Wellness check

wellness check with Erin Keech, physician's assistant

Within next month, get glucose test & followup to breast cyst ultrasound

156 bmp
23+ fundal measurement

Quick & Easy in & out appointment -almost not worth the time to get here! Not very exciting, but that's ok too.

Oma, Guest blogger

Another Glimpse Inside

I am 22 weeks and 0 days today.  We had our third ultrasound this evening. The ultrasound technician was kind enough to use warm jelly on my belly - Dr Winkelman later confided that was a sign that the technician must like me otherwise the cold jelly can be a little startling! The technician found the baby right away.  She said it’s positioned with its head towards the right side of my belly button and its feet by my lower left side near my pelvis. (I had an idea that’s where the feet are because I feel the most kicks and bumps in that spot.) She also joked that this one probably likes to kick my bladder - uh, yeah!

 

Though she could tell immediately where the baby was and what position it was in, it didn't stay in that position very long...

We saw a lot of the different body parts. When she found a foot, Shawn immediately said that he saw 30 toes! While it did look like an awful lot of bones in that little foot, we’re pretty confident that it was just the fuzzy image on the screen that made it look like that.

Right Foot

The fact that the baby was moving around a LOT made it hard to get clear images. The technician had a little trouble getting good pictures in order to take the necessary measurements, too. Nevertheless, once she captured the views she needed, she was pleased with the measurements and development of the baby’s head, humorous, belly, femur, and the amniotic fluid. With all the measurements and proportions that the technician collected, she said the baby is about 1 pound, 1 ounce and predicts that it will be close to the 47th percentile at birth. She verified that my cervix is closed (well, that's good!) and the blood flow in the umbilical cord was looking good. We saw all 4 chambers of the heart, the diaphragm, both kidneys, the stomach, parts of the umbilical cord, and the spine (which was probably the most clear of all). She also got a picture of one leg fully extended

Left Leg
(from foot to femur)

and another of both little feet together. (I have a similar picture from Shawn’s ultrasound. Back home, it was fun to show him the ultrasound picture of his feet and the baby’s side by side.)



 

Baby's Both Feet

Shawn's Left Foot and Right Toes

She tried really hard to get a profile picture, but this little one had other things in mind.

Head (forehead at the left of the screen, eyes looking directly at the screen),
Left Fist (small circle towards the top, by cheek), &
Chest / Belly (heart is the dark shadow at the center of the picture, stomach is the little dark circle towards the right side)



I seeeeeeee you!

At this point in the pregnancy, we had the option of finding out the baby's sex, but we are waiting to find out in April.  (Based on a variety of entertaining theories, a lot of people are guessing that it's a girl, but as Shawn says, "We'll have to wait and see!")  The ultrasound technician was relieved that we weren't finding out since she was having a hard time seeing things anyway!

Towards the end of the appointment, after rolling around and squirming so much for the previous hour, the little one curled up in an ultimate fetal position, chest down and made it very difficult to see much else! It was almost as if it was saying, “Stop messing with me already! I am DONE!” Since the little one was moving around so much throughout the appointment, the ultrasound technician had a hard time hearing a consistent heartbeat. Then, with chest down, it was still not a good reading. She sent me into a different room to have the nurses try to catch the heartbeat on the Doppler instead, but even after two different ladies attempted, still no luck. Finally, Dr. Winkelman came in to try it himself. None of the heartbeat readings were very clear and the ones they were able hear weren’t very consistent. The rates kept changing and even dropping pretty low occasionally (i.e. from 147 bpm to 78 bpm within a few beats of each other). This could mean that the baby has an arrhythmia. Apparently, this irregular heartbeat is usually a benign condition and most babies grow out of it while in utero; but, the amount of time for the heart to develop out of the irregularity could vary from days to months. So, doctors prefer to keep a close eye on it to make sure it clears on its own, otherwise they can prescribe medicine or further treatments once the baby is born.
 
Dr. Winkelman recommended that I visit a perinatologist / maternal fetal specialist for a comprehensive (or Level II) ultrasound. We saw that the baby is definitely active and, from the Level I ultrasound, the development of all major organ systems looked great, so we’re really not overly concerned that there’s a problem, but the Level II ultrasound is more detailed. Most importantly, they will be able to confirm the heart development. It is completely possible that the Level II ultrasound will verify that there is no reason for concern at all. Better safe than sorry though. It’s probable that we’ll get a few extra ultrasounds along the way just to make sure that everything is continuing to develop the way it should.  (I'm okay with that!)

I made an appointment to see the specialist on Monday, December 10th, less than a week away. The sooner the better, even if only for our peace of mind! Then, my next fetal wellness appointment is Friday, December 21st. Hopefully, that will be the end of the arrhythmia worry!

Nov 28 wellness (21 wks)st title

~150 lbs surprised the nurse, didn't think I was up that far yet lol

156 BPM
Tried to measure uterus, but when I laid down, tummy went flat, nothing to measure!

No sugar or protein in urine- good

Ultrasound next week

Baby is Size of Shawn's shoe

Look into Prenatal classes / sibling classes

Back vs legs up? whatever's comfortable, use lots of pillows. No swelling in feet, so legs up might not be a priority right now.

Headaches - Tylenol Sinus might help

Oma, Guest Blogger

Happy Belated Veteran's Day & St. Martinstag!

