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.
Showing posts with label naptime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label naptime. Show all posts
Friday, August 3, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
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!
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.
 |
| Abby's (turn 90` left) |
 |
| Shawn's (turn 90` left) |
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!
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.
Monday, July 30, 2012
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…
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.
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.
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!!
Friday, June 8, 2012
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.
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
Saturday, March 31, 2012
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.)
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.
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!
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!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
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.
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.)
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.
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 |
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 |
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.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
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.
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!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
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!
Monday, October 24, 2011
A Sick Day - Abby's Turn
Abby hasn’t been feeling well the past few days, so this morning, when she still wasn’t feeling well and her fever returned, Bill decided to keep her home. We have nothing on the schedule today, so I let Shawn sleep in and wake on his own. He’s still getting over the tail end of his icky-ness from last week too, so I figured that the extra sleep would be good for him. (As Oma reminded me, “He is his mother’s son, afterall!” We do love our sleep… in the mornings, at least!)
Once he did wake up, Shawn met me at the top of the stairs with a big smile. Nice! I like those kinds of wake-ups! After I helped him change out of his clothes from yesterday that he fell asleep in and into fresh clothes, I asked him what he’d like for breakfast. “Eggs! …and yogurt!” That was easy. We shared a double egg omelet, though I would’ve preferred to add cheese or something to it he politely requested, “Just eggs, please.” Afterwards, Shawn helped me clear the table. Then, while I was emptying the dishwasher, he helped me by sorting and putting away the clean silverware. When he was done, he gave me a hug for being such a good helper! (I'm not sure what I said to get him so excited about sorting silverware, but I hope I can remember it for next time!)
Once he did wake up, Shawn met me at the top of the stairs with a big smile. Nice! I like those kinds of wake-ups! After I helped him change out of his clothes from yesterday that he fell asleep in and into fresh clothes, I asked him what he’d like for breakfast. “Eggs! …and yogurt!” That was easy. We shared a double egg omelet, though I would’ve preferred to add cheese or something to it he politely requested, “Just eggs, please.” Afterwards, Shawn helped me clear the table. Then, while I was emptying the dishwasher, he helped me by sorting and putting away the clean silverware. When he was done, he gave me a hug for being such a good helper! (I'm not sure what I said to get him so excited about sorting silverware, but I hope I can remember it for next time!)
During lunch, Grandma Fanny showed up at our doorstep unexpectedly. In her very broken (yet improving) English, she explained that her passport issues were finally resolved and that she was on her way to O’Hare Airport hoping to try to get on a stand-by flight back home to Hong Kong. Needless to say, she wouldn’t be coming over for our English lessons anymore, as long as she could get on a flight. (This summer, she was planning a trip to meet some friends in Toronto. The night before her flight, her daughter was helping her get ready and realized that they had let her passport expire – by. ONE. day. So, she couldn’t go on her trip. For the past three or four months, her family has been trying to get her passport fixed. The winters here are very hard on her, there’s a big family wedding back in Hong Kong coming up, and her husband, who she hasn’t seen almost a year, is still in Hong Kong. She got her new passport today, and she’s very excited to be able to go home again.) We gave each other a big hug and I wished her a safe trip home. Though I don’t think she understood the words I was saying, I’m sure she understood the idea. She turned around and hurried back to her daughter’s house two doors down from us.
I’ll miss our twice weekly sessions, deciphering her attempts to tell me a story in English, trying to explain certain spelling patterns or grammar rules in as simple and basic language as I can manage, and (mostly) interacting with a student who is so incredibly motivated to learn something that is challenging (ahem - foreign!) to her. I’ve had a lot of fun dabbling into teaching / tutoring again and I feel like I’ve actually been able to use some of the things from my Reading Specialist program, which I haven’t needed a whole lot in the past year. I’m happy that she finally gets to go home again, but I’m sad to see her go.
