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

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

Abby's
(turn 90` left)

Shawn's
(turn 90` left)

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


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

 

 

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

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


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

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

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


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

Oh, man.

This is going to be hard.

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

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

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


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

I’m pregnant!!

 

I can’t concentrate on anything else!

Ok, I'll try.

 

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

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

Eeek! I’m pregnant!!

Victory and +

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

 

 

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

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

 

 

PREGNANT

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

Congratulations to us!

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHAWN!

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


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


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

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


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

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

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

Posted on FaceBook:

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

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

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

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

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

Melissa Bujak Dresen Happy Birthday little guy

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

Deborah Johnson Clemons Happy Birthday Shawn!!

Sara Bellini Pandolfi happy birthday!

Liz Ri Many sweet Happy Birthday wishes!

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

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

Bm Bär Happy Birthday, Shawn! Greetings from Germany!

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

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

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

Cantigny Park with Opa

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

English muffin, cherries, &
scrambled eggs dyed blue

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

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

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


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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

- Wikipedia

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

I'm a Big Boy - NOW!

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

all

day. 

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

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

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

[whimper]

Shawn’s Mundan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Mundan, son.

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

दैव-दैत्यों पुत्र प्रसन्न

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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