Diwali

Shawn and I started our morning with the last swimming class of this session.  He had a hard time waking up this morning, so I started him easy with a 3-float belt to give him a chance to wake up and enjoy the fun of swimming before making him work too hard.  He was hesitant to get in the water, but once he did and realized he was buoyant, he grinned happily and kicked his feet vigorously to maneuver himself around our lane in the pool.  After a while, I took off the belt to give him a chance to practice more on his own.  He slowed down a bit, but still showed that he could kick and splash with the best of them!  Ms. Brittany gave us a new trick to work on getting Shawn to lift his arms up and out of the water – giving high fives!  He loves high fives, so it worked pretty well to get his arms moving more.  (Though, I think it would work even better if he was working with his favorite, Ms. Becca!)

After class, we played a little while with Tanner and his mom, Kathy, before warming up in the showers.  I think that’s Shawn’s favorite part of the whole swimming lesson!  Once we wrestle his wet swimming shirt and trunks off, he nestles his head onto my shoulder like a newborn and just relaxes as the warm water massages his back.  We cuddle for a little while under the shower and when I ask if he’s all done, he asks for more!  Eventually, we get back to our locker to change into dry clothes.  Shawn loves taking responsibility for throwing away his swimming diaper while I get dressed.  We’ve also started a routine of drying our suits in a centrifuge-style machine.  (When the lid is pressed closed, it spins the water out of the suits.)  As we hold it closed together, we count to ten in English, Spanish, German, or French – Shawn’s choice.  It usually takes a few tries before our suits are reasonably dry, so we get to practice our multi-lingual counting three or four times.  Love it!

After class, we picked up a Freecycled double stroller for a Mothers & More friend of ours.  I also printed two wedding pictures in preparation for an anniversary gift to Raj on Friday.  (I wish I had done this earlier, so I could’ve gotten higher quality prints, but they’ll work for now.  Maybe I can get better prints made and swap them out later.)  When we got home, Raj gave Shawn a real bath before naptime, so he’d be fresh for our Puri Family Diwali party this evening.  Meanwhile, I went to The Great Frame-Up to have our wedding pictures matted and framed.  The choices and combinations were a bit overwhelming, but the woman helping me was very patient.  I think the final products will look really nice.  I’m excited to put them on display!  (Stay tuned!)

In the evening, we went to Kusum Auntie and Gulshan Uncle’s house for Diwali.  (The actual date isn’t until Wednesday, but Saturdays are much easier for large family parties.)  We gathered in the basement for a ceremony of readings and rituals.  (Raj gave cousin Amit the camera, so there's almost a full memory card of pictures!)  The children rang bells and read (or had help reading) verses about the triumph of good over evil.  Then, the food began!  The appetizers alone were enough for a full meal, but of course, there was more!  Shawn was content with the fruit platter from the appetizers, but I was able to sneak in a few bites of dinner, too.  Kusum Auntie distributed gifts to each child (Shawn got a black and white Nike suit) and then set up a row of folding tables for them to work on a project.  The project involved painting a wooden picture frame (Shawn’s was a car) with a palate of paints, a very small paintbrush, a glitter pen, and then decorating it with stickers.  I helped Shawn hold the paints and tried to avoid getting anything on his nice clothes, but I wasn’t completely successful.  Luckily, he listened pretty well as I carried him upstairs to the bathroom sink not to touch anything with his paint splotched hands.  We cleaned off our hands pretty easily, but his shirt will need more help at home or at a dry cleaners.  Oh, well!  He had fun working on his project and that was the whole idea.  (I just wish I had known ahead of time, so I could’ve changed him into a spare outfit I keep in the car!)  The rest of the night, Shawn played with toys and (sometimes) cousins, Raj played poker, and I switched between watching the kids and chatting with the aunts and female cousins who weren’t playing cards. 

I was sure Shawn was going to fall asleep on the way home, but when he didn’t, I was glad I was able to change him into pajamas and brush his teeth before going to bed.  He buried himself under his blankets and listened to a few classic poems from Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne before goodnight kisses and falling asleep. 

[adapted from In the Dark]

We’ll play a lot tomorrow…

We’ll think a lot tomorrow…

We’ll laugh…

a lot…

tomorrow…

Goodnight.