A few minutes later, our doorbell rang again! Grandma Fanny came back just to give Shawn a pack of his favorite orange flavored yogurt drinks that she picks up for him each time she shops in Chinatown. They’re the perfect size for little hands and little mouths. He loves to guzzle them down and since they’re small servings, I don’t mind too much that they’re really mostly sugar. After I thanked her profusely for being so thoughtful and generous, I was able smuggle the drinks into the refrigerator without Shawn seeing them. They’ll be a nice surprise for dessert or something later. I'll need to ration them out, since we won't be getting any more!
When Shawn started to slow down at lunch time, I asked him if he wanted to finish lunch or if it was time for his nap. The first time I asked him, he said he wanted more lunch. The second time I asked him, he admitted he was ready for a nap. WOAH! I think this is a first! I can’t think of a time he’s ever been ‘ready’ for a nap or bedtime! Put this day on the calendar!
While he napped, I intended to accomplish a list of jobs around the house. Instead, I emailed more with Oma, Skyped with Jennifer and Jonathan, and blogged a bit. Before I knew it, hours had past and I heard Shawn rattling his doorknob, announcing that he was awake. Darn! Well, maybe I’ll get to those things later!
After a bit of play time together, we went to Staples to pick up a few supplies for a gift certificate that I made for Mothers & More. We are contributing to two new mom gift baskets that will be put into a silent raffle. I’ve created a glossy card that opens to reveal a free year membership to our chapter. I also wanted to attach our business card to the inside, but I didn’t want to be permanently affixed. That’s what led me to Staples, in search of temporary, repositionable glue or tape or something. Luckily, I found some! The dispenser looks like white-out tape, but it basically turns paper into Post-It notes! Now, our business card is inside the card and won’t fall out, but can be removed without destroying it or the gift certificate. Perfect!
We also stopped at Costco before meeting Raj at home for dinner. At the end of the day, I didn’t get done nearly as much as I had hoped (especially for having only one child and no scheduled events today), but now that I see it all in writing, I guess it wasn’t a total blow-off of a day!
I got a text from Shelley saying that they took Abby to the doctor, had a throat culture, but everything is clear – even her ears. She just has a cold. That’s great news. Therefore, she’ll be back with us tomorrow! Shawn will be very happy to see her again.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, October 14, 2011
It's Just Not the Same Without Crepes
We started our morning with a Level 5 Play and Learn class at Gymboree. We visited the ‘Animals at the Zoo’ again, but instead of a book at the beginning, we looked at pictures of animals that we might see there. Both Shawn and Abby loved finding hidden bananas that were scattered around the room. (They’ve gotten very good at returning Gymboree toys to their proper baskets, even if it’s not intentionally part of the activity.) They also had fun swinging across the monkey bars, calling out, “Ooo-oo! Ahh-ah!” as they went. Abby likes to hang from one, let go, grab the next with both hands, let go, and repeat until she gets all the way across. Shawn likes to move one hand at a time from one to the other, and needs just a little help to support his weight. They really were little monkeys today!
When class was over, we played around for a few minutes, but when the babies’ class was ready to start, we took a break in my car. I played a CD of Dr. Seuss stories and read a few Thomas the Train stories while we snacked and enjoyed the sunshine. I’m sure there won’t be too many more weeks that we can do this before it gets too cold to hang out in the car!
An hour later, we came back inside for Family Music. We studied country and folk music again. Shawn and Abby helped pick animals for Old MacDonald, duck and horse respectively. They love their maracas and drums! They even got to do Bah-Bah’s into the toy microphone today, which we haven’t had time to do in a long time. They got very excited when their turns came around. It’s amazing to watch these two in music class. They participate and follow directions extremely well. Shawn gave a maraca to a three month old who was in her car seat while her mom and older brother participated in class – he gently placed it in her hand and made sure it didn’t fall out while she tried to grab it. Abby wants to help everyone around get their instruments back to the teacher or basket when it’s time to clean up. They can so incredibly sweet and considerate!