Yesterday, we were returning from a wedding in San Diego for a U of I friend and as soon as we got home, Raj went directly to a Bears' game. So, we didn't have a chance to acknowledge Veteran's Day and St. Martinstag.  So, I thought we'd do a belated celebration today instead. 

Unfortunately, Shawn wasn't in the most cooperative mood today, so he lost the privilege of going on our traditional lantern walk around the neighborhood.  I had planned to just use the lantern I made last year, so at least we didn't spend a lot of time making a new one this year!

But, we did celebrate with some German food at dinner.  Using the cookbook, The Best of My Grandmother's German Cookery by Carmen Graves, tonight's menu consisted of:
Paprika Huhn (Chicken in Paprika Sauce)
Sauerkraut
Apfelsalat 3 (Warm Apple Salad - recipe #3) with pecans & vanilla yogurt
Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes)

No German beer or wine for me, but... YUM!
(Regrettable, a lantern walk would've been a good idea after that big meal!)

Wellness Checkup - 16 weeks

Wellness check with Erin Keech, P.A.
I weighed in at 146 lbs.
Baby's heartbeat was 152 bpm.

Lake Geneva - FAIL

Well, this weekend didn’t turn out quite like we had planned.

Baron wasn’t feeling well on Wednesday of last week, but by Thursday morning, he seemed to have the pep back in his step. So, I figured that whatever had upset his stomach and exhausted him on Wednesday had worked its way out of his system. Therefore, I felt okay about dropping him off at Chew Chew Doggie Daycare and for the weekend while we went to Lake Geneva for the annual Puri Cousins’ trip. I gave the boarding staff a heads up that he had been sick the day before and assured them that I’d only be an hour away if he hadn’t actually recovered and needed to be picked up.

Less than an hour later, I got a phone call saying that he definitely had not recovered and was still indeed sick. They didn’t think it was necessary for me to pick him up yet, but they’d keep him under close observation and let me know how he was doing later that evening. When I called later, when Raj was preparing to leave work and join us in Lake Geneva, they thought Baron had stabilized and would be okay after all.

With my mind at ease, Shawn and I played at the indoor water park with the cousins. Raj met all of us at a pizza place for dinner. Then we returned to the hotel for movies and games in one of the cousins’ rooms.

  



 

When we finally retired to our respective rooms, wiped out from the excitement from the day, the night took a sharp turn down hill.

Shawn was awake all night with horrible congestion and coughing. It hit him very suddenly. He had been fine all day and even during dinner. I noticed his nose was runny while we were playing games, but when he was trying to sleep, it was next to impossible for the poor guy to breathe through his nose. We tried propping him up and even opening his nasal passages in a steamy bathroom, but he/we still didn’t get more than an hour of sleep at any given stretch. He was miserable. Eventually, Raj went to a local grocery store and picked up some medicine for him. It helped significantly, but the sun was already on the rise and we were all exhausted. Finally, some rest.

Until, my phone rang.

Baron needed to be picked up. They were worried he was dehydrated and he wasn’t getting any better. He wasn’t playful at all and just wanted to lay down and sleep – very not like him. I immediately got in the car and drove back to get him. Along the way I reached his vet and scheduled an appointment for her to see him. If I could get there in time, they’d squeeze us in before the office closed. When I reached Baron, he was excited that I was picking him up, but I could tell it wasn’t because he was feeling better. We went straight to the vet.

Though we had to wait a while for our turn, I was grateful Baron could be seen that day at all. While we waited, he laid at my feet soaking in the petting and resting. Meanwhile, an 8 month old Great Dane puppy (who was already hip height to his owner!) was eager to greet everyone who walked by him and couldn’t sit still no matter how hard his owner tried to persuade him.

Dr. Stewart took a blood test and did a rectal exam in search of parasites or any other clues as to what was ailing Baron. He had no fever and she said he didn’t seem dehydrated yet. I was relieved to find out that she didn’t think hospitalization would be necessary. The test for Giardia parasite came back negative – phew! She gave him an antiemetic injection to settle his stomach and cans of I/D dog food to try to get him to eat again. She also prescribed metronidole (antibiotic) pills to give him every 12 hours. The rest of the test results wouldn’t be ready until 8 am the next morning (Saturday). She didn’t recommend that he go back to boarding in case he had some sort of virus, though she thought he’d be fine by himself for a few hours at a time …if we wanted to change our vacation to a staycation.

Meanwhile, Shawn’s medicine seemed to be helping him a lot. He was finally able to sleep, so he and Raj slept in to make up for the lack of sleep over night. When they got up, they spent the day at the lake on their own. They took a one hour boat tour of the lake’s historical sites and had lunch downtown. 

"Let's go there!" Shawn was mapping out their course.

Baron’s stomach had calmed down and I thought he’d be ok for a few hours, like Dr. Stewart had said. So, I drove back to Lake Geneva and joined the family for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We ate much too much, but had a lot of fun. By the time we got back to the hotel and everyone was prepping for another night of games, it was time for me to get back to Baron. Shawn had fallen asleep while we were still at the restaurant, so Raj suggested that he’d be better off sleeping in his own bed. When we got home, I was able to transfer him to bed and change him into a pullup for the night without waking him. He was out.

