Look Who's Growing Up!

In the past few weeks, we have had a lot of changes. I already wrote about how Shawn transitioned from a toddler bed to a full sized big boy bed. Since then, he has also dropped his nap in exchange for having a much, much earlier bedtime. It’s been wonderful - instead of going to bed at 11:30 pm, he's not going to bed closer to 8:30 pm! The whole family is happier with his more reasonable bedtime!


We also got to put on his new bed sheets with cars, trucks, and roads on them. They go really well with the mural on his walls!

Plus, Shawn has figured out how to put his own shoes on. He and Raj went to Meijer and got new Toy Story shoes with characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear on them. These new sneakers even flash when he walks. Sometimes I catch him stomping just to see them flicker! He is very excited about putting them on by himself. Thank goodness for Velcro!


Every once in a while, Shawn wants to wear underwear instead of diapers / pull-ups. Potty training is proving to be a very, very slow process. But, he's getting better at it.  He understands that babies wear diapers and big kids wear underwear, that kids in diapers don’t get to do as many fun things as big kids in underwear do (like preschool, the kids’ land at Ikea, etc.). He’s staying dry a lot longer in between changes is asking to wear underwear more often. Now, that it's not every day, but it's happening more often than it used to. Sure wish he was one of the ‘trained in a weekend’ types, but everyone reminds me that this isn’t something that can be rushed… sigh.


Shawn has even had his first activity without me involved! He and Abby went to a ‘Dora and Diego's Super Scavenger Hunt’ Spanish class at Language Stars. (The class description was, "Oh no! A group of baby animals is lost in the jungle, and they need help! Can you help Dora and Diego find them? Come join the super scavenger hunt to make a super rescue!") It was a Kids Only class for 3-5 year olds. (Technically, he didn't qualify for the class because he’s too young, but because he knows the center, the routines, many of the teachers, and has been attending classes for so long, the director invited him in anyway. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Abby was going to be there, too.)

When they arrived, the students each got a name tag and drawstring backpack. Inside the backpack was a pair of binoculars, a map, and vocabulary page to bring home.

 

They got to draw on their backpacks with crayons. I think their favorite part was wearing the binoculars as they searched the center for hidden animals. Very cute!

 

They had so much fun at this special Spring Break class that we've agreed to sign them up for the Kids Only class this summer. Another bonus about the summer class is that they take the children outside to a park - not to have recess outside, but to have an outdoor classroom. This allows the students to learn new vocabulary about the world around them and extend the lessons beyond the confines of the classroom. The Kids Only classes are also a longer time. They've been used to having classes last about an hour, while their new classes will be 85 minutes. Many exciting changes! However, I'm torn about moving them up to the next level because I'm certainly going to miss my Spanish lessons in the Parent and Tots classes… but I guess it's not reeeeeeeally my class. Shawn and Abby are doing very well and are ready to do some things on their and learn some independence. I'll just have to figure out another way to learn a few extra words here and there!


So we've had many changes in the last few weeks! It's been very exciting. Shawn is making it very obvious to me that he's not my little baby anymore.

…I’m not sure if I’m ready for that!

Project: Conversion - Part 2

Today we had a mission! Mattress. Bedspring. Linens. Anything else was secondary! (Not entirely true – I had put off going to Costco and Meijer for a long time and our list was getting ridiculous.)

After a long day on yesterday, we took advantage of the morning and slept in. (After not a completely restful night, we needed it!) However, once we were awake and ready to go, we headed right out to finish Shawn’s bed. Raj and Shawn went in one car while I drove the van with the back seats flattened in hopes of bringing a mattress and box spring home with us.


Without too much hassle, we picked a full size mattress and bunkie board (a 2 inch box spring to keep the overall bed height low) from Back to Bed. We were able to bring the mattress home with us, but the bunkie board wasn’t in stock. So, we’ll have to pick that up on Tuesday. The salesman assured us that since Shawn is light, he’d be fine sleeping on the mattress without the bunkie board for a few days without the risk of caving the mattress into the support beams.


Next, we drove down the street to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to get linens. We found a great set that would’ve been perfect for his room – green spread with roads, street signs, cars, trucks, etc.

Kas Kids Raceway from
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=129861

"A colorful raceway gears your child up for a great night's sleep. The bed ensemble has a sham and comforter that reverses from a raceway to a black and white checkered pattern that matches the toss pillow, while the blue printed sheets and solid bed skirt complete the look..."

But of course, it was out of stock and discontinued. They just hadn’t taken the display of it down yet. Grr…


Instead, we found another set that’s just as fun. Though it doesn’t really go with his room, it doesn’t clash either and he does have a budding interest, so it’s fine. (We should have more than one set on hand anyway, so we’ll look for another car/truck themed one in the meantime. At least we have something for now.)

