my-speck

i'm pregnant and it's going to be a rollercoaster

Poo poo poo January 9, 2011

Filed under: Communication,development stages,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 1:34 am
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Cause for celebration!

You just told us ‘Poo, poo, hand, hand’ as you dragged your Dad into the bathroom in our hotel room.

And then proceeded to do a large poo in the toilet and say, ‘all done’ when you were finished.

Yay! No messy stuff to clean up! First time you’ve given us enough warning to get to the bathroom, actually led the way to the bathroom, and patiently waited until it was all out (yes, potty training has literally been a bit more hit and miss than that until now)…

You are growing up!

Love you mum

 

Howdy from Big White, Canada January 5, 2011

Filed under: activities for kids,family,Parenting,playing,Raising a Child — rakster @ 7:48 am
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Hello!

So this is our third day up at Big White ski resort here in Canada.  And you still seem to love the snow.  Mostly eating it!

eating the snow. At least this shot you’re not eating it off the soles of your boots. Which you keep doing when we get on the bus as you can reach your feet. I offer you milk/water as an alternative, but you’re just not interested…

And riding the “gonda”.  I.e. the gondala.  There is in fact somewhat of an obsession with the gondola. (more…)

 

Learning to shovel the snow: Movie Monday December 21, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,development stages,Parenting,playing — rakster @ 1:30 pm
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Hello!

Today’s adventure – shovelling snow in the driveway with Daddy.

Such a good little helper.  And very cute when you fall over (if I do say so myself). (more…)

 

Acrobatics at 17 months: Movie Monday December 6, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,development stages,Movie,Parenting,playing,video — rakster @ 1:07 pm
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A little light entertainment from last week after yesterday’s serious hospital post.

I should note that this is a video of you and me.  But you have been doing acrobatics at home with your Aunt R, who is a qualified children’s acrobatics coach, since you were old enough to do bends…  Unfortunately she got into uni in Melbourne next year (good for her, bad for you and us) so I’m not sure how we’ll keep your flexibility and strength up….

Enjoy..

(more…)

 

Movie Monday: Pride comes before a fall. Well, a jump technically. And bad parent award of the day. October 25, 2010

Filed under: development stages,emotion,exercise,Parenting,playing,Raising a Child,video — rakster @ 12:26 pm
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Hello!

Friday afternoon, you were practicing your climbing skills again by repeatedly climbing up and down the furniture in the lounge room and I thought, “great, a chance to get a video. Haven’t done one in ages.”. (more…)

 

another week has flown by… and bad parent of the week award to me! September 30, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,bad parent of the day award,development stages,exercise,Parenting,playing,Raising a Child — rakster @ 7:55 pm
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Hello!

bad parent of the week: mum

I award myself bad parent award of the week this week.  For not realising you were sick and nonchalantly taking you to the doctor for a check as you were extra tired and a bit cranky on Monday, only to be told that you apparently have ear infections in both ears. Which reminded me what a tolerant and happy little thing you really are, as all I had noticed was the extra fatigue and a bit of extra whingeyness when you wanted something I wouldn’t let you have (which was enough to make me want to go to the doctor to check, but I was a bit surprised, I was expecting the usual, ‘he’s fine’).. The new doctor who we’ve never met before kind of gave me a kinda funny look as he told me you had an ear infection and that you needed antibiotics, and that “you need to keep up the pain medication, that is probably why he’s upset” as I’d just 3 minutes earlier cheerily informed you “no blocks until we’ve finished with the doctor… and gee you’re a bit cantankerous today!” as you pounded on the doctor’s door in an attempt to exit the consulting room and return to the blocks you were previously happily playing with in the reception…  So yes, the new doctor thinks I’m a bad parent who doesn’t pay attention to her child’s needs and treats his health as a bit of a humourous aside.  Well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but that look he gave me certainly indicated he wasn’t convinced I was the best parent either.  Suffice to say it was the end of the day, you were ratty, and I was a bit more scattered than usual myself.  So maybe appeared to someone who doesn’t know me a bit nonchalant.  When really I was just a bit tired and distracted….

health – an ongoing issue

Anyway, all good.  You’re on antibiotics and you’re already getting better.  Today you played independently heaps during the day, and it reminded me how good and easy to look after you are when you are 100% healthy…. Which reminds me, it seems such a common thing that all babies are sick for ages after starting childcare.  My mother’s group doesn’t meet up much anymore as almost everyone has gone back to work, but we still email a lot, and this week one of the topics that has come up has been the relative frequency of sickness in everyone’s kids since starting childcare.  So it’s not just you.  Which makes me feel slightly better.   Starting childcare is a sickness-inducing thing in most kids.  Which I knew, but it’s still helpful to have people at the same point as us going through the same thing and talking about it.

today: climbing

So.  No swimming lesson today (thought that I’d win bad parent of the YEAR award for taking my ear-infected child to a swimming lesson).  Instead: naked playing in the sandpit while I weeded the garden.  A visit from little E (who you gave a dink to on your little trike – the cutest thing ever), a bike ride with mum and a stop in the park on the way home…

baby climbing

climbing at the park

..