Baron hadn’t had any other issues since picking him up from the doggy hotel. I think the antiemetic shot did the trick. He still seemed wiped out, but at least the vomiting and diarrhea had stopped. I unloaded the few things I brought back from Lake Geneva and crashed into bed. I let Baron sleep with me, but we were both so tired from the past few days, I don’t think either of us moved all night long.

I set my alarm clock to wake me as soon as Dr. Stewart’s office opened on Saturday. Unfortunately, she still had to analyze the test results, so she called me back about an hour later. Baron’s blood counts were normal. Though his white blood cells were slightly high, she thought it was a normal reaction to what he had been going through. He was a little dehydrated, but again not enough that she was concerned. His ALT liver test was slightly elevated, but she explained it was probably a result from having diarrhea. None of the lab results showed any concerns and since his energy was starting to come back, he wasn’t vomiting or having diarrhea anymore, and he was starting to act like himself, Dr. Stewart didn’t think I needed to bring him back in for further examination – unless his symptoms returned. I could reintroduce his usual food in another day, but he needed to stay away from other dogs for a few more days.

Shawn seemed to be better too. He slept soundly all night – over 13 hours total! His cough returned a little when he woke up, but significantly better than the night before.

Raj slept in at the hotel and then packed everything up to come home. I told him to enjoy the time with his cousins, but I think he had had enough excitement, too.

It was nice to be home and have everybody on the mend.

We spent the rest of the weekend moving some furniture around and working on the office/guest room. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we made a good dent. It’s not quite what either of us had planned to do this weekend, but the whole Lake Geneva experience wasn’t working out for us very well either! Besides, the cousins will do the same trip next year. We’ll try it again then and keep our fingers crossed for better luck.

New School and then Old School Friends

Shawn and I took Raj to The Goddard School in Bloomingdale to tour their preschool program. Raj was hoping to enroll Shawn in a Montessori program, but the only accredited school in the area is +45 minutes away. Goddard is slightly more than 5 minutes down the street! Shawn and I had toured the school earlier this summer, but I wanted Raj to see it for himself before making a decision.


Shelley kept Abby home so they could spend the day together while we visited Goddard. It was a quick tour before Raj had to get to work, but we were pleased with what we saw. They have a lot of child lead learning opportunities, but still have specific lesson plans that the teachers work from. I like the guidance and structure of the lessons that Montessori was missing. Unfortunately, their outdoor play area is small and lacks almost everything that Richard Louv would hope for. The location of the school doesn’t help, seeing that it’s practically in the parking lot of a shopping mall, but still, it leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll just have to counteract Nature-Deficit Disorder after school hours! The rest of the school was much more promising: students’ work was prominently featured all over the small building, there are brightly painted murals in the hallways, the classes focus on various learning themes for a few weeks at a time (they’re finishing a summer theme ‘Passport Around the World’) to guide their lessons, lesson plans are posted outside of each classroom, lunch is provided (and breakfast, too, if the child is there early enough)… We’re planning on doing a half day program (8:30 am - 12:30 pm) on Tuesdays and Thursday starting September 4, 2012.


Is this really happening?? (sigh!)


After saying goodbye to Raj, Shawn and I picked up a few groceries at Meijer on the way home. Then, we made a fast trek around the Schaumburg Farmers’ Market for our essential crepe, some fruits that Shawn hand-picked, and some meat for grilling. We tossed our goodies into a cooler and headed to Gymboree.


Melissa and Blake met us there for a free trial of Family Music class. Again, the theme was Hawaiian music, but it was fun showing our friends the ropes. Blake was much more interested in getting out to the gym area rather than playing music, but he did very well for a first timer. He was thrilled when he finally got to explore the gym equipment after class. Melissa might actually register Blake for classes after all! We were just using it as an opportunity for a playdate, but they had so much fun that they might come back officially. (That works too, since we’d both benefit from a referral bonus.)


Though Melissa and Blake weren’t able to join us after class, Shawn and I went out to lunch to ‘the chicken restaurant’ (otherwise known as Chicks ‘n Salsa). Then it was time to go home and Shawn fell asleep in the car. He napped for a few hours – much more than I had anticipated.

It’ll be a late night tonight.

A Day of Rest - in Theory

Abby was feeling better today, so she joined us again. We originally had plans to go to the Children’s Garden at the Morton Arboretum with Melissa and Blake, but they had something come up and cancelled. We contemplated going anyway, but it was a nice change of pace not to have any plans today. So, we stayed home!


After breakfast, we played with play dough and a box of tools and molds. They really got into it today! We played with it all for over an hour! Abby really liked smashing the dough into molds and making play dough balls of every color, too. Shawn stayed busy pushing dough through his Play Dough Factory and conveyor belt. He liked using the molds too, but kept asking me to make them for him. I collected the pieces of dough that were drying out and crumbling, added some water and kneaded them back to life. We don’t have the same variety of colors that we once had (blue, green, yellow, and mud!), but at least we have more useable dough to work with.

Next, they changed into swimming suits and played outside in the kiddy pool and sprinkler. I brought a tunnel outside too. They had fun pretending there was a rain storm coming and taking cover in the tunnel and under the shade of the kiddy pool. Shawn and Abby were able to tolerate the +90°F temperature more than I could. Grant it, they were playing in the cool water much more than I was. Since they were having so much fun, I served lunch outside, too. Naptime was a good excuse to come inside and cool off.