Kas Kids Dino from
http://calgary.flyerland.ca/products/bed-bath-and-beyond-kas-kids-dino-complete-product-7655293

"A land of colorful, playful dinosaurs comes to life with this exciting bed ensemble. Shades of navy, vibrant green, soft blue, purple and white adorn the sham and comforter in a prehistoric scene that reverses to a modern plaid. A plaid bed skirt and toss..."

On the way home, Shawn fell asleep in the car. While he napped, I went to Meijer and Costco (and picked up dinner while I shopped). When I got home, I threw the new bedding into the laundry and after putting away the goods, we had chicken salad on crescents a la Costco for dinner.


The new bedding took a little longer to dry than I had anticipated, so while there was a mattress to sleep on, Shawn still really had no place to sleep that night… so he joined us… again.

...We probably could’ve planned this better!

…Again.

Project: Conversion - Part 1

Shawn did a fantastic job at swimming class.  We got in the water about 15 minutes before class started, so he had a chance to warm up (and wake up).  I let him start with a float-belt with 3 floats on it, which he loves because his head stays above the water, but he does have to work a little, yet he has the freedom to ‘swim’ on his own.  Once class started, we traded the float-belt for a noodle.  (They do about the same thing, but the noodle is easier to use and not use it between activities.)  Shawn’s getting good at blowing bubbles, voluntarily putting each ear into the water, kicking is now second nature, and he’s starting to get the hang of doing arm circles while kicking.  He can easily use his arms or legs, but using them all together is a bit tricky – it’s a lot to keep track of!


The older kids in the class after ours were participating in a water safety exercise, which the teachers always hold on the second to last class of each session.  The teachers don’t actually get into the water at all, instead they coach from the deck.  The students put on life vests, learned how to jump into the water wearing one, how to swim on their fronts and backs wearing one, how to get into a canoe-type boat and maneuver it around the water.  Shawn was in awe.  Though we had been in the water for almost two hours, he didn’t want to leave!  He was amazed at what was going on in the other side of the pool – especially when the boat was involved.  Once I got him out of the pool, we of course had to warm up in the showers.  Apparently, it took a while for Shawn to thaw out because he didn’t want to get out of the shower either!  It appears that he’s either turning into a fish… or a human raisin!


We came home just long enough to pick up Baron for his grooming appointment.  While he was getting beautified, Shawn and I visited the library.  When we pulled into the parking lot, Shawn asked, “Is there a concert?” I think he was disappointed that we at the library just to get books this time.  He enjoys pulling books off shelves, occasionally reading a few, and putting others into our check-out basket, so he got over his regret pretty quickly.  The librarian helped us find a small stack of rebus books so Shawn can help read the stories.  He was very excited about them, which got her all a flutter!


On the way home, Yuppie Puppie called to say that Baron was ready to be picked up.  By the time we made it home, Raj was done with work.  It was a busy morning and I fell asleep with Shawn during his nap time.  Though sleeping in a rocking chair isn’t the best place for a nap, it was absolutely worth it (and cuddling made it an easy thing to do)!


Later in the evening, Raj started converting Shawn’s toddler bed to the next stage.  We couldn’t find anywhere on the boxes or papers what size bed the next level was.  So, we didn’t know if we needed a new mattress or what size it needed to be.  Not the best planning or design for the bed company!  The only thing we could do was – put the thing together and find out!


After a badly pinched finger (Raj’s) and an awfully bruised shin (mine), we discovered that Shawn’s new bed is… a full!  Not a twin!  The little man is going to get lost in the monstrosity!  The enormous converted bed not only required a mattress and bedspring (and linens), but we had to move other furniture around to get it to fit in his shrinking room.  Amazingly enough, we only had to move two bookshelves to a different wall and all his furniture is still in his room. However, since there was no mattress or bedspring, Shawn had no place to sleep that night… so he joined us again.

...We probably could’ve planned this better!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

In the wee hours this morning, Shawn woke up and joined Raj and me in bed. Luckily, he went right back to sleep and there was minimal tossing, turning, or kicking involved (at least that I’m aware of)! Recently, Shawn’s been waking up and wanting to come into our bed or not wanting to go to sleep in his bed at all. We haven’t made a big deal about it, but we don’t exactly welcome him in either. Since this didn’t used to be an issue and, in the last week or so, it’s been a frequent request, I wanted to talk to Shawn about what was going on.