After class, we made our weekly trip to the Schaumburg Farmers’ Market. But, to our dismay, there were no crepes! I’m not sure if the crepe stand closed early due to the wind (up to 40 mph gusts) or if they weren’t there at all, but , oh, the calamity! Hopefully, they’re not done for the season, the market is still open until the end of the month. We made the best of our visit and visited the apple orchard stand for some cider (and a free apple cider donut sample), the olives and hummus man for black bean and chipotle hummus, garlic hummus, and black olives (and free olive samples), a farmer for potatoes (which Abby and Shawn helped me pick, but I must have left the bag somewhere at the market because I didn’t have them when we got home!), and a fruit farmer for apple butter (and free samples of various types of apples and cranberries – pucker!) Without our crepe snack, it didn’t feel like our visit was complete, but as we were going back to the car, the vendors were shutting down.
When it was time for naps, I guess Abby didn’t think it was quite time yet. She didn’t object to going down, but she certainly wasn’t ready for sleeping. She talked and sang to herself from about 1:15 – 2:30! After listening to her for a while, I remembered to grab my SmartPen and I recorded her! I slid the pen under her door and captured her saying things like, “How about… How about…Mr. Sun? No! How about.. let’s sing B-I-N-G-O!” I could pick out a few lines from Old MacDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Bingo… but eventually (around 2:30 of the recording), she settled down and finally went to sleep.
When class was over, we played around for a few minutes, but when the babies’ class was ready to start, we took a break in my car. I played a CD of Dr. Seuss stories and read a few Thomas the Train stories while we snacked and enjoyed the sunshine. I’m sure there won’t be too many more weeks that we can do this before it gets too cold to hang out in the car!
An hour later, we came back inside for Family Music. We studied country and folk music again. Shawn and Abby helped pick animals for Old MacDonald, duck and horse respectively. They love their maracas and drums! They even got to do Bah-Bah’s into the toy microphone today, which we haven’t had time to do in a long time. They got very excited when their turns came around. It’s amazing to watch these two in music class. They participate and follow directions extremely well. Shawn gave a maraca to a three month old who was in her car seat while her mom and older brother participated in class – he gently placed it in her hand and made sure it didn’t fall out while she tried to grab it. Abby wants to help everyone around get their instruments back to the teacher or basket when it’s time to clean up. They can so incredibly sweet and considerate!
After class, we made our weekly trip to the Schaumburg Farmers’ Market. But, to our dismay, there were no crepes! I’m not sure if the crepe stand closed early due to the wind (up to 40 mph gusts) or if they weren’t there at all, but , oh, the calamity! Hopefully, they’re not done for the season, the market is still open until the end of the month. We made the best of our visit and visited the apple orchard stand for some cider (and a free apple cider donut sample), the olives and hummus man for black bean and chipotle hummus, garlic hummus, and black olives (and free olive samples), a farmer for potatoes (which Abby and Shawn helped me pick, but I must have left the bag somewhere at the market because I didn’t have them when we got home!), and a fruit farmer for apple butter (and free samples of various types of apples and cranberries – pucker!) Without our crepe snack, it didn’t feel like our visit was complete, but as we were going back to the car, the vendors were shutting down.
When it was time for naps, I guess Abby didn’t think it was quite time yet. She didn’t object to going down, but she certainly wasn’t ready for sleeping. She talked and sang to herself from about 1:15 – 2:30! After listening to her for a while, I remembered to grab my SmartPen and I recorded her! I slid the pen under her door and captured her saying things like, “How about… How about…Mr. Sun? No! How about.. let’s sing B-I-N-G-O!” I could pick out a few lines from Old MacDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Bingo… but eventually (around 2:30 of the recording), she settled down and finally went to sleep.
Monday, October 10, 2011
And Now... Presenting the Amazing Sleeping and Peeing SHAWN!
After almost 14 hours of sleeping, I finally had to wake Shawn around 9:45 am. I would’ve let him sleep a little longer, but the cleaning ladies were here and I prefer to get out of the house so we’re not in their way. Besides, we had exciting plans today!
Workers began replacing the shingles on the roof of our building today, but won’t actually make it to our end until about Wednesday. With all the old shingles being thrown from above, I’ll be sure not to park in the driveway when they get here!