They'd hide under the pool canopy when the oscillating sprinkler would shower over them.

 

While Abby napped, Shawn had quiet time. He asked if he could do a project with his paints and I was all too happy to get out the supplies for it. He started with some watercolors and then transferred to washable paints instead. I only got 2 paintings out of him this time, but he was very serious about blending the colors with his brush and watching them swirl into new colors.

After naptime, we played inside. Things got a little wild and very loud for no particular reason, but they had fun playing with airplanes, Legos, and calling each of the Disney princesses on the phone! When Bill came to pick up Abby, Shawn invited himself to play at their house until dinner time.  Bill sent us this video of Shawn and Abby's basement rock concert.

Raj later retrieved him and we ate dinner while we watched Zoo Keeper in the cool basement. It's not exactly an excellent movie, but Shawn had fun seeing animals talk. 

It was an easy and relaxing evening to a fun filled, yet still partially relaxing day!

Brilliant! (Toes)

Abby had a rough night and wasn’t feeling well this morning, so Shelley kept her home to recuperate. So, Shawn and I went to Gymboree on our own.

Today was our first day without Play & Learn Level 6. It felt strange, but I know it’s the right thing to do. Instead, we started with a Hawaiian theme in Music 3. We stayed to play in Open Gym and then Shawn attended School Skills class. I contemplated accomplishing a few things while he was in class, but opted for a manicure and pedicure down the block instead! I missed eavesdropping on what he did in class, but I’m convinced that this was a perfectly wonderful way to spend the time. I know this won’t be a weekly routine, but since I can’t even remember the last time I pampered myself like this, it was a brilliant treat.

Shawn and I snacked on our way home, but I think I over did it. It’s the first time in either pregnancy that I remember feeling a bit queasy. I think I’ll take it easy with food the rest of the day…

A Full Day of Gymnastics, Gymboree, and Biting My Tongue

At the beginning of gymnastics, Abby stopped Coach Vali with a rush of urgency - to show off her painted fingernails! On the balance beam, Abby hopped across without holding anyone's hands! After months of working on boosting her confidence to walk across on her own, she’s suddenly hopping across without a second thought?!?! When I asked her about it after class, she just brushed it off and said she was a big girl now. Well, ok then!

Abby's
(turn 90` left)

Shawn's
(turn 90` left)

Ms. Michelle subbed for Ms. LouAnn today in Art. The theme was 'Fish.' The first project was to make an aquarium. It started by putting glue on the bottom of a page and then covering it with green sand. (It was very hard for the kids to keep the glue/sand on the 'floor' on their tank.)  Then, Ms. Michelle gave them various sponge stamps of sea creatures, a few colors of paint, foam brushes, and glitter glue. The kids got very excited about their projects, but the more they put on their pieces of paper, the more they covered up their fish, and the less they looked like aquariums! Oh, well... they had fun.


They also got to make a play dough octopus with pipe-cleaner tentacles. Abby was able to copy Ms. Michelle by wrapping the pipe-cleaners around a crayon to make the legs curl at the ends. We re-read Big Al by Andrew Clements, which Shawn and Abby have really gotten to like a lot. Finally, they made their own ugly Big Al fish with finger paints on a large fish cut-out and taped to the wall. Abby kept asking for more and more paint! Hers was thoroughly covered and it may take a few days to really dry! Shawn started strong with the finger paints, but it lost its appeal quickly. (Finger painting has never been much of his interest.)

 

 

After class, I transferred the kids from Art 3 to School Skills class starting tomorrow. So, we will no longer be going to Play & Learn Level 6. Otherwise, we’d start Gymboree be at 11:00 am until about 4:00 pm! That makes the day really long. (We did it last week.  It was a lot of fun, but saying that it was too much is a gross understatement!)  While they/I still enjoy the Play & Learn Level 6 class a lot, they really have outgrown it now. (I’ve mostly come to terms with that fact.) I joked with Ms. MaryBeth about missing out on her class, but it backfired. She reminded me, “You know, there’s a way to solve this problem! You just need to have another baby so you can enroll in the classes again!” DOH! I bit my tongue and replied, “I know, I’ll keep you posted!” (I should’ve known better since this has been an ongoing banter between me and the staff for a very long time.)
 
Moving on...

I hadn't anticipated continuing Art 3 because I didn't want to pay for both Art and School Skills classes. However, as we were leaving today, Ms. Michelle realized that Shawn and Abby were the only two students that are actually enrolled in Art 3 right now, while a few others come on a more inconsistent basis. She said that there's a possibility that Ms. LouAnn (and the owner, Melissa) might invite us to stay in Art 3 to keep the class going and entice others to join - free of charge! Therefore, we'll go to Art 3 next week either as our last week or as our first free week! Good deal!


We came home for lunch and naptime. Abby woke up about half way through her usual nap, crying and obviously upset. I eventually got her to calm down and got her to reveal that she had a bad dream about lightning. She eventually did go back to sleep, but I don't think it was very restful. She is normally a fairly sound sleeper, so this was a big surprise.

When Abby went home later, Shawn wanted to play outside.  I was expecting him to pull out his bike, gardening tools, baseball, football, or something along those lines.  Instead, he asked for the push-broom hanging on the garage wall!

