Swim, Little Fish

Here is Zahra, walking up the ramp, on her way to swimming lessons. She loves going up and down this ramp, even though there is a normal walkway right next to this. If she looks a little upset here, it's because she didn't want me to take her picture before she got in the pool. When she saw me taking this picture (I was trying to take it without her noticing, but she turned around), she said, "Mom! I'm not in the pool yet!"


For the past two weeks, Zahra has been going to swimming lessons at Golden West College (where I work at the bookstore and go to school). She's in the preschool group (ages 3, 4, and 5), which, when taken through the City, is called Tiny Tots. She's been taking swimming lessons every summer since she was 3. This is the first time she's been to the pool at Golden West. Usually we go through the City of Huntington Beach and have been to the pools at two high schools (Edison and Marina) and last summer went to the indoor pool at the City Gym. The pool at Golden West was recently remodeled and just re-opened this year. We're doing two sessions of swimming lessons, this first two week session at Golden West and then the next two weeks we'll go through the City again and go to the indoor pool there.

Here's Zahra in front of the "big" pool, before any of the kids got in. I guess her class at 9:30 is the first one of the day.

Today was "Safety Day" so the kids got to wear life jackets -- this one is almost as big as she is! The instructors had the kids go in the "deep" end (4 or 5 feet) of the little shallow pool and float around and try to kick and swim with the jackets on. In years past, Zahra has been uncooperative at times and has refused to participate in whatever the instructor is trying to have the kids do (e.g. kicking, floating, blowing bubbles in the water, anything). This year, it seems Zahra has been much more interested in following directions. She seems to really enjoy her time in the pool and look forward to each morning so that we can go to the lessons.

Her expression says it all here, but the dialogue that took place here is as follows -- Me: "What's wrong, Zahra? What's that look for?" Her: "I look funny in this thing." I had to admit to her that she did look a little silly, but still cute as ever.

Zahra lined up on the edge of the pool with the other kids. And no, that kind in the blue shirt is not falling in. Just outside the frame is an instructor who is helping him. I promise.

Zahra with her swim teacher, who seems to get a real kick out of Zahra's little personality. She always has to pull Zahra out of the pool at the end of each lesson. Part of that is due to the fact that the pool is warm and Zahra likes the temperature in there (because she's so cold and shivering when she gets out), but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she's really having a good time in class.

Zahra wrapped up "like a burrito" and not too happy that class is over for the day. And another shot of her, walking barefoot back to the car.

Sleeping Siblings

Last week, for three days, I had to be at work at 7:30 in the morning because we were doing inventory. As you can tell from these pictures, Zahra and Max weren't awake yet. I don't know why I like watching them sleep, but I do. I thought I would share the pictures so you could see what these two are like when they are just quiet and peaceful. They are both good little kids when they're awake, but only in sleep are they ever this still and relaxed.

Kidspace

(My apologies for not posting anything sooner. Things have been happening but I just haven't had a chance to write much down. Plus, I tried to upload some pictures and the computer wouldn't cooperate!)

On June 20, we took Zahra to the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. She'd been to another children's museum before, in Stockton, with my mom (who Zahra refers to as "nana-mommy"). Since Willie and I were at Steve's wedding that day, just based on the pictures, it seemed that the Stockton Children's Museum had more activities than Kidspace. Overall, I think Zahra had a great time and just enjoys being around other little kids in general. Here are some more pictures from that day.

Above is a picture from the enterance. (Yes, that's Max's head peeking out from behind Willie's arm. He was in the baby carrier while Zahra was being lifted up to touch the screen.)

There's Zahra, doing one of her silly poses for the camera. The enterance had really neat tile work.

I was so happy that Max smiled for this picture. He always seems to be content being carried around in the "baby backpack" with his Dad.

