Holiday snaps

Holiday snaps from Port Macquarie, early in August. David in a Maccas playground. They are wonderful when you are on the road. Generally, filthy, hot or cold, with bad visibility, but little opportunity to hurt themselves, and all different. The coffee is getting better at the McCafe, so we like the leg stretch and exercise. I am fond of saying that it is just as well that I am not too big. I generally have to climb into them. Either because David needs some encouragement to go down a curly tube slide or because I have to see something, or because he won't get out.

All of those things are getting better though, compared with 12 months ago. Soon he won't want tme to play with him, so I will enjoy it while I can.

This is Action David, on the balcony/outdoor porch of the cabin we got at Port Macquaire. Just near the breakwater, and Town Beach. Lovely view. Not quite camping, as we ended up thinking it was still a bit cold for canvas. The days were lovely, but the nights cold. We had lots of climbing and action stuff. David has obviously seen someone rock clilmbing, becaus he has ben wanting to imitate it for a while. He wants sticky boots. He wants climbing rope and grappling hooks. He wants to be safe when he climbs, so he uses his safety harness. Given that David can't yet tie a knot, I am not confident that the rope and harness are in fact safe. This holiday the occy strap was a key ingredient, and the climbing rope that I bought him. He spent a lot of time climbing up onto the decking, from the garden, over the railing you can see in the background.

David slept in his new Spiderman sleeping bag, on the top bunk. He loved it! He was great with the ladder. I was happy that with the railing, he couldn't fall out. There was also a window up top, and separate lights so he had light and air. Perfect!

This is a photo of Sara, the little tabby cat with no tail who absolutely made the holiday. She was a real pet, so not a stray. Sara was the name David gave her. She tried to give a good impression of being homeless and hungry, but was so tame that she must have a home. She just loved David and loved to mooch. David is wearing his favourite alien flannelette pyjamas.

Lots more about the holiday. We saw a lighthouse, flew a kite, ran lots and lots on the beach. We visited the Koala hospital and saw koalas. We also went fishing. David has his own blue fishing rod. Dad caught a couple of small fish, which had to go back in, but we did catch fish! David didn't stay still long enought to really get into the fishing experience though....

an idea for a monster ....

Well, on Friday, David and I had to hide, because there was a monster coming.

It was green, and had a hard body, like a toaster. It was really tall. It had buttons for teeth. It shot laser lights out of its eyes. It couldn't talk, but it could hear. It was going to rip our skin off.

First we hid under the umbrella, on the chair. From the top, the umbrella would look like a mushroom, and the monster wouldn't see us. Then we had to run across the house and hide in the downstairs toilet, with the door locked and his little chair against the door. This was to stop the monster.

We came out when I worked out that Daddy was going to be the monster when he came home, and I told David that it was another hour before Daddy was due home. David was disappointed.

Lots of imagination! I ought to point out that this was a scary (not funny) monster, but David wasn't scared!

We also made Ben 10 watches (again). And a Heatblast figure, out of yellow paper. David is getting a Ben 10 Omnitrix watch for his birthday, if he is good.

We had a great day on Thursday. We waited for the Foxtel man (unit broken and replaced).After lunch we went to visit Annie, who has had an operation. Then we went to Centennial Park, to see the gun/cannon and statues. We also found a great playground. It has button bells that you can play with your feet, swings and lots more. It also had a waterplay section. A fire hydrant that kids can make flow, into a river. Once the river fills, it overflows into the sand pit, where the play equipment is. David was making a river for three or four little kids. Then Joseph came along. Joseph is four and a half and had a Ben 10 bike and helmet. They had a wow of a time, first with the water, then climbing and just playing. Well, I barely got him out of there before dark. I put him into dry clothes, gave him his (long ignored) sandwich and in the slow traffic home he fell asleep. We couldn't wake him, so we put him to bed. He slept right through until 3.30am. That is another story in itself......

Likes & dislikes

So, where are we at this week? Well, lots of emotions, lots of testing boundaries, lots of testing relationships.

