Category Archives: People

Loving My Baby

I was very impatient with Paul this morning. He had energy to do everything. Since he hadn’t taken a nap yesterday, I was afraid today would be another never-ending day. I was exhausted already.

“Go! Go!” he shouted, excitedly, as we went from one activity and errand to the next.

I felt snappy. I felt impatient. I was a mean mommy, I’m afraid.

Then, blissfully, after lunch Paul took at three-hour nap, longer than normal. He awoke just as energetic, but I was different.

From the moment I got him up out of his crib, I felt I was holding a precious bundle of warm blessings. He was cuddly, and for a few moments, we rocked together in the rocking chair. He was my baby, not so little any more but just as soft and innocent as a newborn.

As he ran out of my arms and toward his toys, I felt I was letting go of my precious little baby. He’s a toddler, and becoming more of a little-boy every single day. Of course he’s energetic: everything he does is new. It is exciting. It is special. And I’m so glad that cuddling with Mommy post-nap was one of those special things.

As I came in here to type down some thoughts and to try – just try – to capture the precious mother moment when I held my no-longer-a-baby little boy in my arms, I heard him calling “Mamma! Mamma!” I returned to his side, and he proudly showed me how he made his blanket into a train track for his engine. Yes, he loves me. He wants to share his little discoveries with me.

I treasure the precious mother moments that Heavenly Father gives me, those moments when God reminds me that Paul is a son of a Heavenly King. These are the moments when I feel so blessed that his precious spirit was sent to me and my husband. Our family. Our eternal family.

Paul’s not going to a baby forever. Oh, how I don’t want him to grow away from me!

Guest Post: What the Naperville Municipal Band Means to Me by My Mother

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With the approach of Memorial Day this spring, my daughter told her young children about the parade that always marks the beginning of summer. She bought some small American flags for them to wave and a bottle of bubbles to blow as bands marched by. And then she got online to find the parade route in the town where her family had recently bought their first home. After a fruitless search and then a phone call, the truth was undeniable.

There was no Memorial Day Parade–not in that town or in any town for miles around.

And then she understood the strange silence emanating from the elementary school nearby. There were no school children marching down the street blowing their horns, because there was no parade to practice for. How would her children ever decide what instruments to play if they could not sit on the front lawn and watch the mini-parade that was always a part of May afternoons in our Naperville neighborhood?

That was when we realized that the Naperville Municipal Band is not just about band concerts. Our band is the catalyst for much of what we love best about Naperville. It creates parades and parks; picnics and practices; competitions and community. If we were forced to re-live our lives in Naperville without its band, what horrors might we encounter? No Memorial Day Parade, no weekly concert, no band shell, no Central Park. Perhaps a tall condo where we now sit in the grass? Maybe schools without their prize-winning music programs? Sidewalks without people converging towards the center of town? And how many homes without their private ensembles?

The Naperville Municipal Band means that we don’t have to leave Naperville to show the best that the Midwest has to offer to guests from out of the area. The spirit of Central Park, where we nod and greet friends and strangers alike, spreads throughout our city. We have the finest of friendship, festivities, and culture right here.

For my family, the band continues to bless four generations. My mother comes to visit us in the middle of each summer so that she can attend the Fourth of July concert and see the veterans standing and remember when my father was among them. The band inspires family members to dust off their neglected instruments in case maybe –just maybe — the band needs them someday. It means that my son’s family has returned to live in the neighborhood where he grew up, and my grandchildren now walk to concerts with me and talk about what instruments they will play. And it means that next year, I think my daughter will bring her family to visit — probably Memorial Day weekend.

Ellen Sorenson (Naperville resident since 1975)

Mom’s Moment in the Spotlight

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My mom is a winner!

I mean, I already knew that, but now she’s been recognized as such. She wrote an essay about what the Naperville Municipal Band means to Naperville. As the winner of the essay contest, she earned the opportunity to direct the band at the last concert of the season! Here are the video of the event.

An introduction to my mom, and the story of the baton.

Kay from the band reads Mom’s winning essay, and Mom walks onstage. (I apologize for the unsteadiness; Paul was trying to run away, onto the stage.)

And then Mom directs the band in the Washington Post March. (Paul keeps saying “Grandma! Grandma!” through a lot of it.)

Congratulations, Mom! I’m so proud and happy for you.

Following a Good Example

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Grandma won an essay contest and so had the chance to conduct the Naperville Municipal Band in the last concert of the season!

Paul wanted to be like his grandma. Here he is helping direct the band. He’s standing next to grandma, who’s practicing for her big band debut.

(I forgot I can’t rotate videos, so you’ll have to turn your head.)