So, later in the morning, when Shawn was fully awake, I asked him why he didn’t want to sleep in his own bed ‘last night’ (since it was still dark out). “Because my bed’s too small!” he explained, “I need a bigger bed!” Huh – well, then! That sounds simple enough! I’ll make sure he tells Raj himself tonight! Meanwhile, I have no idea how he got this idea or even knew a bigger bed was a possibility. We’ve never talked about it. There really is still plenty of room in the toddler bed for him – it’s not like he’s bumping his head and feet on the ends. As far as he knows, all kids have beds like his (cribs converted with a toddler railing)! Weird. When I told the teachers at Gymboree this afternoon, Ms. Mary Beth suggested maybe tying a ‘big boy’ bed to potty training… hmmmm...

We attended Art Class this afternoon and I felt like we got a little more ‘bang for our buck’ today. After a few minutes of free paint, the kids colored a cut-out heart with chunky shaped red crayons, glued it to a larger piece of construction paper, and then added glittery foam hearts to it. Shawn was engrossed with the new crayons that were about the size of his whole hand and shaped as hearts, bowls, and simply over-sized crayons. On the other hand, after a few seconds of scratching them across his paper, he lost interest in the actual project. I got him to glue the large heart to his construction paper when I showed him that he could pour the glue from his dixie cup and then spread it around, rather than neatly apply the glue with Q-tips, like the rest of the class. The foam hearts were lost on him entirely. In contrast, Abby went to town! She colored all over her heart cut-out, used her Q-tip to carefully cover the back with glue, and then did the same to add the foam hearts. All. Completely. Independently.

Abby's

Shawn's (sort of)

Once the Valentines were made, we returned to the ‘Circus’ theme that we’ve been doing for a few weeks. The next project was more fun (even to me). The kids covered the back of a paper plate with yellow, brown, and orange paint using a sponge brush. Then, they glued on eyes, a nose, a mouth (a piece of foam that looked like a packing peanut - ??), and a yarn mane to create a lion. Shawn didn’t care for the painting (so I did that part), but he really got into it when we started added the other features. Again, Abby needed little to no help. She did a great job thoroughly covering the plate with paint, leaving barely any white showing even around the edges. She added facial features on her own, but needed a little help with the mane because the yarn stuck more to her fingers than it did to the plate! I think the final products are among my favorites of all their art projects so far!

Abby's

Shawn's

Then, Ms. LouAnn gave the grownups a choice of either doing a third art project, which she explained may be more challenging than our typical projects, or having more time to play with the toys in the sand/water table. Almost unanimously, we opted for the third project. (I’ve never really understood why there’s so much time at the end of class for play time – we could easily do more projects, or better projects, with that time!) The kids were to use colored foam peanuts to make an elephant on black construction paper. (What? How?) Ms. LouAnn handed out sea sponges and explained that if the peanuts got a little damp, they’d get sticky. (Ooookay…? Still, not understanding what we’re supposed to do.) She also gave us glue. (Alrighty, not sure about this one, but he we go!) Shawn was completely lost, so while he played with the peanuts, I worked with Abby. We arranged the peanuts on her paper trying to shape the body of an elephant, but we weren’t being very successful. Instead, we started over and focused on just an elephant head. We made a long trunk (highlighted with a strip of aluminum foil), big ears, and hopefully, the rest of the head would just emerge as we went. As Ms. LouAnn explained, “The important thing is that the children know it’s an elephant and can tell you about it.” Then, it’s perfect! She knew exactly what it was and could tell me where the ears, nose, eyes, mouth, etc. were. Great job, Kiddo – better than what I would’ve done on my own! It turned out that Ms. LouAnn took the opportunity to help Shawn make his elephant… though the few times I glanced over, it looked like she was doing most of the work. (That made me feel better, since sometimes I wonder if I’m doing too much of the project for him, leading to his disinterest. But, it looked like he was already aloof about it and she just didn’t want him to go home empty handed!)

Abby's

Shawn's

There was still time for Ms. LouAnn to read See the Circus, by M. A. Rey, while the kids had a snack. Rather than our typical Winnie the Pooh cookies, one of the other children brought in Valentine’s Day cookies for everyone. The kids even still had time to play in the toys in the sand/water table, which just turned out to be red air bean bags that they pretended were “Valentines” to exchange with each other…  Glad we did the third project!

Raj and I agreed that we weren’t going to exchange Valentine’s gifts this year. However, I knew he’d still bring something, so I made a present for him – without spending a penny. I took a verse from ‘our’ song (Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton), printed it on velum, layered with some fancy scrapbooking papers, and framed it. I’m glad I did it – it was fun to watch him realize what the verse was.