We signed Zahra up for a special class about making rockets. The website made the class sound a little more hands-on than it actually turned out to be, but Zahra seemed to enjoy it anyway. Here she is, getting ready to push her button to launch a rocket that had been set up. The teacher explained in detail about how this particular rocket was propelled. He was telling the kids, who were all around Zahra's age, about how there was water in this little container and how water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen and how there was a chemical process that occured that separated the molecules and as a result, the contraption was able to capture the energy and then something ignited a spark which then somehow turned into the energy that was used to propel the rockets into the sky. The explanation was way over their heads and all the kids seemed to care about was when they could push the button to send their own little rocket shooting upwards. The rockets launched so high when you looked up in the sky, you couldn't see them because they got lost in the clouds.

Here's a closer shot of what the rockets looked like before they were set up and the kids got to press the launch buttons.

Looking at some butterflies...

Here is Zahra, running next to the little fountain of water that would intermittently shoot up little streams of water. It was a rainy day and pretty overcast and cool out, so we didn't want Zahra to get wet. One time she did run directly over the water and she got her pants wet, but it didn't seem to bother her a bit.

Zahra pushing up the little pins. I remember in the 80s or maybe it was the early 90s when you could buy smaller versions of these and everyone thought they were really cool. It was kind of fun to play with a very big one (as you can see my hand next to hers).

I'm not sure what this exhibit is about or where that silly smile came from... but she was having fun. (No, her arm and hand are not dirty. She had temporary tattoos on. An octopus and a pirate, respectively.)

Well, that's about it for Kidspace. They also had tricycles and a little path to ride on. They had a class where you could make a tie-dye tie for Dad's since it was Father's Day weekend. Zahra got to touch a little box turtle and make ginger ale. We think they got the ginger ale recipe a little off, though, because when we took the plastic bottle home, we forgot about it until the next day (which, we weren't supposed to touch it until the next day anyway). So when we looked at the bottle, you could see that it had expanded from all the pressure inside and I made Willie open it up because I was scared it would explode. So, sure enough, as he's opening it over the kitchen sink, I'm in the living room and I hear this really loud boom. He barely twisted off the cap and the contents just came exploding out all over the sink. We refridgerated the remains of what was left in the bottle and let Zahra taste it later. It was pretty ginger-y.

All in all, though, it was a fun day to take Zahra somewhere new where she could interact and participate in different events.

Last Day of Preschool

Today was Zahra's last day of preschool at Liberty Christian. I couldn't get Zahra to open her eyes for the picture. I must have taken about 5 or 6 different shots but she closed her eyes in every single one. Plus, I was holding a bunch of other stuff. Max was in one arm, along with a bunch of papers and Zahra's jacket from this morning when it was cooler out (as it often seems to be at 7:45, even if it warms up later). So between holding that stuff and trying to take decent pictures, things were a little rough. True, I could have put Max down in a carseat or stroller but he was very fussy in anywhere that wasn't my arms (he was tired and ready for a nap). So, we made do and came up with some not-so-perfect pictures in front of the preschool door.

I thought this was kind of cute, watching Zahra play in the mirrored window, right in front of the school. She seemed really happy when I picked her up from school today. When I asked her what she felt about this being her last day of preschool and that she would no longer be going back, she said she was "kind of sad." But I reassured her that she will be going to a new school for Kindergarten where she will have a new teacher and new friends. And then she added, "And I'll have a new baby. And a new mom. And a new dad. And everything new." Well, I'm not sure about all that new stuff, but a girl can dream, right?

It looks like Zahra's trying to surf in front of the door right by the sign-out sheet. She was doing all kinds of poses and dances and was just generally happy today. I was a bit surprised because she's been sick the last few days (yes, in June) and hasn't felt very well. Her nose has been runny and she's had a lot of snot that seems to get all over her shirt and her arms and even on her forehead this afternoon (who knew?). Yesterday she seemed fussy and irritable, but today she seems like a whole new kid.

Well, this was definitely my favorite shot of the day.

It seems to capture that sweet little spirit I love so much.

