Thursday, March 18, 2010

First day of Swimming

This Monday was Nithin's first class for swimming. Last year, when we tried to make him join Nikhil's class, he cried aloud and refused to go into water. This time, he agreed to come to the class as a student because his friend was also in the class with him. While we got him changed to swim shorts, I could not help being nervous.
All the memories of taking Nikhil to swimming to different places came to my mind. He would cry all the way through in the car, refusing to go. It took many years of struggle from his part and our part to finally make it happen. When Nikhil swam finally, it was a relief and a pleasure. So I was keeping my fingers crossed getting ready to see Nithin cry and revolt.
Here he goes, his teacher took him in her hands. And he just went with her, smiling away shyly.
Not a bad start! It was hard to believe. Soon he and his friend were comfortable with the idea of taking turns and going with the teacher. He even asked - when will my turn come? I could not believe that it happened. Ithink all the pool time we spent at couple of hotels and beaches over the past year made him comfortable with water. And having his brother and friend with him too. It looks like a great start. I am prepared for crying sessions in future sessions when the teacher will put his head under water. But I hope he learns swimming too like his bro! It is exciting to watch your second son go through learning phases!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Update

Every time, I get behind the wheel and enter the Turn Pike in the evening, I draft so many versions of things to write as a post. I edit them, rephrase them - but all in my mind. It never saw the light, so here I am typing up finally. I will update the latest in bullets.
  • Finally the weather is good. What a relief! I hope 'THIS IS IT' for the snow storms.
  • I was in training for 3 days. Reminded me of the training days in my old work. The past 3 days were full of classes and the coffee breaks. Head Ache. Trying to concentrate. Times when I asked questions to the instructor. Times when I shouted out the correct answer. Times when my mind wandered off to the 'To Do List' in life. The sense of humor of the instructor was too good - we all laughed a lot and so were awake for the most part.
  • Heritage Night - this Tuesday, was the night dedicated to different cultures in Nikhil's school. It happens every year. Nikhil participated in a group dance with other kids from our development. This time, it felt like we have seen it happen a lot before. It almost ends up being a Desi night due to the population of Desis in our area. It is great for our kids to have so many of them around, so they won't feel they are singled out. Since we are seeing it for past 3 years, we got used to it and this time, I let B stay home with Nithin and take a relaxing break.
  • I am totally HOOKED - to the Asianet reality show called 'Idea Star Singer'. Watching it over and over, I am now familiar with most of the singers. So much so that, Nithin asks -'Amma, is Danny your friend?'. Danny is one of the singers.He watches carefully the marks being awarded to them. I learnt that there is one episode every week day. I am always trying to catch an episode I have not seen. I enjoy the songs and also the judges' comments. Nikhil says 'Amma, you are watching too much of Idea Star Singer. It is not good for you!'

Have a great weekend, friends!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

It is concert time again!

No, I am not talking about musical adventures by me or B. This is the Grade concert in my son's school. Tonight is the third graders concert. It is that time of the year again. We all have to be there early enough to guarantee a parking spot. We have to stand in the line outside the doors shivering in the cold, if you want a fairly good spot for seeing the kids and recording them in camcorder.

It brings back memories of the past 3 years. I still remember how astonished and impressed I was when I heard the Kindergarten students perform. I was surprised because Nikhil did not mention anything to me about the songs or what the deal was with the concert. I never once heard him singing at home, so the whole concert was a total surprise to me. The kids sang so well, it was damn cute to see their actions. This experience built so much of an expectation that I felt unimpressed on the first grade concert. And then there was second grade concert. I don't recall much of these - but it has become a historical event to us.
It is a tradition now that we save the print outs the school distributes with all the song names and the names of the kids. This goes into the scrapbook I edit once in a year with Nikhil's works. And after the concert, it is another tradition to take him to the Icecream shop. The Brusters close to home was the first stop in first two years, I think. Then they closed the shop down forever, so we had to hit the Dairy Queen near by. Nikhil still recalls how tasty the icecream was in the Brusters.
Time flies, I could say. It is already 3rd grade concert. I am looking forward to the evening and the traditions associated with it.