When Abby arrived, Shelley warned that she was a bit cranky this morning. Hopefully, gymnastics will help work out (or simply distract her from) whatever is bothering her today. Though Shelley was running a little late to work, she ran back home to retrieve Pink Baby Doll so we wouldn’t have a naptime crisis later. (Thank you!)
We didn’t see Abby’s Auntie Jamie at gymnastics today, but the kids did great. After our usual warm ups and various styles of jumps down the trampoline, Coach Beth led us through an obstacle course. It had a few minor changes from our usual track, but both Abby and Shawn flew through it. (I was out of breath just trying to keep with them from the side!) The only thing that really threw them off was that the foam log that Coach Beth normally uses to help them do back flips, was now a ‘shaky log’ that they had to scramble over while she rocked it back and forth. More than once, Abby and Shawn turned around and started to lay down on it in preparation for a back flip – they certainly are creatures of habit! Another part of the obstacle course included a balance beam. It was wide, but about three feet off the ground and resting on other obstacle equipment on either end. When he’d step onto the beam, Shawn would test his courage and balance by holding my fingers at first, but then letting go to walk quickly across – with a grin from ear to ear. Abby would follow right behind, but wasn’t so anxious to go it alone just yet. After we made our obligatory stop at the foam pit, we swung from rings (at the request of Mr. Shawn, himself). Class finished with parachute games and then stamps and ‘mail.’ I’m not sure what the fascination is, but Shawn was very curious if Coach Beth would have any mail for him today and Abby made certain to keep hers in sight until we got back home, where there were other things to do. (It turned out the mail wasn’t that exciting – just information about referral rewards and enrolling in the next season of classes, which didn’t really apply to us since we have the unique privilege of being connected to Abby’s Auntie Jamie!)
Back at home, Abby and Shawn’s pants and diapers came off, underwear went on, and our focus returned to potty training. Abby had a few accidents, but is much more willing to sit on the toilet whether she has to go or not. Shawn, surprisingly, didn’t have any accidents this morning or afternoon! (Though, he had two this evening.) He really likes the new Spiderman Potty Paper. (Phew!) It’s very helpful to have Abby sit on her potty chair while Shawn sits on his toilet seat at the same time. I don’t know if it’s peer pressure, power of suggestion, or what, but he’s much more likely to cooperate when she sits in front of him and they go through the process together. Whatever works is fine with me! (…Too bad they can’t go together all the time!)
After lunch, Abby and Shawn played in the living room while I cleaned up the kitchen. I’ve set an alarm on my cell phone to ring when it’s time to start thinking about naptime (or head home from whatever adventure we may be on). They recognize the ring tone and know exactly what it means. (Even though, we have had a little fun with it before actually heading upstairs.)
Pavlov would be proud!
Grandma Fanny brought over chocolate wafer sandwiches this afternoon when she arrived for her English lesson. Meanwhile, Shawn and Abby were both still napping! Abby woke up a few minutes into our lesson, but Shawn didn’t wake up until afterwards. At least, that’s what I think happened. I went to check on Abby at 4:45 pm and she was laying quietly in the pack-n-play, but awake. So she could’ve been laying there for a while, but I really have no way of knowing. After Grandma Fanny left, I went upstairs to check on Shawn and he was in the computer room! When did this happen?? Surprise! So, again, I really have no idea when he actually woke up – I didn’t even hear him open his door! Sneaky, sleepy kids!
Once everyone was up, the kids wanted to investigate a very noisy and very large truck that was parked in our neighbor’s driveway. It turns out that a roofing company was delivering materials to our building for work that will be started on Saturday. (Hopefully, not during naptime… but what are the chances?!) By the time the kids got their shoes on, a worker met me at our front door and asked if I could move my car so they could reposition their truck on our other neighbor’s driveway. (This massive truck had braces on either side that stuck out a few feet. So, although it would be parked in our neighbor’s driveway, these braces would cross over onto my parking spot.) This really sparked an interest for two toddlers! After I moved my car to the parking island, I brought them outside to watch the workers (and their truck) in action. Using a machine that I can only describe as a crane with a forklift attachment (Shawn called it a grapple truck, but I don’t think that’s accurate either), they hoisted pallets of shingles onto various sections of our roof. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to impress these two! (Every once in a while, their interest would shift to the crunchy leaves on the ground, but they'd go back to the truck after a few seconds!)
Abby stayed until 6:15 pm because Shelley had a meeting with Australian clients this evening. I told her that if she had to do any face-to-face meetings, I’d be willing to go through the tremendous hassles of packing and accompanying her, just so that Abby wouldn’t have to miss her mom during the very important business trip. Shelley said she’d be sure to let me know…
When Shelley came over, we talked a little about the joys of potty training and reassured each other that it will happen, eventually. We also talked about discipline and how Abby has been hitting, pushing, bossy, and sassy lately. Shelley confirmed that she wants to “nip this in the bud,” so after a warning, Abby gets a time out. For repeat offenses, privileges get removed. Some days aren’t an issue at all, but it’s good to know that Shelley and I are on the same page.
For dinner, I made a dish that included chunks of chicken and veggies with a cream of mushroom sauce all over a croissant. Though I didn’t stick to the original recipe, naturally, I got the idea from a great cookbook called Desperation Dinners! Home-Cooked Meals for Frantic Families in 20 Minutes Flat by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross. (I highly recommend it.) Though I’ve had the book for a few years, I still haven’t tried many recipes - I usually revisit specific ones. Those I have tried were very easy and delicious. Tonight, I ventured to a new dish and everyone loved it. Raj said it reminded him of chicken and dumplings, but “There’s a lot of veggies in this!” We giggled while watching Shawn wrinkle up his brow and nose trying to dive into his jumbo-croissant (from Costco), which I served on the side for him. I was grateful to use up a handful of leftovers and not feel like we were eating… leftovers!
As we were winding down just before bedtime, I set Shawn up with Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, which he got from Aunt Holly, and a jazzy recording of the book on CD that we got from the library. While Shawn listened and tried to follow along (from a distance, I’d cue him when to turn the pages), I put away some laundry and straightened up a few stray toys and things. After two readings, I tucked him in and read Itsy Bitsy Spider flap book by Margaret Spengler. Shawn wasn’t quite as prepared for me to leave tonight as he was the last two nights, but he eventually snuggled down and agreed that it was time for me to go. Unfortunately, he called me back in for “a little bit of drink,” and had a hard time getting re-settled, but once he did, he was done for the night.
...now... if only I could sleep…
Next time you Skype with Elise ask her to sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider with you. It's one of her favorites, too.
ReplyDelete