Random Picture of a Happy Boy

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If that picture (just a random snapshot) doesn’t capture the essence of this little boy, I don’t know what will.

Paul loves to say “Happy.” I know it’s going to be a good morning when I go in to get him and he says “Happy! Happy!” He also learned the sign for “awake” via Signing Time and he likes to say that too in the morning or just after a nap. As if his happy noises weren’t enough of a clue.

He also has taken to saying “Yes” whenever I ask a question. It’s always a very deliberate answer, and now the “s” is very distinct.

“Do you want to wear shorts today?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want raisins in your oatmeal?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to wash your hands?”

“Yes.”

I’m glad it’s the positive word instead of the negative word. I’m not looking forward to that day…

Daddy has begun traveling again, after working from home for almost two months. Monday Paul spent a lot of time looking for Daddy: in his office, in the bedroom, in the closets. By today, he’s figured out that Daddy went to work by taking an airplane. When he mentions Daddy, I say he’s at work, and Paul acts like an airplane. It’s so sad to see how much he misses Daddy! But we’re glad Daddy will be home Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Paul likes airplanes. Probably not as much as he still loves trains, but airplanes we see outside everyday. We also pass the train station on our way to church every week, which always gets him happy as well.

Paul sits on the toilet about five times a day. It is a new fun game that I don’t mind encouraging. Sometimes he’s successful. Success always startles him.

Anyway, I have been horrible about pictures this month. My sister and her kids came this week and I didn’t even take a single picture. Here’s my official commitment to be better in August!

P.S. I am debating cutting off the curls in August….Stay tuned!

Why I Stay Home

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It lasted about 20 seconds.

It had been a typical Monday. He was whiny from his sleep-deprived weekend. He was frustrated, bursting in to tears over the smallest things. But now, newly awakened from a refreshing nap, he was running in the back yard, chasing a ball, swinging, and otherwise being happy.

It was a beautiful afternoon, with the puffy cumulus clouds dotting the uncharacteristically blue sky. A light breeze kept the temperature around 70 degrees, which was perfect for an afternoon in the yard.

Paul looked and pointed at the sky, maybe seeing another airplane or a bird. I told him about cloud shapes, and called him over to look with me. I lay down in the grass, and he toddled over and lay down beside me, his one-year-old head resting against my arm and shoulder. As I pointed up at the sky, he giggled and burbled along, pointing towards the clouds.

And that is why I stay home with him every day: to lie down in the grass and look at the clouds with him for 20 seconds every now and then. It’s all worth it.

Let’s Talk About Poop

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I really don’t want to talk about poop. This is my blog, supposed to be about my life. My non-kid life. Poop should go to Paul’s Page. That’s the page about the kid’s life.

But as I consider possible blog entries I could write, blog posts that might have some relevance to my current, everyday life, this is the post that keeps coming to mind.

What does that tell you about my life?

It started with Signing Time. Volume 2 has a sequence dedicated to “Potty.” (Can I tell you how much I hate that word? If I hear the segment, I reinforce that the word is “toilet.”) So Paul now has the sign as a part of his every day vocabulary. Maybe I should say “every hour” vocabulary.

Then a few months ago, I saw a “potty training flyer” at the doctor’s office when I was last there. It suggests saying things like “The pee/poop needs to come out!” at appropriate times. So I have been. Like those times when his face turns all red and he gets that look of concentration? Good time to mention it.

Paul loves the toilet. He gets very excited if someone says “I need to go to the bathroom” and he likes to follow the person in, hand over some toilet paper, and help get the hand towel for drying the hands after washing. The entire time, he blabs about something that he thinks is important.

I think he’s telling the person to make sure and get the pee out.

At 21 months, I really didn’t think Paul would comprehend the machinations of his body. I figured I had another year (at least) of such talk before it sank in.

For the last few days, he’s been saying “toilet” and we go and sit. But he doesn’t even wait. He just grabs the toilet paper and flushes the toilet. So I figured it was just a game for him: take off diaper, sit down, wipe, flush, put on diaper.

Today he came running to me, signing “toilet” as usual, with the same non-success/quick sit. Then about ten minutes later, he came running in even more eagerly, again signing “toilet.” I realized that he had come because the poop was coming out. It was kind of exciting to realize that he really did notice the happenings of his body. This is a very good sign! Maybe he’s always running in because something is coming out: he just hasn’t figured out the “it’s about to happen” moment yet.

And yet, this means I’m entering a new phase of poop. No longer will it be contained in a tidy little diaper. Don’t get me wrong; I’m very excited. I’m going to go get a kid-sized toilet seat and a box of Pull-Ups.

