so proud of himself.  So, I'm hoping this is the start of a new era and he'll really get into it from now on.  The socialization andn structure is so good for him.