Raj brought me a lovely bouquet of roses and a very sweet card. He also had a Mylar heart balloon and a box of chocolate turtles, but Shawn claimed them for himself right away. I gave Shawn new toys for the bath tub: a basketball hoop with squirting balls, a motorboat, and a waterproof bath book about opposites. Then, we went out to an incredible dinner at Redstone American Grill (courtesy of a gift card from the team at Artistic Smiles). YUM!  However, as cliche as it may sound, the best part was spending the evening with two of my favorite men.  Cupid's arrows have struck me hard!  (Wish I had captured my two incredibly handsome Valentines on camera, but it didn't occur to me until it was too late!)

I did have Shawn tell Raj what he thought about his bed and why he didn’t want to sleep in it lately. Though a little surprised, Raj agreed that if it’s something Shawn thought he was ready for, then we may as well go for it! Looks like we have a project for this weekend…

Morning?

Raj woke me up to say goodbye on his way to work this morning, as he does every Saturday (I’m awake before him during the week). A few minutes after I drifted back to sleep, he woke me up again. He asked, “Do you mind skipping swimming class this morning so I can borrow your car to go to work? It snowed last night and I don’t have my snow tires on yet.” Ugh. It’s supposed to be our last class of this session, when we get Shawn’s report card. I know it’s going to say the same thing as all the other report cards have, something along the lines of, “Move up to Pike if possible, otherwise Pike with Parent.” But, I don’t like missing class. When we overslept and missed class two weeks ago, even Shawn showed disappointment. Maybe playing in the snow today will distract him and make up for missing class. Hopefully.


Anyway, the opportunity to sleep in presented itself and who am I to turn that down? A late night last night pretty well guaranteed that Shawn would not be waking before 9:00 am. Sleeping in could easily distract me and make up for missing class this morning! And yet, I laid awake. Frustrated. I tried to go back to sleep. Couldn’t.


So, at 7:30 am, about the same time I wake up during the week with an alarm clock desperately trying to coax me out of bed, I conceded defeat and gave in to productivity. Laundry started. Bills paid. Toys put away. Not how I planned to spend a Saturday morning! At least I'll get some blogging done…

Yawn

*Yawn*

Shawn woke up around 6:30 am this morning.  This is extremely out of character, as I normally have to drag him out of bed between 8:00 - 8:30 am during the week.  I was really looking forward to sleeping in today too, of course.  So much for that dream! 

*Yawn*

He woke up once earlier in the night, but he went back to sleep pretty easily.  This time, he was wide awake and I couldn’t even talk him into snuggling for very long!  He was ready to play, wanted to get Baron from the kitchen, and resisted the notion of anything deviating from his plan.

*Yawn*

The catch – he’s definitely got a cold.  In spite of the medicine I gave him (which he loves), he spent the majority of the morning sneezing, coughing, sniffing, and dribbling all over everything.  (My efforts to teach him to cover his mouth have obviously failed tremendously.)  I made him a cub of chicken broth in a fun apple-shaped cup with a squeezie spout (like a sports bottle), to encourage him to drink plenty of fluids.  My scheme worked initially, but you can lead a toddler to a sippy, but you can’t make him drink! 

*Yawn*

Shawn played, asked “Let’s get out of here!” and “What are we going to do today?” as if he was in tip-top shape.  Yet, when I sat him on my bed to read a story (after much cajoling to get him to actually sit and not stand), the next thing I realized, he was fast asleep and snoring softly.  It was only 11:00 am.  (His normal naptime is around 1:30 or 2:00 pm.)

But, now I’m awake!

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.

A Bee-Boppin' and a Pee-Peein'

Shawn slept until around 8:15 am, when Raj brought him into our room to snuggle. (Raj must have been tired, because he never wants to have Shawn sleep in our bed!) We all fell asleep for another hour or so. Then, the boys went downstairs to have breakfast, while I hung out in bed, but awake. It was a very
                         nice
                                             slow
                                                                      morning.

Eventually, we started moving a little faster. Raj gave Shawn a bath and got most of his little black dog-nose off from last night. By the time Mike and Bill came over to take another look at our leaky toilet, everyone was up and ready for the day. Unfortunately, it turns out that Mike needs to order a part, so they weren’t able to finish fixing it today either. Hopefully, though, by the end of this week it should be back in business for ‘business.’

While Raj went to the Bears’ game and Shawn and I went to the Roselle Public Library to see a jazz concert. Shawn was really excited about seeing the instruments. We saw the Eric Schneider Trio featuring a saxophone, clarinet, keyboard, and bass. Shawn and I were the youngest ones in the audience by at least a few decades. I think we were the only ones that hadn’t retired yet! At first, I found a seat on the edge of a row (for easy an easy exit, if needed), but then I opted to find a seat for us on the floor off to the side in front so Shawn could see the musician’s hands better. (I made eye contact with the librarian who was hosting the concert to make sure it was okay that we weren’t sitting in the provided audience chairs.)