But then again, is this just a teasing stage? Is he going to regress very soon again? I’m suspecting that this is a “this is new” phenomenon and he’s going to be very tired of it in a week. Maybe starting now will just prolong the cost and bother.

What do the other mothers think? Is 21 months way too young to even consider beginning this process?

A Busy Holiday Weekend + Thoughts on America

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We had a busy holiday weekend, although it was very nice.

I was going to write thoughtful post about what it means to me to have freedom and to be in this country, but it didn’t happen with all that was going on. So here are my more abbreviated thoughts.

This was the first forth of July that we’ve been in the USA in three years. I didn’t think I missed it, but in some respects I did. Not for the fireworks — I don’t care about those — but because it’s nice to reflect on past years: where I was, what I doing, and who I was with.

This year, I also spent some time reading an annotated version of the U.S. Constitution, which really got me in to a patriotic mood. I felt so strongly as I read that this constitution was inspired: not because it creates the only “perfect” or “free” country, but simply because it is so appropriate. The constitution and the government grows and changes with the years. It provides opportunity in the future, not just today. It’s a miraculous document.

On Thursday, we drove down to Naperville early in the afternoon and spent the afternoon with family, visiting with my parents and my grandma. Then we went to the band shell for a very patriotic concert. There was a lot of talking, but they finally got to the 1812 overture, with cannons and all. Paul was very tired by the time the cannons came and they scared him a bit, but he still had fun.

On Friday, we got a very late start. We hadn’t gotten home until midnight the night before, so we were exhausted. But Ryan had the day off from work; he spent the day mowing the lawn and then barbecuing a rack of ribs. Huge. I cleaned the house and got ready for our first holiday barbecue. Some friends from the ward came over and we had a busy afternoon and evening with them and their five children.

Saturday morning, we met Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Frank and Elizabeth’s family at the Illinois Railway Museum for a day of looking at the trains. This is a place for serious train buffs. But Paul loved it and so did Grandma, since she recognized trains from her childhood days in downtown Chicago. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we didn’t stay long, and especially not for the parade of trains. (I suspect that was a bit too much for us anyway.) The museum is nice and close and Ryan looks forward to returning on a day when there isn’t a train parade and it’s not raining so he can get pictures of more trains. Paul loves trains, so I imagine he’d love to return to see them again. I haven’t actually gone through my pictures yet, so I may have something to show from that at a later time.

Then Mom and Dad and Grandma came to our home. We reheated the barbecue and ate and ate again. Then we played cards for a while. When Frank and Elizabeth got there, we had another round of barbecue. The rain had stopped so we ate outside, at least until the mosquitoes got us. The kids played and we visited until we couldn’t keep our eyes open anymore!

In all, it was a long, busy weekend! Sunday we took it easy, thank goodness. It was fun, but maybe three big events in one weekend is a bit much.

As I said, I haven’t gone through all the pictures, but here’s one winner: Paul with his great-grandmother.

Hot Sunshine

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It is hot!

We haven’t had a summer at all since December 2007 until February 2008. That was hot, but it was dry, Melbourne heat. Our swamp cooler died for a few days and we were sorry in the 35+ Celsius days.

This Chicago weather is a completely different story: sweltering humidity in the low 90s in June! I’m not looking forward to this August. I don’t like being out in the sun at all, especially since I’ve already developed skin conditions. (Let’s just say I really don’t want skin cancer before I’m 40!) So, I’m all about the A/C, inside, all summer.

Paul, of course, being a toddler, seems oblivious to the miserable weather and loves to run around, play at the park, go for walks, and otherwise be hot in the sunshine. He’s learned that he must wear his hat; if he takes it off, we go inside. And he’s pretty good about sun block. He helps me put it on my nose. (I don’t think he realizes it looks just as silly on his nose!)

But we’re surviving. Last Saturday was another wonderful day, albeit a hot one. By the evening, we were ready for something different, so we made some egg salad sandwiches and a salad, packed it all in a picnic basket, and drove the local state park for a picnic. Paul loved running around in the large, open, muddy space, and we were glad to do something a little bit different. By 7 p.m., it was actually rather pleasant!

Next time, though, we should remember the mosquito repellent. Ouch!

Trains and Other June Pictures

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We went to a local park that had a plastic train to play on. Paul is going through a very serious train phase, and so this was quite an exciting thing.

We also went to the petting zoo with his little friend Andy. Paul was seriously scared of the sheep: they “baaaa”ed very loudly, and as we weren’t cool people who paid for animal feed, they were not happy with us. Paul only had interest in the animals for a very short time, but we live very close to the petting zoo, so we will return many times this summer, I’m sure!