I'm a Big Boy - NOW!

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

all

day. 

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

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

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

[whimper]

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!

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!

P is for Pumpkin, Potty, and Pfffffft!

I woke Shawn in time to catch the garbage truck come around our circle, which also meant he was awake to greet Abby and Bill when they arrived.  Suddenly, he wasn’t so bleary-eyed anymore!  It’s play time!


Bill explained that Abby’s doctor didn’t think she was ready for potty training yet, so they were going back to diapers.  Bummer, but okay!

Abby and Shawn played in the living room with some trucks and books until breakfast was ready.  Then, played some more until it was time to go to art class.

Art class focused on pumpkins today. Too bad Shawn didn’t focus on pumpkins today! He was all over the place and not very interested in participating in the projects.  

Abby's

Shawn's Mine

I will admit that Shawn helped stuff the paper bag with newspapers in the beginning, but when it came time to paint, his contribution was done.  Every once in a while, I got him to hold the paintbrush, sometimes with me sometimes independently, and made a couple of dabbles, but he just wasn’t into it.  Meanwhile, Abby realized that scrunching the giant sheet of newspapers was a bit too tricky for her fingers, so she figured out how to loosely roll up the paper, then fold it into (about) thirds in order to get it all to fit inside the paper bag!  Great problem solving!  She had a great time painting her bag and was very aware of any brown bag showing through.  (Ms. LouAnn even commented on her attention to detail!) 

While the kids ate Winnie the Pooh cookies, Ms. LouAnn read Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington.  It was a simple story illustrating the growth of a pumpkin, starting from a seed.

Shawn was a little more interested in the second project. They painted an apple orange and stuck stickers on it to make a jack-o-lantern face.  Shawn figured out that rolling the apple in the paint was a much faster way to cover it, but we managed to use the brush to spread the paint around.  He loved putting the stickers on, too.  (Meanwhile, I thought it was a weird project to do at all!)

For the last activity, Ms. LouAnn uncovered the tub/table and the kids found balls and foam blocks.  She set up a game of 'Pumpkin Bolwing,' since most of the balls were orange and the blocks could stand up like pins.  It was a good practice in taking turns and waiting patiently.

I had a chance to chat with Shelley while kids napped.  Since Abby’s enjoying wearing underwear and using her potty seat, Shelley decided to continue potty training as we have been.  (Phew!)  There have been other instances that she hasn’t been happy about with their current pediatrician, and this sealed the deal.   Now, she’s on the market for a new doctor.  Shelley said she had someone lined up to get a second opinion and I shared Dr. Lin’s business card, just in case they want to shop around.

I’m so glad I closed the windows in the kids’ rooms before naptime.  The house stinks of exhaust from the roofers’ machinery and generators.  It’s a shame to shut out the beautiful day, but there’s certainly no fresh air circulating around here today!

Abby woke around 3:30 pm and was not happy with all the noise over our heads.  She was all smiles by the time Bill came to get her though.  Perhaps being back in underwear for the first time all day had something to do with it…?

When Raj got home, he and Shawn went out to Open Gym at Gymboree.  When they came home, Shawn had a goose-egg / strawberry on his forehead.  He was excited to tell me about the Elmo ice-pack he got to use though, so the bump must not bother him too much!

After bath time, we were each doing our own thing in different rooms.  Suddenly, I heard a sound that I haven’t heard in 20-something years, yet I knew immediately what Shawn was doing.  We keep a cassette (yes, cassette) of German/English songs in the tape player of the mini-stereo in his room.  I heard the familiar, though distant, swooshing sound of the tape being pulled from the inside of the cassette.  Argh…  Using the eraser tip of a pencil, I managed to re-wind it all back inside, but as I was spinning the pencil around and around, I kept reminding myself, “This is why no one uses cassettes anymore!”  Though I got it all back in place, Shawn had it pretty crumpled in spots, so it may be history… like the rest of the world’s cassettes!  (It would be a shame not to have those songs anymore…

...oh, well...