So that's it. She's all done with preschool. She's made a lot of progress. We enrolled her in preschool late because she took quite a long time to get potty trained (she was 4) and the school wouldn't take her until she was ready. (Now, in the days they seem desperate for students, they are willing to take 2 year olds and assist with the potty training process.) But in any event, by the time she was potty trained, she really was ready and has never had an accident. So we enrolled her late, last summer, when she was almost 4 and a half. So other kids had been in school for awhile and Zahra was definitely late on skills other kids had already picked up. Like cutting paper. I didn't know that was such an important skill, but I guess being able to move the scissors skillfully contributes to being able to write succesfully. Also, Zahra still struggles with coloring. She did a lot of scribbling in the beginning and had a lot of trouble understanding the concept of coloring things in completely, chosing instead to color things haphazardly.

In addition to cutting and coloring, Zahra learned her alphabet and numbers. She is doing OK with the ABCs but still needs practice identifying certain letters and her handwriting is continuing to improve. She's pretty good at the small numbers. We like to play the card game "Go Fish" and I think that helps reinforce learning the numbers. I think a lot of times she just pretends she doesn't know the numbers and asks for help. Sometimes when I tell her, "Come on, you know this number," she responds by saying, "I know. I'm just joking. It's a three."

Since it's a Christian preschool, Zahra also learned Bible stories and verses. She sang songs with her classmates and had time to play outside on the tricycles and the jungle gym. Through the year, Zahra made different friends and would talk about different kids. Eating lunch with other kids and trying new foods has also helped Zahra with eating new foods at home. Her teacher commended Zahra's patience and has said that she's seen Zahra mature a lot just within the last month, noticing that she has been behaving very well during "circle time" and following directions.

In the beginning, Zahra didn't seem to really understand why she had to leave school at noon while everyone else stayed for nap time and didn't leave until the afternoon. She seemed like she just wanted to stay at school all day like all the other kids. (She'll be able to do this in Kindergarten since she'll be on the same schedule as everyone else, not just the one kid who does half-days at school.) I didn't know how to explain to her that we didn't need daycare and that there wasn't more academic curriculum in the afternoons. Eventually she seemed to come to an understanding that mom would come and pick her up right after lunch when all the other kids were laying down for a nap. When I was pregnant, I would take Zahra home and we would both lay down, sometimes falling asleep or just resting. After Max came along, it was too hard to try to get her to nap since he was usually up at that time. So she's usually pretty tired by the time bedtime rolls around on the days she woke up early for school.

Well, that's all. It's neat to see my little girl move on to a new chapter in her life. Right now, Kindergarten seems to be a long way off, even though it's only a few months. For her, that probably feels like an eternity. She doesn't seem to be too concerned about a new school just yet. What she is mostly looking forward to these days is swimming lessons. They begin July 6, so I'll have an update once those begin.

Last Day at College View

This week marks the end of two different schools that Zahra has been attending. Today was her last day at College View Elementary. She has been attending special classes at College View since she turned 3. The two different classes are the preschool Speech and Language Program and Adapted PE.

In the early days of Speech class, the teachers worked with Zahra solely on pronunciation. She would go over certain letters and sounds. (Her speech classes were twice a week, two 30-minute sessions: one on Monday mornings from 9:45-10:15 and on Wednesday mornings from 9:15-9:45.) Zahra even got homework, beginning when she first started attending the Speech and Language Program after she had just turned 3. Previous to that, she had been getting therapy that was funded by the state at a private institution. After age 3, the school districts take over and provide therapy for those kids who qualify. She had been getting various services for different developmental delays since she was a baby.

Eventually, Zahra learned to make all the sounds correctly and the teachers began to move on to whole language concepts (like "over" and "under," "beginning" and "endings" of stories, et cetera). They also worked with her on different things like volume and speed (as Zahra tends to talk very quickly -- they tried to get her to slow down). Though today was her last day meeting with the teachers at College View, she will continue to be followed by the school district when she moves to Golden View Elementary for Kindergarten. All preschool therapy sessions are held at College View, which happens to be close to our house, but Golden View is even closer.