David has decided to take an all or nothing approach to life. It started last week (and who knows how long it will last?). David doesn't just like anything anymore. He LOVES it. So, on Saturday David said that he LOVES gymnastics. I said "Really?" and he said "Of course!" This morning David said that he LOVES daycare! He also loves Ben 10, potato chips, bubbles .... You get the idea.

David also HATES lots of thing recently. He HATES gymnastics. He HATES daycare (also this morning, about 45 minutes after he said that he LOVES daycare). He HATES broccoli. He also randomly HATES food that he likes, and then gets over it.

He is just so passionate about it all. He gets frustrated and cross if things that he is making or building don't go just right. He is so happy when he gets something new, no matter how small, or when we fix something or build it just right.

Occasionally he is BORED over something.

More disturbing, over the last week David is now saying that he HATES mum, or that he HATES dad. There is a direct relationship between the "love" and "hate" and getting his own way (or not). He is also saying "Go AWAY." when he is angry. Interestingly he is also saying"You're sacked! You're not my mum anymore." I know where the "You're sacked" somes from. It is from the Pamela Allen book "Brown Bread and Honey". After a relatively short period, David will tell me that I am not sacked anymore, and that he loves me, and wants a cuddle. I have tried reasoning with him and explaining the consequences of what he is saying but I have come to the conclusion that there is no point. He doesn't really understand what he is saying.

It seems to follow on from the playground stuff that is present in Pre-school and which wasn't in the Nursery room. One day two kids are best friends and the next day "He's not my friend anymore." For example, in March this year, David went to Gordon's birthday party. Approximately six weeks after the party, Gordon upset David when he said to David "You're not coming to my birthday party!" I explained to David that he had already been to the party, so that this didn't make sense. The next day they were best friends again. The following week, David told Gordon that he didn't want to play with him anymore.

David also has the unfortunate habit of growling (I think like a dog) when he is most displeased about something. Fortunately, I can make him laugh about it some times.

So, at the moment it is all a bit of a rollercoaster. I understand from the parents of some HSC students that it can continue for years...... Lots of fun!

(Oh, this has somewhat replaced the phase from last month where he stopped saying Yes! and replaced it with "Of course!")

I just thought that I would add this photo from a few weeks ago. As regular readers would know, David has always liked playing in bags & suitcases. He will be too big soon!

Sydney Festival, earlier this year

David is on my lap which makes typing difficult. He likes the idea of being on the web. He likes the photos and the blog that he just typed with Katie's name.

He has gone now, so I will do a quick note.

This is a photo taken during the Sydney Festival, early 2009. One of the installations was to put pianos around in public places in Sydney, and let people make their own music and interact with them. This one is on the paved area at the front of the Sydney Opera House. David is (of course) for the period, wearing the Batman dress up, but with shorts, because I convinced him that it was too hot for the long trousers.

David walked right up to it and wanted to play it - lots of crashing and noise, and complete confidence. He played for at least 8 or 10 minutes. Tourist were taking his photo, because he looked photogenic, I guess. I got him off to let others have a turn - David inspired a couple of other children who could actually play to have a turn.

We then went around the Botanic Garden, and back home on the ferry from Circular Quay.

Another day we went in to see the free kids show in Hyde Park, and see the fabulous Spiegeltent. The Spiegeltent was worth seeing - atmosphere, mirrors and it all fits together like a jigsaw! There were juggling lessons, tumbling lessons and a magic show. Lots of fun. We got cupcakes on the way, and David really enjoyed seeing other kids playing "What's the time Mr Wolf" while we were waiting for the shows to start. Hot days, but a breeze and better in the gardens under the trees than in the concrete streets. We also played in the fountain in Hyde Park, but David got too cold, so we went home. He fell asleep in the stroller while we were walking back to the Light Rail, so he missed the train trip home. A good time was had by all.

some photos

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Spiderman comic

Last year David saw a Spiderman comic (booklet style) in the newsagent. He sat on the floor to look at it and cried when he had to put it back. He did the same thing with Dad when he visited the newsagent. It was expensive, and much too old for him. We didn't buy it, but I noticed that he kept on wanting to look at it.