...it is a cassette!)

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!  The Magic and Illusion of Rick Allen was being presented at the Elk Grove Library.  I found out about it through the with Northwest Suburban Families group, though I didn’t actually see (or recognize) anyone there.  The description about the show was:

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:

EIGHT DAYS of 100% sun—glorious start to the best month of the year! ;) Oct oct oct...

Love it.

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…

Good Night to the Autumn Leaves That Fall from the Trees

We had a great start to the day!

At Gymboree, Ms. LouAnn started art class by giving the kids orange paint for free painting.  After a few minutes, she added a squirt of blue to their pallets.  Almost as soon as the first drop of blue landed on Shawn’s paper-plate pallet, he announced, “Chicago Bears!”  Ms. LouAnn was beside herself (especially since they were off-shades of blue and orange, but he still made the connection).  Dadda will be so proud!

The rest of the class time focused on a fall theme. The kids colored the outer rings of paper plates with red, yellow, orange, and green creamy crayons. Then they glued on various shapes, sizes, and colors of leaves that Ms. LouAnn had collected.

During the break, she read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert while the students had Winnie the Pook cookies and water.  For the final project, they glued a brown rectangle to a large piece of paper.  Then, Ms. LouAnn passed out sea sponges and we practiced dabbing them on the paper before she gave anyone paint.  One color at a time, the kids received red, orange, and then yellow paint to sponge onto their trees.  Finally, Ms. LouAnn showed them how to tear apart leftover leaves into little pieces and stick them onto their painted trees.  (I thought they looked great without the added leaves, but that’s okay.)

For the last activity, Ms. LouAnn revealed a tub full of balls and shapes that they pretended were leaves.  The kids had fun throwing and retrieving the ‘leaves’ from the tub over and over again.

Throughout the day, at random moments (like riding in the car), Abby would break into song.  Not just any song though, she’d sing, “No more pee-pee in my underwear!” (A little ditty that I made up in an effort to encourage… well, I guess it’s pretty obvious…

This evening I had a doctor’s appointment to follow up from my visit on August 24.  The lump in my left breast is still there, but I feel like it has changed a little – softer maybe?  They did a pregnancy test, since hormones can do all kinds of crazy things - negative.  They sent me to get blood work to see if my thyroid is to blame.  I also have to set up an appointment for a mammogram and an ultrasound to make sure what we think is a ‘collapsed cyst’ really is just that.  I’m not looking forward to my first mammogram, but I am looking forward to finding out the results!

Meanwhile, Raj and Shawn opted to play outside in the gorgeous weather rather than go to Open Gym at Gymboree.  Abby joined them with her mom and grandfather for fun time with chalk and ‘baseball.’  A great evening to be outside!

When it was time to tuck Shawn into bed, I had him read Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown to me.  It was interesting to listen to his rendition.  (I’ll definitely have to record him ‘reading’ sometime.)  Afterwards, I read it to him and he helped me fill in missing words.  When he noticed that the “old lady who whispered, ‘Hush’” was no longer in the room with the little rabbit, he asked where she went.  I explained that she went to sleep in her own room.  A little while later, we pulled up his covers, gave each other goodnight kisses, said our, “I love you – always and forever!” lines.  With the lights turned off, I sat on the ottoman next to his bed while he settled in for the night.  About five minutes later, he looked up at me and revealed, “You can go to sleep in your bed now, Momma.  It’s okay.”  Really??  Seriously??  And before he had a chance to change his mind, I kissed him one more time and left.  Good night to the little boy who grows up so fast!

Tag der Deutschen Einheit

An email to Oma, Opa, and Jennifer:

Haben Sie eine wunderbare Tag der Deutschen Einheit!
Liebe,
~ Shannon

Have a wonderful Day of German Unity!

Love,

Shannon

I've got a great excuse to have German food tonight!  I’m trying a new slow-cooker recipe and  for dessert I have brown bag apple pie, ahem, Apfelkuchen, from the Long Grove Apple Festival we went to yesterday.  Can't wait!