Really? Why would I say no or discourage you when you ask if you can sweep out the garage?!


In the evening, I left Shawn and Raj to get an awfully needed haircut. I hope I didn’t give myself away, but I have a feeling Becca sensed something. When we were catching up with events in our lives since my last haircut (Shawn’s birthday, our trip to Disney… NOTHING about a positive pregnancy test!), I mentioned that we were looking at preschools and my nervousness about the concept. Her first question: “So, are you knocked up yet?” AHHHHHH!!! I could only get out “I’ll keep you posted!” (Thank goodness I had said it earlier at Gymboree, so I didn’t have to sputter too much!)

Oh, man.

This is going to be hard.

I Want to SCREAM! (in a very good way)

I anxiously called my doctor’s office to make schedule my first prenatal appointment, but got their answering service. Too early. ARGH!! Another ten minutes later, I got through. I have to wait until I’m eight weeks pregnant before they’ll see me… August 30th may as well be an eternity from now! I remember having to wait when we found out we were pregnant with Shawn, but I didn’t remember it being so long. Luckily, according to an online Pregnancy Calendar , I’m already three weeks pregnant, so just 5 more to go… Will I make it?

It’s so hard not to announce our news to everyone I see!


I dropped Shawn and Abby off at Spanish class and had to leave the center in order to stop myself from talking too much to the staff. I camped at Panera a few blocks away instead. While I had a list of things I should have been doing, I browsed pregnancy websites and tried to remind myself of what to do while pregnant – what types of foods to eat (and not), etc. I downloaded pregnancy apps to my iPhone…

I’m pregnant!!

 

I can’t concentrate on anything else!

Ok, I'll try.

 

After having a few weeks of inclement weather, Shawn and Abby were thrilled that class was outside at the park today. They were excited to tell me that they put bandaids on a stuffed teddy bear and a kitty cat coloring page because they were pretending the animals had 'ouchies.' They learned words about being sick or hurt, though they couldn’t tell me what they were. (It's a good thing they brought home a sheet explaining different vocabulary, so I can attemp to help them practice.)

While Abby napped, Shawn and I spied on a baby rabbit. He looked about palm size and grateful to have found shade behind some planters in the backyard. I wanted to offer him cool water and greens, but I knew that opening the door would startle him away. Still, it was sweet to watch the little bunny rest.

Eeek! I’m pregnant!!

Victory and +

We spent the day cheering the Cubs on to victory against the St. Louis Cardinals (4-2) at Wrigley Field. Shawn’s becoming a mini-expert on going to baseball games, though I think one of his favorite parts of the whole experience is the food! He dined on a single hot dog from the first inning through the middle of the 5th! I’m not sure if he was savoring each bite or distracted by the game (not likely)! When he finally finished, he looked up at me with a gigantic grin and announced, “Mom! I finished my hot dog!” (Finally!) He proudly, yet quietly, sang along to Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the seventh inning stretch, but he slowly started to fade after that. Raj and I decided that it was time to go when the teams were tied in the ninth inning, but was we walked to our shuttle bus, we could hear the excitement from the stadium as the Cubs hit two more runs. Shawn finally got to attend his first Cubs victory! Pooped from the excitement, he slept on the way home.

 

 

When we got back, I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things while Raj and Shawn played at home. On a hunch, I picked up a pregnancy test…

When I returned, Raj offered to help put the groceries away, so I handed him the bag with the pregnancy test box in it. He saw it immediately and claimed, “I knew it!” I had to wait a little while before I was ready to take the test, though my adrenalin was going crazy. Raj and Shawn monitored a timer set for three minutes and when it was time, Raj wanted to be the first to check the digital results:

 

 

PREGNANT

 

 

Tears of joy robbed me of words. We stood in the bathroom together - I'm not sure if we were hugging or trying to hold each other up!  The reality of having our second baby consumed us.

 

 

Meanwhile, Shawn continued playing in the living room. We agreed that we needed to wait before telling him the exciting news to limit the potential of leaking our secret before its time. I wanted to tell everyone immediately, but Raj’s sensibility calmed me down. We compromised. Instead of waiting for the entire first trimester to go by, we’ll wait until our doctor’s confirmation. I’m making an appointment as soon as the office opens in the morning!

 

 

After about four months of not preventing pregnancy, I am entirely grateful that we haven’t had the stresses of trying to get pregnant that seem to be increasingly common among the people I know. Even watching family and friends go through similar situations, I cannot imagine the anxiety that accompanies months or even years of trying and waiting, which I’m sure doesn’t help the process get any easier! Raj and I reminded each other how fortunate we have been, both with our pregnancy with Shawn and now. It all just makes us more emotional!

 

 

Congratulations to us!

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHAWN!

Again, there was no rush to get out of the house this morning. I did think ahead last night and left the blinds and curtains in Shawn's room open so the sun could wake him naturally rather than me doing it. It worked nicely. Even though he had a very hard time going to sleep last night knowing that today was his birthday, he woke an hour earlier than normal and, most importantly, smiling and in a great mood! He was even awake early enough to see Raj off to work. Shawn's breakfast wasn't photo worthy this morning, but he was thrilled to have blue eggs and muffins (fudge and chocolate chip).