When we went to Wagin for Christmas he found it in the newsagent there. Uncle Steve was asking what David would like for Christmas. I told him to get the comic for David. ( Uncle Steve also got David some other wonderful stuff, like a Batmobile).
Well, David just loved it, and still loves it. For weeks I had to read stories from the comic book everynight before he went to sleep. Then I rationed him to one story only from it. After a hiatus, we were reading from it again last night - two stories. David has learnt lots about the different villains and lots of language. In one comic, Red Skull is "never satisfied". David asked what it meant. I explained that it meant that he always wanted more. What ever he got was never enough. David thought about it and said, "I am never satisfied." Later when he was having a bit of a tantrum because I wouldn't give him / buy him something he again said (throught the tears) " I am never satisfied." You have to smile sometimes. He has DVDs of cartoon Spiderman, and again, loves them.


There was an Iron Man cartoon on TV (ABC Kids) and David saw the trailer and wanted to watch it. We saw it, and as a result, Iron Man was very popular for a while. There is also a new movie out (rated M) with Robert Downey Jr and they are making a sequel, but they are too old and violent yet. Ben 10 is becoming the new big thing, because it is very very big in the playgrounds, but Spiderman is a constant. The interesting thing about Ben 10 is that David knew about it and the Ben 10 watch (Omnitrix) before he had ever seen any shows, or read any books on it. Just from the talk between the kids.
This birthday David wants a Ben 10 watch, that lights up and makes noises. We have told him that he can have it if he is good. It is interesting watching him wait for it - he really doesn't like waiting. Waiting for weeks is really hard. I have a few other Ben 10 things organised for presents too.
He still plays with Buzz Lightyear though... Regular Buzz and his brother, silver Buzz.
That's all for now.

A few quick things

A few quick things. David loves dressing up. We dress up as a cowboy, the Lone Ranger or a sheriff, a robot and we have dress up superhero suits - red & blue spiderman, black spiderman (new!), the Incredibles dress up (Dash or Mr Incredible), Batman (not recently). He has an action pack and ropes for climbing (just like a rope climber). This weekend we had to make a belt for gadgets (like Batman). He has been using a plastic tool handle as a sword.

We went to Anaconda which sells adventure and camping stuff - he was too little for the climbing wall, which would have been 5 or 6 metres high (and he thought it was scary) but we managed to buy some proper climbing rope, 1.25m, for a cowboy lasso. He was lassoing the door knobs last night before he went to bed.

He loves guns. When we were cleaning out the garage, dad found an old fashioned derringer replica pistol. Made in Spain, Dad thinks that uncle Bob and Auntie Jeannie gave it to him when he was a boy. Mde of wood and metal. It has a cocking mechanism and a wooden grip, metal barrel. David loves it. We stuck a torch on the top and it became an old fashioned light pistol. We put a paper sight/scope on it and it became an old fashioned sight pistol. This is in addition to the plastic guns (revolvers that don't revolve) that came in the cowboy/Lone Ranger packs. He loves putting holsters on, and if we don't have it, we try to make it out of paper.

Lots of imagination. Lots of roleplaying. Every time he gets something new, or special, he has to tell either his toys (Mum, make Ruby talk, make Terry talk) or he asks me to pretend to be Katie.

On the way to daycare, he wants me to be David, and he will be Mum. That way, he can push the lift buttons and tell me that I can't push them. Interesting, because when we roll play he tells me lots of things that I have told him, and he hasn't necessarily liked. Such as, "You can't have potato chips tonight, they are party food" "Yes, you can watch a DVD when we get home, if you are good!"

David is mostly happy and mostly good and that is wonderful. Two other cute things - he has his own words - Yesternight and Nose wax. Pretty self explanatory.

Anyway, that is all for now.