Their work, even though they were at the other end of our building, made naptime a bit challenging. With all the hammering, nail gunning, yelling, radio blaring, and crashing debris on the ground, it wasn’t exactly a peaceful or relaxing afternoon. I was hesitant to close the windows to block some of the noise because of the absolutely gorgeous weather yet again today. (Partly cloudy, high 76°F / low 54°F) But, I promised myself that if the kids had trouble sleeping, I’d shut the windows right away. Luckily, the commotion outside faded into white noise fairly quickly, because both fell asleep without much dispute.
With personal stories and mind blowing magic, you will see and hear how Rick, as a ten year old boy, used reading to help achieve his goal of becoming a magician. During his show, you can actually hear your children "ooh" and "ahh" when beautiful live doves make their magical appearance, a table seems to float, and yes, one of the kids from the audience will levitate in mid-air!
And, it was right on. I tried to watch and predict how some of his tricks were done, but he was a pretty good master of illusion, because I couldn’t tell how he got the white doves to appear from behind scarves, a rabbit from a box that looked empty, or a second grader to float! He did a decent job touching on the importance of imagination, reading, science, and education in general and how they are integral to his magic; but, I think the kids just wanted to see more tricks!Workers began replacing the shingles on the roof of our building today, but won’t actually make it to our end until about Wednesday. With all the old shingles being thrown from above, I’ll be sure not to park in the driveway when they get here!
Their work, even though they were at the other end of our building, made naptime a bit challenging. With all the hammering, nail gunning, yelling, radio blaring, and crashing debris on the ground, it wasn’t exactly a peaceful or relaxing afternoon. I was hesitant to close the windows to block some of the noise because of the absolutely gorgeous weather yet again today. (Partly cloudy, high 76°F / low 54°F) But, I promised myself that if the kids had trouble sleeping, I’d shut the windows right away. Luckily, the commotion outside faded into white noise fairly quickly, because both fell asleep without much dispute.
Abby woke just in time for Shelley to come home early. They were going to a doctor’s appointment for Abby and needed to leave a few minutes early to get there on time. Shawn woke just in time to say goodbye to them.
A little while later, Grandma Fanny came over for her English lesson. I introduced the short u sound today. She loves the sets of picture cards I’ve given her for each short vowel sound. I can tell that she practices with them all the time. I told her that I have an activity for Thursday that will review all the vowel sounds. She was a little anxious to hear that, but I think she’s ready to apply the sounds to more than just the set of pictures she’s been working with.
After our lesson, Shawn declared that we needed to go to the store for milk and salad. He was right about the milk, but I’m not sure where the need for salad came from! He said that he wanted to get it for Dadda! I agreed to the trip, but tried to explain that we had enough salad already and Dadda wouldn’t be home to eat it for dinner tonight anyway. (Raj worked late and then met up with Shrenik to watch the Bears’ game.)
When we got back home after our grocery run, I asked Shawn what he wanted for dinner. He replied, “Milk.” Good thing we just bought some! “What else would you like to eat?” “Carrots.” “Anything else?” “Potatoes.” Alrighty! You said it! So, we had seasoned potatoes, some carrots, and some leftovers. Shawn did a great job eating and then decided he didn’t need any dessert. I was happy to get in so many vegetables after such a rich dinner last night!
After dinner, Shawn earned his final sticker on his Spiderman Potty Paper. (He almost had a meltdown when there was one more sticker to go because he reeeeeally wanted a ‘toy surprise’ NOW! But, we managed to hold off for another 30 minutes until it was time to try again and he earned his last sticker. It was worth the wait.
He pulled a heavy tow truck from the Big Black Bag of Toy Surprises. We even figured out how to hook it up with the ice cream truck, and (as long as we were extremely gentle) we could actually tow it around the floor. Shawn seemed pretty happy with his new truck. He was sure to show Raj and tell him all about it when he got home.
When Raj came home, he said he finally made an appointment to see a doctor about his sinus issues (that he’s been having for months). Apparently, Raj has a sinus infection, which explains why none of the over-the-counter pills and sprays that he’s been using religiously have helped at all. So, over the course of the treatment of the new meds (10 days), he should notice an improvement. (Keeping my fingers crossed!)
My cousin, Andrea, made a post on FaceBook that I had to share:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)