All good fun.

Love and kisses

mum

P.S. Another photo from last week: exploring at the State Library.  I just let you wander about wherever, and this is where you ended up.

exploring

 

Leaps and Bounds September 23, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,Communication,development stages,exercise,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,Sign Language — rakster @ 8:36 pm

Hello Little Poogie,

It seems that something has switched ‘on’ in your big brain, and you are going through a ‘learning progression’ in leaps and bounds. Well, that is how it seems to me anyway.

Following the incident two days ago when you told me you needed to have a sleep, which I thought was most-likely a one-off miracle, you’ve continued to do that for the past two days at every sleeping opportunity. In the morning for your nap, in the afternoon for your nap, at night before bed, and, amazingly, when you were crying in the middle of the night and I took you to the kitchen to comfort you: you told me through tears that you wanted to go back to bed. “So there! mumma, I know what I want even if I am crying!” You went back to bed and cried a little more but then fell asleep.

Weird!

Then today at swimming you pre-empted the teacher on just about every little exercise we do, throwing yourself into the water face-first at most opportunities to demonstrate that you knew your head was about to go under and bubbles were required. Almost caught me off-guard a few times.

And language. (more…)

 

My little signer: mumma, I want to go sleepy! September 21, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,Communication,development stages,eating,emotion,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,Sign Language — rakster @ 1:13 pm
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Hello!

Amazing thing just happened. You actually signed “sleepy” or “sleeping” for the first time, in trying to tell me you wanted to go to bed!

the background: why i would never have expected you needed a sleep at that point

You have another permutation of the day-care-cold you’ve had for weeks, so you are a bit more tired than normal, and this morning I put you down for a sleep at 9am after you woke at 6:45 in the morning, as you were grumbling at me and just needed it. Normally you go through to around 11am now before you go down for a sleep. Anyway, you slept for just over an hour, then we went out and you played with some kids in the creche that you know while I did pilates. I’d taken you a big fat rissole and you ate that for the whole hour I was gone.

I picked you up, and you looked a bit tired, but I thought, well, you’ve only been up for two hours, so can’t be bed-time yet. We ventured home via the fish shop, where you ogled the pictures of the fish and busily told me that you wanted to eat them (all via baby signing: signing, “fish, fish” and trying to say it, then signing “eat, eat”). We jumped in the car and came home, you still madly signing “eat” and “more, more”. I made you a quick toasted sandwich with hommus, tomato and cheese, and while you munched down on that, got one for myself. I came and joined you at the table and you of course demanded my sandwich instead of yours and started to eat that.

Signing “Sleep”

Then the weird bit. You suddenly stopped eating, had a big drink of water, then started to move your hand to the side of your head and tilt your head. And I, dumbfounded wondered what you were doing. Then you did it again. And pointed towards the doorway back to your room. And I got it. Despite the fact that I’ve been signing sleep, or sleepy, for about 6 months and you’ve never shown any indication that you’ve even noticed me signing it, let alone attempting to copy it: there you were, signing “sleepy”. (more…)

 

reverting to old remedies: the swear jar September 19, 2010

Filed under: Communication,development stages,family,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 10:20 am
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Hello Poogie,

well, I hate to admit it, but I think I swear more than your father. (more…)

 

Lovely Days September 17, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,swimming — rakster @ 9:24 am
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Hello Little Pumpkin,

well. We’ve had an absolutely fantastic week. You’re over the cold you’ve had for 8 weeks except for a bit of a runny nose, and you wake up every morning and run about the house laughing and playing and giggling and riding your bike and reading and eating and just being full of energy and HAPPY in general.

Our week – morning adventures

I savour our Tuesday mornings, when we get on the bike and ride off to Pilates. We look at stuff along the way, have a chat, and generally enjoy ourselves. It is fun. And today, Thursdays, are pool mornings. We get up and out of the house early, do a swimming lesson, then have a second breakfast as you toddle (more…)