Slow Cooker Smoked Pork and Sauerkraut Dinner

Ingredients:

• Use 1 1/2 lb. peameal bacon roast or a smoked pork loin roast.
• Use 4 potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold because they are firmer and don't fall apart as easily.
• Use one 28 oz. can Sauerkraut, drained.
• Liquid - 1 cup of either apple juice, orange juice, or water.

Instructions:

• Put Peameal Bacon Roast and Sauerkraut in slow cooker (crock pot).
• Add peeled potato quarters to the slow cooker, making sure the potatoes are pushed well to the bottom. Potatoes need to be in liquid to cook properly. Even though there is not enough liquid in the cooker to start, there will be once it cooks for a few hours.
• Pour in about 1 cup of apple juice, orange juice, or water.
• Cook, covered on low to medium, for about 6 hours. Check your slow cooker instructions for approx. times.
• Remove potatoes, meat, and sauerkraut. Keep warm.
• Put cooking liquid into saucepan, bring to boil, and thicken with 1 - 2 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in some cold water. Use as sauce for the meal.

Serves 4.


Abby came over shortly after 7:30 am this morning, while Shawn slept in until a little after 10:00 am!  That gave Abby plenty of uninterrupted time to play with a box of books and Shawn’s new magnetic Thomas the Train book all to herself.

Gymboree’s free Bonus Class schedule changed this month, so we were left without a class today.  I had plans to take the kids to a much needed excursion to Costco, but instead, we spent the day playing at home.  Ahhh… the simple pleasures of a pile of boxes.  (I keep meaning to put these out to recycle, but I just don’t have the heart to take them away!  Maybe tonight will be the night.)  Here, they show off their favorite game – riding a Choo Choo Train!

Sometimes staying home is just as much fun, if not more, than running out to planned activities.

After a stretch of great days, potty training seems to have taken a setback today.  I feel like both Abby and Shawn are peeing every 10 minutes or so – whether they’re on the toilet or not!  Lots of clean ups today.  (sigh)  On the other hand, Abby got enough stickers on her Potty Paper to finish her sheet and take it home!

Luckily, I got a break when both went down for naps easily.  Abby woke up minutes before Bill arrived and Shawn woke as she was leaving.  It was an early wake up for Shawn, but he also went to sleep faster than he has lately.  I was a little nervous that Shawn’s sleeping in this morning was going to mess up the rest of the day, but (phew!) not the case.  He must have just needed a few more hours of shut-eye.

Grandma Fanny came over for her English lesson.  We reviewed short a and short e sounds and introduced the short i sound.  I've given her small picture cards of words that contain those short vowel sounds rather than written words and she LOVED sorting them. It helped build her vocabulary, her spelling (I had her write the words on the back), and it gave her something to practice at home between our sessions.  She has a hard time differentiating them and an even harder time getter her mouth to cooperate when trying to enunciate, but she’s such a hard worker and incredibly motivated.  What a difference it is to work with her and struggling middle schoolers!

After emailing with Jennifer, Oma, and Opa, I added soft pretzels to the German meal.  I cheated and bought some frozen from the grocery store.  Not the best, but they fit the bill. Shawn loved his!  After all the food from dinner, we didn’t have any room for the Apfelkuchen for dessert!  It’ll have to wait for another day.

Long Grove Apple Festival

Happy 142^nd Birthday to Mahatma Gandhi

Shawn and I slept in while Raj went off to tailgate for the Bears’ game.  Though I was half-awake long before, I really woke to the sounds of Shawn playing in the corner I set up for him in the computer room.  (There’s a small table, crayons, and drawers with paper, coloring books, etc.)  It’s rare for him to get out of bed on his own, not to mention wander into another room without calling for attention.  I took advantage of his independence and listened to his quiet playtime from a distance.  Eventually, he ran into greet me and we snuggled and played under the covers until the lure of eating breakfast was too strong.