Mum

Well, I am back after a serious hiatus. Mum died on 14 December 2008. Before we got there for Christmas. I spoke to her on Saturday, and she was full of instructions, but not well after the chemo on Friday. ("Don't buy too much food coming through Perth - we don't want to waste fruit and vegies. We can buy lots in town. Buy a new Christmas tree. Not too big. ") She was really looking forward to seeing us. I think that she insisted on having the chemo on Friday because she wanted to have some improvement for Christmas. She wasn't able to eat much.
She met Fiona with Steve on Saturday afternoon. She told me that she didn't want to put it off any longer. She didn't want Fiona to think that she didn't want to meet her, and she couldn't wait until she was well.
She liked Fiona.
She went into the local hospital later that night, because she was vomiting a lot (after the chemo) and she died early the next afternoon.
We all went across, for the funeral, and to spend Christmas with Steve, Puss and Ted in Wagin. We met Fiona and young Stephen and Matthew.
Anyway, after that I haven't really had the time or energy for the blog.

Quick one!

A quick one - I have been meaning to say that David is doing interesting things. For the past couple of weeks he has been working on pronouncing his 'L's - with a big slightly exaggerated tongue movement. Effective too - especially noticeable on the Rafaella, Linda and other important L words. He can now roll his tongue, and click it too! Interesting what he focusses on. The tongue clicking started when we we in the car listening to the Shrek title song "Allstar" (AKA the "Hey Now" song) and I did it in time to the music. David wanted to do it too.

He can't click his fingers yet, but he came home from Daycare just before his birthday to show me how he could hop!
He is getting much more interested in dressing himself "all by myself" and now is putting shoes on, as well as just taking them off. I am letting him choose what to wear (with the obvious consequences that sometimes it is the Batman PJs, or the Lightning PJs all day. But he then is really happy about what he wears, so there are lots of compensations. The Daycare touches are wonderful. On Friday, in the park for Finn's birthday David took his shoes and socks off. I found them up on the climbing castle. He had neatly tucked his socks inside the shoes, just like they are told to at Daycare. Then he and Katie and Celestine got naked and ran around a lot. Which is of course another story!

Katie is back and they were so happy to see each other - David had been calling out to her all the way to the park, even though she couldn't possibly hear him. Definitely partners in crime. Katie wanted David's water bottle (as usual) and David wanted to share (as usual). He also is really noticeably playing much more with other children, not just beside them. It is especially noticeable when you see Liam, who is six months younger, and reminds me of what David was like at that age.

Well, we will see what this week brings. Lots and lots of chaos on world markets - definitely will be different for his generation growing up, rather than the current Gen X, Y who have never really known hardship. I just hope the important things continue though - peace, clean air, clean water, clean food, good health. When I hear about the food & milk contamination in China, the dreadful hardship in Zimbabwe, Somalia and Sudan I do realise just how lucky we are!!

Birthday season!!

Well, David turned three! He is asleep, so I am doing a quick update.

We had the family outing, the day before his birthday, the birthday (just us), the cake at daycare (lots of fun) and the small birthday party for his friends (fun, on a very hot day). We have also been to a couple of other birthday parties. We have not only survived, we have thrived!

The outing was to the movies to see Wall.E. We went on the Friday, Dad took time off work, and it was GOOD, on all levels. As it was the day before school holidays started there were only four other people in the cinema, and it didn't matter if David talked. and he did, just a bit. The movie was great, and David loved it. We also spent some time in the amusement arcade next door to the cinema - loud, lots of flashing lights, "the claw" games that we just can't win and (importantly from David's point of view) shooting games. He was very excited to sit in a booth and point guns at a big screen - guns with holsters. It is amazing just how much fun he can have without the game working - just on the demo screen. As a digression, it is a bit like the photo booth near daycare. He loves going into the booth and sitting on the seat and listening to the voice tell him how he could use the machine.

The day was also noteworthy for me, as David howed me that he is now tall enough (with stretching) to open the front security screen door - also to lock and unlock it.

On his birthday, he got Batman pyjamas from Nanna Jan - dress up PJs with a detachable cape. He loves them, and wore them off and on for the whole week. They are size five, and too big, but wonderful. Once I worked out that it is better to roll up the tops, rather than the legs, we reduced the trip hazard, and we were in business. He loved wearing them to daycare, out on his bike, to bed, around the house, everywhere! Uncle Stephen got him dinosaurs! They can fight, so they are very good! We got him sunglasses, some new clothes, and ratatoille themed presents - toys, a tin case and a soft rat. Emile shoots a grape out his mouth, so he is a favourite.