Throughout the concert, Shawn had stellar behavior. He watched the concert, listened quietly, and clapped when he was supposed to. During the brief intermission, when we found some cookies and water, a few of the blue-hairs came over to talk to Shawn and comment on how surprised they were at how interested he was in the concert. Apparently, a few of them were paying almost as much attention to Shawn as they were to the musicians they came to see! Before the show resumed, I brought Shawn to the instruments so he could see them up close, yet explained that we couldn’t touch them. He noticed that the clarinet and saxophone had “metal on them” and that the bass was made of wood, “like the harp!” He was a little confused about keyboard versus a piano, but did point out it had a pedal, “like the harp, too!” When the musicians returned from their break, we rushed back to our place on the floor for the remainder of the concert. Afterwards, Shawn told the musicians (I translated), “I really liked your music, thank you very much!” A few more blue-hairs offered their compliments and then we went upstairs to the children’s section. We found a stack of CDs (songs, instrumental, as well as stories), a few ABC books, a few Dr. Seuss books, and a few potty training books (some for kids and some for parents).

When we got home, we stripped off the pull-up and really focused on potty training. We read the kids’ books while we ate a snack. We sat on the potty seat on the toilet while we read them again. Shawn didn’t reject the idea of sitting on the toilet a single time this afternoon/evening/night! Sometimes in the past, he’d say, “I don’t want to go pee-pee OR poo-poo!” at the slightest mention of the toilet, but not this time. He was much more willing to sit, whether he had to go or not. So, I took advantage of it. I had him ‘race’ to see how fast he could put on or take off his underwear - off is much easier! I had him ‘race’ to see how fast he could put his seat on the toilet and sit on top. I had him ‘race’ to see how fast he could put it all away. He was loving it – though it was nothing that I hadn’t done before! I’m not sure what made today different, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. Not a single accident all afternoon or evening… until he pooped in his underwear. But that was the only one! Without a doubt, he earned another Toy Surprise for filling up his Potty Paper with stickers. This time, he pulled an armored half track military jeep/pickup truck from the bag. He (we) had never seen a truck like this before so I explained that it was a truck that carried soldiers on the benches in the back. We talked about how soldiers and other the people in the military were very special people. The military is a little bit like the police, but they keep all of America safe, so we can be free. I also told him that Opa, Pappy, my Grandpa Bill were all in the military.  (I’m not sure if he understood all of what we talked about, but he seemed to be listening and concentrating very hard.)

Things were going so well that we didn’t even think about naptime. He didn’t get to sleep at 8:00 pm, like the other non-nap days, but today wasn’t quite as exhausting as those were either. He was tucked in bed before 9:00 pm, which is still far better than 11:00 pm!

Shawn had been long asleep by the time Raj came home around 11:00 pm. I got some cleaning, blogging, email, laundry, and reading all done in the meantime. And, celebrating with a little glass of wine…

It was a good day!

Party 'Till We Drop!

Shawn completely lacked confidence during his swimming lesson today. He clung to me, the wall, or any floating device he could reach – practically white-knuckled. I’m not sure why. Ms. Becca and I agreed, since there’s only one class left in this session, Shawn needs another round of practice at this level, then we could revisit moving him up. Even though there are kids at the Pike level who can’t do some of the things that he can do already, because he’s so young, the director has higher expectations of him in order to move up. Oh, well. I’m disappointed, but I understand, especially after his ‘off’ day today. Another session of Pike with Parent certainly won’t hurt!
After class, we dropped Baron off for grooming. I made beer bread and spinach and artichoke dip (both from Tastefully Simple boxes) for a Mothers & More party this evening. While Shawn finished lunch with Raj, I picked up Baron from grooming. (They got out lots of his shedding fur out of his coat – phew! The fur balls he’s been leaving on the floor were big enough to sprout their own legs!)

I quickly showered and got ready for the Gymboree Pumpkin Patch Party, the first festivity of the evening. Shawn wore the Dalmatian costume that he picked out from the Mothers & More resale. (He’s been reminding us that he didn’t want the lion costume that I showed him that day because he liked the ‘Dalmatian Dog’ better – how does he remember this stuff?!)