Once everyone was fed and ready to go, we headed to the Children's Garden at Morton Arboretum.  After coming almost half a dozen times already this year, I went ahead and got a membership to the Arboretum. If I had gotten it earlier, it would've almost paid for itself by now! Oh, well. We'll keep coming back. Maybe one day, we'll actually see what else is there besides the Children's Garden! Not today, though.


Shawn and Abby knew exactly where they wanted to go (usually together), while Opa and I tried to keep track of them. They worked their way through the Backyard Discovery Gardens and the Adventure Woods. In the Discovery Gardens, I think their favorites are the Curiosity Garden with a small waterfall and polished bronze frogs spitting water into a pool of smooth rocks as well as a tunnel and bridge that leads to two log cabin play houses and Every Which Way which is a playground looking area with a mass of cement tree roots to hide beneath, steep slides with a mulched cork wall to climb, a water pump to operate and guide the water down multi-tiered canals (though the pump has been removed), and a play structure with rain sticks to spin and a Plexiglas dome to ogle through. Of course, every single garden area also had a bright red water pump that was irresistible. They had no hesitation to stand directly under the spout while the other pumped the handle - possible trying to get a drink, but get doused in the process! (It's a good thing it was warm and dry today. I'm sure the water pumps helped cool them off.) In the Adventure Woods, their favorites were the Wonder Pond, which is swarming with tadpoles (and people trying to get a closer look at them), the tree house / rope net bridges that make up Under the Trees, the man-made Grotto and Secret Stream (though Opa and I would cringe every time a child would splash a small boulder into the water, hoping that no toes or fingers would be squashed in the process), and the Evergreen Walk and Lookout with another tree house / rope net bridge that led to view finders and staged critters in the trees. We stopped for a snack and drink break at the Lookout point before working our way back out of the Children's Garden. We did stop at the Central Plaza to marvel at the giant ball of granite (approximately three feet in diameter) with various leaves carved into the sides and spinning on a fountain of water. The kids had fun trying to change its rotation and felt very strong when they were successful.

Back at the car, we had another snack and changed the kids into clean, dry clothes. I was absolutely certain that they would be snoring by the time we drove out of the parking lot, but they were still chatting away when I made a detour to pick up some newsletters for Mothers & More. Abby was fast asleep minutes later, while Shawn somehow stayed awake the entire drive home! I was even able to transfer Abby to bed without waking her at all. An hour later, I let Shelley know that Abby probably wouldn't be waking on her own at her usual time because of the extensive outdoor playing we had done, so unless she needed to be awake, there was no reason to rush home to pick her up by 4:00 pm. Shelley agreed and said to let her sleep. Bill came to get her at 5:30 pm and she reluctantly woke from her three hour nap.


In the evening, we walked to our local Frontier League baseball game to see the Schaumburg Boomers play the River City Rascals.  We picked a spot to sit on our picnic blanket at the top of a hill in the lawn.  Nearby was a kids’ area that had a bouncy tent obstacle course and inflatable slides.  Shawn ran through the course dozens of times and used a Boomer’s blanket to add some slip to his his slide.  While he was burning some energy, the New Jersey Hardwicks called to sing him Happy Birthday.  Raj arranged for the announcer to broadcast that it’s Shawn’s third birthday today.  We didn’t catch it displayed on the scoreboard, but we definitely heard it.  The game didn’t end in our favor (L 12-3), but the fireworks show made up for it.  Too bad that Shawn fell asleep moments before the pyrotechnics began.  The incredibly full day exhausted him to the point that he slept through all of the booms and bangs and half of our walk home.  I had hoped he’d stay asleep to I could put him directly to bed, but I knew better.  Shawn had just enough of a rest to keep him up well into the night.

On the plus side, he got to open a few birthday cards when we got home.  One card revealed that we are going to Disney World in a few weeks!

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

Posted on FaceBook:

Having a wonderful day celebrating my little man's 3rd birthday! Happy Birthday, Shawn! We love you so very much! — with Paul Demmert and Rajiv Puri at Schaumburg Boomers.

Mandy Nye, Sara Bellini Pandolfi, Mona Mann, Kristen Weller, Katie Stump Holt, Nicole Roof Robinson, Gina Kawell Snow, Edward Demmert, Reena Uppal, Leslie Demmert, Melissa Rubalcaba Riske, Kenny Thor, Carolyn Wilke Wojtal, Toni Marcinowski LoVerde, Jonathan Demmert, and Evelia Krzysik like this.

Shelley Veloz Powell Happy Birthday Shawn! Hope you guys are having fun!

Leslie Demmert Go Boomers Go doesn't quite ring like go Cubs Go, but I hope they win for you.

Joni Demmert Anderson Happy Birthday Shawn! (PS I like your shirt!)

Melissa Bujak Dresen Happy Birthday little guy

Lorinda Oertel Anderson Happy happy birthday Shawn! Have a fun filled evening ♥ Conrad & Miss Lorinda

Deborah Johnson Clemons Happy Birthday Shawn!!

Sara Bellini Pandolfi happy birthday!

Liz Ri Many sweet Happy Birthday wishes!

Edward Demmert A big happy birthday to Shawn from the CA Demmert's!

Hema Puri Happy Birthday Shawn, God Bless You. We will see you soon.

Bm Bär Happy Birthday, Shawn! Greetings from Germany!