This morning Shawn proclaimed, “Momma, I was a baby.  I’m bigger and bigger.  I’m a boy.  And, I’m starting to get a man.”  You are absolutely correct, just not too fast, pleeeeeease!

I had planned to spend the day at the Apple Festival in Long Grove.  But, it took a lot longer than I expected to convert the van from a harp-hauler to a child-hauler.  The fact that our neighbor’s daughter, Yazi, came over didn’t exactly speed things up.  She and Shawn decided to pull toys out of the garage, which would have been a great way to occupy Shawn while I got the van setup, but it didn’t work out that way.  I ended up chatting with her mom for a while… we investigated a praying mantis on their back window… Yazi and Shawn ended up playing in the van (though I did get her to 'play' with the hand-vacuum and suck up Shawn and Abby's stray snacks!)… and by the time I had everything ready to go, I looked up to see Raj home from the Bears’ game and we hadn’t left the house yet!  So much for spending the whole day at the festival!

Luckily, I convinced Raj to go to Long Grove with us.  We only got to spend about two hours there, but it was worth it.  Shawn got to ride a pony and a tot-sized train.  We bought a mini-caramel apple pie, full-size apple pie, a caramel apple dipped in cinnamon sugar and white chocolate, and chocolate mummy on a stick (which we ate right away - YUM)!

I took pictures of Shawn playing while we were there, but ironically...

 

...where are the apples?? (I swear it really was an APPLE fest!)

We stopped at Barnaby’s Family Inn for dinner on the way home, since the food vendors at the fest were shutting down.  It wasn’t at all what we expected, though it was certainly family friendly.  I wasn’t impressed with the food at all, but it was priced about right.  There were patrons of all ages and the parking lot was full.  (Shawn was mesmerized by a table of squealing tweens next to us.)  It was a popular place to come, but I don’t think we’ll be revisiting any time soon!

Just before bedtime, Shawn told Raj, “I have to go pee-pee!” and pulled down his pants.  Raj was busy brushing his teeth, so after he quickly escorted him into the bathroom, I helped him get onto the toilet.  And, he peed!!!  He hadn’t announced it after-the-fact, like he has in the past, he announced it BEFORE he went and was able to get to the toilet in time to actually go!  YIPPEEE!!

A Triangle, Momma!

We all got to sleep in until 8:00 am today.  That was nice.  (Ahh, gone are the days when 8:00 was still getting up early!)  Shawn (and I) slept much better last night.  My cold/allergies are still giving me a hard time, but at least Shawn let me sleep for more than an hour stretch at a time!

While he was playing, he decided to put his potty seat on toilet, pull up the stool, and sit down – all by himself!  I wasn’t even in the bathroom with him!  His diaper was on and pants were still up, but I was very impressed!

It’s official – Shawn knows his shapes.  Raj was at an orthodontics class, so Shawn and I had dinner on our own at the kitchen table.  All of a sudden, Shawn started pointing at the back door exclaiming, “Triangle, Momma!  Triangle!”  I tried to correct him and explain that the back door was actually a rectangle, but he wouldn’t have it, “No, Momma!  Triangle, Momma!  Triangle!”  still insistently pointing at the back door.  I saw the reflection of our light fixture in the glass of the back door, “This?  This is a circle, Shawn, not a triangle.”  Getting very impatient with my apparent lack of knowledge about shapes, “NO! NO, Momma!  NO!  There’s a triangle, Momma!” 

Sure enough. 

I finally saw it. 

There clinging to the screen door was a moth, whose wings were in the shape of… a triangle.  When I finally pointed to it and asked if that was what he had seen, Shawn had an enormous, satisfied grin from ear to ear, “See, Momma?  See it?  A triangle!” 

We watched the moth dance in the light on the sliding glass door until it found another light to visit.  But, even after it was gone, Shawn continued to look for the triangle on the window, which he now knows is called "a moth."