At the Pumpkin Patch Party, we saw our friends Andrew (the cow), Alex (the pirate), and a few other faces that we recognized from various classes, but most of the attendees were pretty young in comparison to Shawn. (Probably because the party took place in the late afternoon, so little ones with early bed-times could come to this one.) There were a lot of really cute costumes, including three Tiggers, a Pooh Bear, a dragon, a catepillar, a fire fighter, a lion... the list goes on and on!  Not surprisingly, a few parents (and even a teacher) asked where Abby was and how odd it was to see us without her. We sang songs modified for the Halloween season. Even though the equipment was still set up in the same configuration as the ‘Animals in the Zoo’ theme from last week, they re-named each station to be associated with the holiday and season. We visited an arts and crafts table where Shawn decorated a foam pumpkin and Raj decorated a real one. A little later, we came back to the same room for Halloween cookies and water. On the way out, we said our thank-yous and good-byes to the teachers, who then gave us the rest of the party balloons to take to our next shin-dig!

Then, we headed out to Naperville to the DuPage Children’s Museum for a Mothers & More Fall Family party. We got there an hour early, so we visited a park around the corner to kill the time. It was a little odd having our little Dalmatian running around the playground, but it was a nice day to be outside and his costume kept him warm.

Once the party started, we had the whole place to ourselves. Shawn remembered being at the museum with Oma and with his friend Anna before. (Again, his memory amazes me!) It was fun to show Raj around to the different exhibits, since he’d never been there before. Shawn had no trouble jumping right in to all of the hands-on play-learning. Since it was a private event and we didn’t have to battle the crowds of kids who are normally there, we got to play in the bubbles area and work in the carpentry/handyman room, which we’ve never had a chance to do before. (Raj commented how fun it would be to host Shawn's next birthday there, but was disappointed when I told him that it wouldn't be a totally private event like this was.  We may still look into what a party would entail and if it's even possible, private or not.)  The kids lined up for a costume parade, which zig-zagged around the main floor. (Yet again, we never made it to the other floors, but I heard that there’s not much there and what is there is more directed towards older kids.)

It was a lot of fun. Even without a nap, Shawn did amazingly well. While we were refueling in the snack room, Shawn finally hit the wall. Raj and I joked about him falling asleep before we would get out of the parking lot, but Shawn even beat us to that! He fell asleep before we got out of the museum (~8:00 pm)!

Like last weekend, I wasn’t able to transfer Shawn to bed as smoothly as I had hoped, but since he woke up, I was able to change him from a Dalmatian back into a boy (wearing pajamas). He had a hard time settling down for the night and woke up a few times upset and screaming, but each time, he was later able to tell me, “I’m okay now, Momma.” When he was finally able to fall asleep for the night, it was still just about 9:30 pm.

I’m starting to wonder if we should cut out naps in order to get the early bedtime… 8:00 pm is much more reasonable than 11:00 pm!

Gymnastics + Potty Training + Construction Excitement + Pavlov Response + Full Tummies + Good Books = Good Sleep (for some)

Again, last night Shawn looked up at me after laying in bed for a few minutes and told me that I could go to sleep in my own room. I’m liking this!

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!)

Before I woke up Shawn, I made a new Potty Paper to start today. It’s Spiderman themed. I’ve had Shawn help design the last few sheets, but I thought he’d get a kick out of this surprise. It’ll be in the main floor bathroom waiting for him. Meanwhile, he only has a few more stickers to go on the Potty Paper in his bathroom upstairs, though we don’t use that one as often! (Still haven’t read my library book about potty training…)

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…

My Tike the Pike and a 'Season'al Wedding

Ms. Becca challenged Shawn to new swimming skills today.  While Ms. Brittany was with the other students, she coached us on blowing bubbles in the water and bobbing under water, neither of which Shawn had ever done before.  I’ve tried to get him to blow bubbles before, but he would just end up inhaling the water and choking instead. But, not today!  After practicing how to blow above the water, then on the surface, he managed to blow a few bubbles with his mouth partially under the water!!  Wa-Hoo!!!  Then, Ms. Becca positioned Shawn and me next to each other holding on to the side of the pool.  She had me show him how to go under the water and come back up, a bob.  Then Shawn did it, too!  He didn’t quite get his whole head under water, but she explained that at this level, going under up to their eyes is all that is necessary.  Fantastic!  (It’s amazing what Shawn is willing to do for Ms. Becca!)