Above is a picture of Zahra, waiting in front of the school. She has a paper monkey in her hand that she had made in Speech this morning. After Speech on Wednesdays, Zahra had Adapted PE from 10:00 to 10:30. She had also been getting physical therapy through the school district since age 3. Her teacher worked on a lot of different issues, such as her balance, walking up and down stairs with alternating feet, and throwing and catching balls. Through the years, they worked on issues through play using games like bowling, soccer, and baseball. I'm sure there are many more things that were covered -- but I can't seem to remember them all right now. Zahra especially liked her Adapted PE teacher and always seemed to look forward to meeting with her.

Here is Zahra, drinking her chocolate milk in the courtyard of the school, waiting for the PE teacher. I couldn't seem to get her to take any "serious" pictures today, she just kept being a goofball the whole time. Over the years, Zahra got many compliments from her PE teacher and her various helpers about what a fun kid she was to work with and how funny and creative she always was. It meant a lot to me to hear these positive things, because I know we really get a kick out of her at home, but it's nice to hear how much someone else enjoys being with your child as well.

Since she's gotten older and more mature, Zahra has seemed to get better at paying attention and listening to directions in PE. Although these little therapy sessions were separate from preschool, I think they were great opportunities for her to learn patience and other skills that will be helpful and useful when she begins Kindergarten in the fall. I am truly thankful that these types of services have been available to Zahra before she enters formal school. I think they have been a great benefit to her and have helped her overcome many of the obstacles that have happened to her, most likely due to being born so premature. Without these aids, I don't know where Zahra would be developmentally. We are truly lucky that the state and school districts continue to provide these services free of charge to kids in need.

You see what I mean about Zahra being a goofball today? I took a lot more pictures in front of this sign, but I kind of liked her little pose in this one.

Well, tomorrow is her last day at preschool, so we will be taking a photo or two in front of that school as well. I will also give updates about some of the stuff she learned there, although I kind of feel that I might not have as much to say. Today was a bittersweet one. I've enjoyed bringing Zahra to College View over the last two years and it was sad to know we won't be visiting there any more. I think Zahra really enjoyed her sessions and gained a lot from them. But it only means that we're now on to a new chapter in her life. Happy I can share these things with all of you... More tomorrow.

Sitting Up & Silly Faces

Just today, Max started sitting up by himself.

I realize these aren't the best pictures to share, but there are two things we must remember:

1) It's hard to take a picture of a moving baby who constantly keeps falling over

and 2) it's the first day, so at least we caught these moments on camera!

He's sitting up for at least a couple seconds at a time,

but sometimes even as long as 20 or 30 seconds... pretty good for a beginner.

I remember Zahra fell over a lot more when she was learning to sit up.

A little blurry. Sorry!


I'm not a big fan of using the flash unless absolutely necessary,
but I was having problems with the camera.


And, oops, there he goes, falling down on a pillow.

Zahra got a little jealous of Max getting all the attention, so she wanted to join in as well.

Here's her making some silly faces.

CHEESE! The happy brother and sister!

Good bye guys...

To You, The Reader

Hey everyone... I added a "gadget" on the sidebar so that you can be one of my "followers." I always wonder who is reading the blog, what they think, and stuff like that. Feel free to add comments at the end of any post to let me know what you think, if you feel like sharing. I've heard some feedback about having trouble posting without logging in or having some kind of account, so my mom figured out a way around that. What you can do is add a comment as "anonymous" and then at the end of your comment, you can just type your name so we know who it's from. I am quite interested to hear your feedback, so please post a comment if you have something you'd like to tell me (or the other readers). Of course, don't feel like you need to comment every time, but every once in awhile would be fun, I think. I even enjoy reading the comments section on one of the blogs I follow (the Motherlode blog from the New York Times), just because sometimes the discussion is as interesting as the original post itself. I know you all are busy, so just keep this in mind in case you ever have the time. I love sharing my thoughts with you all! Thanks for reading.