Stacey 'Dunlap' Porter Happy Birthday Shawn! Congrats Shannon -sounds like a lovely time

Debbie Fairbairn-White Happy birthday Shawn. Hope you had a great day.

Mona Mann Hi Shannon wouild u please give Shawn a big hug & some kisses from me tell him I wish him a day fill w/ fun, balloons & a big cake to taste Happy Birthday Shawn I love u bye baby

Cantigny Park with Opa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHELLEY!
The morning started off very slowly. Shawn moped and whined about waking up at all and had a hard time getting going. Abby was in a fine mod, but she wasn't interested in eating more than a few bites at breakfast. Meanwhile, Shawn's breakfast inadvertantly greeted him back!

English muffin, cherries, &
scrambled eggs dyed blue

Once we finally got moving, we successfully wore out both kids fairly quickly.

We spent almost four hours walking through gardens at Cantigny Park, admiring flowers, plants, and trees. Shawn and Abby had a fantastic time dodging (well, not really) sprinklers and fountains, following different paths made from rocks, stones, pavement, grass, wood chips… you name it. Opa was an amazing guide through the gardens.  He found wild strawberries that we sampled (though they weren’t very flavorful).  He also introduced the kids to the characters inside the snap dragon flowers.  Abby loved roaring and snapping the flower, but Shawn didn’t like the idea of a dragon biting his finger and kept a watchful distance instead. We found a crabapple tree whose branches formed an almost perfect dome to the ground.  Shawn and Abby called it their ‘Tree Tent’ and could have played in its shade for hours. When we eventually coaxed them out, we found the Idea Garden with all kinds of fun things: a person made out of flower pots, a Big 10 container garden with flowers that matched the schools’ colors, areas designated to the four seasons as well as others planted with the five senses in mind. After all the gardens that we did see, I can only imagine how much of the property we didn’t get to!

The dangling bandaid on Abby's knee couldn't hold on any longer as her pants rubbed passed during a potty break - she was upset for a millisecond, but wasn't concerned about it any other time throughout the day. In fact, she ran and played as much as she did before her fall and did so with no limping, favoring, or even tip-toe walking! There were plenty of distractions to keep her occupied.


We took a break back at the car and enjoyed a picnic lunch under a shadey tree. Even a snooping ant joined us - typical! We used grapes to perfect our chipmunk cheeks.

 

 

Afterwards, we strolled through a an outdoor exhibit of tanks and artillery cannons that Abby and Shawn got to climb all over. Abby was more interested in the pictures on the informational signs and the clovers, sticks, and rocks she collected from the ground than the actual tanks and guns, but she found plenty to captivate her attention. Shawn liked exploring the military machines as if they were playground equipment, in addition to the clovers, sticks, and rocks along the way.

While they were both drained from our walks through the gardens early on, they were thoroughly exhausted on the ride home. Shawn was fast asleep and transferred to bed without batting an eye. Abby opened her eyes as we opened her car door, but just long enough to change her diaper and wipe off some of the dirt that she had magnetized during our adventure.

Meanwhile, Opa treated Baron to a short walk, which he was grateful for on such a nice day. While the kids napped, Opa and I enjoyed our own (well-deserved) 'quiet time' and snack.

When Raj got home, we took Opa to Shawn’s favorite restaurant – Pilot Pete’s. We pointed out the comedic ‘$100 hamburger’ on the menu, though none of us ordered it.

A $100 hamburger trip typically involves
flying a short distance (less than two hours),
eating at an airport restaurant, and flying home.
"$100" originally referred to the approximate
cost of renting or operating a light general aviation aircraft
for the time it took to fly round-trip to a nearby airport.

- Wikipedia

Shawn pointed out the variety of aircraft hanging over our heads and displayed in glass cases. Even when we don’t have a view of the runway, there’s always something to see at Pilot Pete’s, which possibly makes up for the so-so food that they serve!

I'm a Big Boy - NOW!

Shawn didn’t want diapers / pull-ups today! He made comments like, “I’m going to give all of my diapers to a baby!”  So, I quickly obliged and dressed him underwear…

all

day. 

He went through a few pairs of underwear, but only one pair of pants.  Today was by far the most successful potty training day we’ve had.  We even left the house to go to Open Gym at the Hoffman Estates Community Center and later to pick up a few groceries. (I made sure to bring along a spare set of clothes just in case – but we didn’t need it!) 
 

He still doesn’t like me reminding him or asking if he needs to go, but when he felt his underwear start to get wet, he’d run to the bathroom as fast as he could.  Next step – realize he needs to get to the bathroom before he gets wet at all.

This evening, Shawn pointed out, “I get to go to Pre-School now!”

[whimper]

Shawn’s Mundan

Today was definitely a new experience for me. I've attended similar ceremonies for friends and family, but each one is different and unique, which makes it special. It's always different being an observer than actually participating, too.

We set up an alter in the corner of our living room with plenty of seating for our guests in chairs, on the couches, and on the ground. We learned that it was very important for us to face West during the ceremony. Our pundit was wonderful at explaining the ceremony step by step as he conducted the rituals.

We began with a blessing and prayers to the Hindu Gods. The pundit gave us dots of red powder, Tika, between our eyebrows (Shawn chose not to have one) and tied sacred red threads, called Mauli, around our wrists. (Raj and Shawn wore theirs on their right hands, while I wore mine on my left.) Their significance was warding off evil and attracting good fortune. By placing them around a coconut, we offered water, flowers, and rice to the gods, inviting them to be a part of our special day.