With the successful demonstration of blowing bubbles and bobbing, Shawn got a progress report that indicated he is ready for the next level of swimming classes, Pike (withOUT parent) – under one condition, Ms. Becca has to get her director’s approval because Shawn  is not old enough.  Pike is designed for students who are ages 3-5.  After looking at the program descriptions online, I noticed that Shawn’s current level, Pike with Parent, is technically a transition class for 3 year olds who are “new to swim lessons or group participation and still need a parent to accompany them in the water.  The instructor will try to work one-on-one with each child to get them accustomed to the lesson environment.”  If he’s already technically in a level for 3 year olds, I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult to convince the director to let him move up.  The next level, Pike (without parent), is to “learn the basic paddle stroke on their front, back, and sides, kicking skills, and become comfortable with having their face in the water while blowing bubbles and swimming.”  It seems like such a huge difference from basically playing with water toys, singing songs in the pool, and a dabble of other swimming skills tossed in (depending on the teacher)!  At this point, my biggest concern is how Shawn would respond to a new teacher without me in the pool with him.  If he gets to work with Ms. Becca, I think he’d transition pretty smoothly; however, there’s no guarantee who his teacher would be and he just hasn’t responded to some of the teachers he’s already had.  When he didn’t respond to one, it wasn’t a huge deal because he’d just work with me most of the time anyway; but, at the next level of classes, I wouldn’t be in the pool with him to help.  On the other hand, he’s got to learn how to work with all kinds of people eventually, so we may as well start!

If the director won’t approve the next level, I wonder if Ms. Becca could give private lessons… either way, I’ll keep my fingers crossed…

This evening I played the harp for a black-tie-optional wedding at the Four Seasons in Chicago.  The bride is friends with the mother of a Phi Sig with whom I went to college.  (They’ve helped to pass my name around to brides-to-be a number of times.  In fact, the only times I’ve actually seen Jackie since we graduated from U of I have been at various weddings!)  I played the prelude, processional, candle lighting, recessional, cocktail hour, and during dinner at the reception.  Aside from my sore, pink fingertips and aching hands afterwards, it felt really good to ‘gig’ again.  I’ve had a few small jobs, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve had something like this.  (Not that I enjoyed navigating the maddening streets – and pedestrians - of downtown Chicago, though.)

Though I met with the bride and groom a few weeks ago to discuss the music for the ceremony, things didn’t go quite the way we had planned.  First of all, it took a LOT longer to find my way to the loading dock and security office in order to unload and use the freight elevator than I had anticipated.  Once I got to the loading dock, there was no one around to point me in the direction of where the freight elevator was!  (It’s a very unsettling feeling to be roaming the underground labyrinth of a city hotel alone!)  Once I found it, it was fairly easy to find my way to the ceremony room, but still no one was around.  No wedding coordinator or workers...  No members of the wedding party...  No officiate… Again, it was a bit eerie!  Then, I had to go back down to the loading dock to move my car.  I drove around the block (which is more complicated than it should be because of all the one-way streets) to the valets for parking.  (It’s a good thing I didn’t intend to self-park or I may have been late to the wedding!)  I had just enough time to quickly tune and warm up, during which the photographer arrived, but I still hadn’t seen anyone else! In all of my other weddings, there’s someone to touch base with or someone coordinating the event.  The bride told me that there would be someone like that today too, but they must’ve been coordinating other people because I didn’t catch a glimpse until the wedding was about to begin.

Anyway, after all of that rushing around to get there, the wedding coordinator didn’t open the doors to the ceremony room for the guests to come in.  Just a few minutes before the ceremony was to begin, a guest opened the door himself and asked if they could come in.  So, I had a few extra moments to get settled and catch my breath and I was able to save a handful of pieces to play later in the evening, since I didn’t have to play for very long prelude.  The bride requested that I play Gram’s Lullaby by Nancy Gustavson as the final piece of the prelude, as the signal that the attendants should get ready to walk down to the next song, Processional by Linda Wood.  When I got the signal from the wedding coordinator, for lack of a better title,  to begin, I played Gram’s Lullaby… and the officiate, groom, and attendants walked in!  They didn’t walk in at the beginning of the piece either - they walked in ¾ of the way through!  So, there wasn’t enough music to get them all down the aisle and it wasn’t at a point where a repeat would flow nicely, so I jumped to Processional (as the intended piece) just long enough to get the last one up to the altar.  That wasn’t exactly the way we had discussed the procession to go!  Fortunately, the rest of the ceremony went much more smoothly.

At the cocktail hour, I realized I should’ve set up in the opposite corner from where I was because there was barely enough light for me to read my music.  Luckily, the atrium was loud enough that I don’t think people really noticed my musical blindness!  During the reception, the DJ played background music and I was able to take a break while guests were getting seated and toasts were made.  The bride and groom arranged to have dinner available for me, so I ate quickly in another room while I had the chance.

When I was done playing for the evening and I was packing up my things in the atrium outside the reception hall, an old bartender handed me a glass of wine and said that my work was done.  At first I resisted, but I wasn’t exactly in a rush to go back to the loading docks, so I sat and relaxed for a few minutes.  I needed that!  I took my things to the freight elevator and talked to a very friendly security officer about leaving my harp and things in his sight.  Then, I went to the front lobby to retrieve my car from the valet.  I asked if they would deliver it to the loading dock, but because of security purposes, that couldn’t be done.  However, a valet, who had just gotten off duty, helped me find an easier (and much less scary) way to bring the freight elevator to the street level and then helped me load everything in front of the hotel, which I thought was ‘strictly forbidden’ according to the information I had received from the hotel before the wedding, but who was I to complain?!  (Just before put the harp in my van, a taxi pulled up beside me and a whole party of women poured out to come in to the hotel.  As they walked/staggered past the open trunk, they giggled and pointed at the mattress.  I cordially justified that it’s for the harp, which was just inches away, and they half-apologized.)  I thanked the generous valet profusely for all of his help… if only he had been around a few hours earlier when I had first arrived! And then, I headed home.

Shawn was still awake when I got home.  He was very excited to tell me he watched the Disney/Pixar Cars movie and ate popcorn with Daddy.  Even though it was very late, it took quite a while to let go of all the stimulation of his evening and finally fall asleep.  Eventually, I crawled into my own bed and drifted off with Gram’s Lullaby playing in my head.

An Aquatic Break Through

Shawn woke up at 7 am!  Happy as can be.  Give me a few more minutes to sleep in, buddy!  I went into his room and laid down with him, hoping he’d go back to sleep.  Instead, he sat on my hip and announced, “I’m riding a bicycle!” and when I tipped him off to the side, he giggled, “I fell of the bicycle!”  Ok.  I get it.  It’s time to play.  I’m up.

Shawn had a total BREAK THROUGH at swimming class this morning! Miss Becca gave him a floaty belt, which he’s worn once before, but this time she also gave him a floaty that looked like a long bar-bell. He loved it!  He actually reached out for it and smiled.  The combination of his belt around his chest and the bar-bell he was holding onto, I could actually let go of him (though cautiously).  I could pull him by the bar-bell and he’d giggle and smile and ask for more.  I even got him to let go of the bar-bell with one hand and splash a little with the other!  (This isn’t an issue during bath time, but he’s never really moved his arms around much during swimming lessons.)  I still couldn’t get him to kick (even when I’d tickle his feet or move his legs for him), but at least he was having fun.  About half-way through class, Miss Becca traded the bar-bell for a kick board.  It was a lot harder to hold on to, but once Shawn figured it out, he smiled and giggled on it, too.  I towed him around in circles and up and down the pool a few times.  Miss Becca pointed out that maybe he doesn’t understand what to do when we say, “Kick,” since it feels different from kicking a ball when you’re standing on the ground.  So, I’d lay on my back and kick a few splashes behind him.  It worked!  He laughed hard and started to kick!!!!  (With all the splashing, kicking, and whatnot that Shawn did today, his teeth didn’t chatter and his lips did turn as blue nearly as much as they usually do.)  Thank you, Miss Becca!

Next week is our last class, for now anyway.  In addition to getting our report cards (!), it’s “Boat Safety Day.”  Apparently, we’re going to practice putting on life vests and getting in and out of a boat.  Interesting…  I’m not really sure why this is a part of this particular class, but okay.

Now that it actually feels like a swimming lesson and not just play time in the pool (though we still sang songs and played with toys, too), I’m more willing to sign up for the next class.  I asked her about the next session of classes and if she’d be teaching it or if our original teacher would be back.  (If our first teacher is signed up for it, I think we’d pass!  Miss Becca actually looks at the skills individual kids are learning, offers the parents suggestions, and - what a concept - knows the kids’ names!  What a difference a change in the teacher has made.)  It turns out that she will be teaching the next session and there’s only a week or two break between the end of this session and the start of the next one.  I was thinking that we’d just go to the Roselle pool and do our own thing, but now maybe we will get one more session of lessons in before the outdoor pool season starts.

Today was a GORGEOUS day (60 F).  Abby came over to ask Shawn to play outside when he woke up from his nap.  Of course, they pulled out the toy lawn mower/bubble blower.  When Abby and Bill went in for dinner, Raj, Shawn, Baron, and I went for a walk to the park.  Raj showed Shawn how to climb a structure that looks similar to the rungs of a curving ladder.  I think I held my breath each time Shawn went near it.  I’d like to say that it was too difficult for his little toddler legs, shaky balance, and unsure footing, but, to my dismay, he proved he could navigate it with little more than a watchful eye and an encouraging word.  I will admit that it was exciting to watch him conquer the difficult equipment, but it’s still not exactly my favorite part of the playground for him to play on!