One part that sticks out in my memory is how the pundit described the utmost importance of a child’s parents, holding them higher than all else. He said that parents are a child’s first teachers. Without parents, the child cannot learn properly and therefore does not have knowledge. Without knowledge, the child has no understanding. Without knowledge and understanding, the child cannot know God. Therefore, parents and teachers are the supreme powers in a child’s life.

The second part of the ceremony included actually shaving Shawn’s hair. Before we began, we tied red threads around three sections of his hair, which we then cut with scissors. Then, Kate Yglesias La Casse (who was my hair dresser for years and did my hair for our wedding) did an amazing job wielding her clippers quickly and carefully so that Shawn barely flinched while locks of his hair fell all around. He did a marvelous job while the clippers were buzzing around his head. It helped tremendously that Kate was able to cut his hair pretty quickly. Regardless, he sat very still and didn't fidget. (I was impressed.) We collected his hair along with some of the articles from the puja and were told to save them. When we go to India, we are supposed to offer it to the sacred Ganges River.

While Kate was shaving his head, she uncovered a cut from a fall a few days ago. (Shawn was being silly while in the bathroom and fell off the toilet!) I knew he bumped his head when he fell, but I didn’t realize that it had left such a gash on poor Shawn’s head! Until now, it had been completely covered by hair! At first glance, people thought that the cut was from the Mundan itself, but luckily, it was well into the healing process already.

Then, Shawn had to get cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes. This symbolized starting completely clean. The pundit conducted more prayers and blessings for ‘the new’ Shawn. All the children gathered around a small fire, or Havan, to make more offerings before concluding the Mundan ceremony. We took Prasad, or fruit (apples and bananas) that had been blessed by the Gods, and Raj and I led Shawn to show respect to our loved ones by touching their feet. Afterwards, we served lunch and socialized with our friends and family.

When I showed Shawn a mirror and he saw his bald reflection, he had a big smile – I was relieved that he liked it. The three of us kept joking, "Where'd your hair go?" Luckily, he has a nicely shaped head, so the bald look worked for him! (We also joked that he's more aerodynamic and he'd be lightening fast!) So, Shaggy Shawn is a Q-ball now! He looks like a completely different person!

I was convinced that he was going to look like an over-grown infant with his newly shaven head; in reality, he looks like he's suddenly become a big boy. He looks much older and more mature now than he did with his wispy locks. I already miss his curls, but I know that hair grows back. Besides, now it's fun to rub our hands across his stubbly head!

At the end of the big day, Raj and I gave Shawn a gift to celebrate his milestone. During the ceremony, we had it nearby in case Shawn needed a distraction while his hair was being shaved. Since we didn’t need it then, we were able to share it with him when everyone went home. He opened a LeapPad Explorer and was very excited to have something like our computer and iPad for himself, especially since it had a camera function on it!

I love that Shawn took an active role in his Mundan ritual. He couldn’t have done that when he was younger. He looked like a little prince and took it all very seriously. For many reasons, including the fact that he didn’t have much hair when he was just a year old, I’m glad we waited until now to have his Mundan.

Yet another milestone to remind me that my little baby is growing up...

That's the part I'm having trouble with!

Happy Mundan, son.

We are very proud of you and love you always and forever.

दैव-दैत्यों पुत्र प्रसन्न

हम बहुत गर्व है तो आप और आप हमेशा प्रेम और सदैव

 

From http://www.indianhindunames.com/mundan-chadakarana-first-hair-removal.htm

“The next important ceremony after Annaprasana and Namakarana in a Hindu child’s life is the Mundan or Chadakarana when the baby has his first hair cut. The Mundan ceremony can be done in the 1st year, 3rd year, or 5th year of age, but it is normally done before the completion of three years of age of the boy.

Please note that Mundan as a ceremony is prescribed only for boy babies, but today, with the changing times, it has become a practice to have the ceremony done for girl children, too.

A proper Mundan ceremony involves three rituals of about an hour’s duration – the boy’s parents do a “Ganesh Puja” (worship of the Hindu Go Ganapati or Ganesh); a barber who shaves the child receives some honour; and a “Havan” (a purifying ritual with a fire ceremony) with devotional prayers known as the Ayushya Home mantra and Arati concludes the ceremony. This is followed by a feast and the giving of presents, which form the social aspect of the Mundan as a samskar.

Shaving the head is termed as “Ayushkarma” in Sanskrit. It means enhancing the longevity or the life span of the child. (“Ayuh” in Ayurveda also means this.) This child’s hair at the time of birth is not strong and the Mundan ceremony ensures that hair roots are strengthened and strong hair is formed. The shaved head receives Vitamin D from exposure from the sun and this has its own medicinal benefits...”

From http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-traditions/mundan.html

“There is a significant reason as to why the head is shaved in such an elaborate ritualistic way. According to the Hindu beliefs, the hair present at birth is supposed to represent unwanted traits from the past lives. In order to make sure that the child has no undesirable qualities of the past birth in this life, the hair is shaved off to ensure a new beginning and a fresh start. Medically, it is said that shaving off the hair stimulates the cells and improves blood circulation to the brain. Some also believe that this gives the child a long life.”