David can, very proudly, hold up three fingers to show how old he is. On Monday I took a cake to Daycare, and at afternoon tea ( I came over for it) he sat up with all the other kids and they sang Happy Birthday, he blew out his "3" candle and then everyone had cake. The cake was decorated with a Spiderman picture, which looked really fantastic. He knew all about it, and had been telling everyone that he had a Spiderman cake for his birthday. He was (of course) dressed as Batman. It was followed by bubbles, as I organised a box of little bubble blowing kits, with one for everyone. He was very happy with it all, especially that Rafaella, his friend was there, sitting next to him. Just as well, because in the morning he had sand thrown in his eyes in the sandpit. His eyes were red, but he seemed OK and was fine the next day.

Thursday we had a quiet morning - it was the first hot day (34C) and we got all the dust off everything outside, scrubbed down the tiles with soapy water, got the paddler pool out, gave the bubbles kit and toys and paddler pool a trial run and got cakes ready. DAvid wasn't going to havea sleep, but then had a late sleep. Then we met Dad and Grant at the local restaurant for dinner. David then didn't go to sleep - I had made the birthday cake (late), and was making up goodie bags when I heara little voice from the stairs saying "What are you doing?" Of course he saw the chocolate frog bag from his peeping through the stairs. I think he was asleep by 11.00 or so.

Another very hot day for his party (36C), but it was OK in the house, and outside, and got slightly cooler later in the day. The ceiling fan was fantastic - lovely all day. We had a few from Mothers Group over, and Liam. It was small but relaxing and just right. I was so glad that we didn't have it in the park because it would have been too hot. Overnight the rain arrived, and it is 10C cooler and wet today.

In total, we had three cakes for his birthday - all carrot, his favourite. On Saturday it was a Woody & Buzz cake, on Monday at Daycare a Spiderman cake (and bubbles) and at the birthday party on Friday, a Lightning McQueen cake. So now we have left over cake - including the banana bread from Friday.

We are still waiting for his new bed, which is on order. Hopefully in the next week or so!

Party season

Well, David turns three on Saturday. Wow, doesn't time fly when you are busy! It is party season with Mother's Group and cousins.

Last week we went to a birthday cake Mother's Group on Friday and a cousins' party on Saturday with 22 Haselhursts (and partners/spouses) and 4 September birthdays. On Sunday it was Celestine's birthday party in the park. Lovely to see David running around with three other Haselhurst cousins (Monty, Laura and Declan). We picked up Marie and took her along to Annie's place in Paddington, so we had the full age range, from 1 (Monty) to 89 (Marie).

The weather was exceptional on the weekend, and perfect for parties. David was tired on Saturday night & Sunday nights due to no afternoon naps, but had a good sleep at Daycare on each of the three days. We have had a quiet day today, with a walk and play in the park this afternoon. David said that he didn't want a sleep, but fell asleep anyway on the couch after lunch. A bonus as it means I have been able to write this.

Tomorrow we are hoping to do a family outing, with Paul taking some time off. ( A surprise, so I will tell you later) The actual birthday is AFL Grand Final day, so we will probably follow the usual routine, with a present session over breakfast, cake at lunchtime and afternoon for footie. I am planning another cake at daycare on Monday and a small party next weekend.

The attached is a photo of David blowing out the candle at the cousins party - Declan is turning 7, hence the candle. Declan, Laura, Monty and David all took turns blowing out the candle. Howard and David (snr) passed on the candles, but all enjoyed the cake. I hope that you like the t-shirt with Bart Simpson on the front. It has been languishing in the wardrobe for months but is suddenly rediscovered and favourite. It fits him now, too!

At last! Another update

Well, where to start? It is all so exciting.

David is toilet trained. He pretty much went straight to "no nappies" and "no pullups" from the last blog. Not even at night, which I was thinking would take longer. Only one accident - and not in his bed. He got up to get me out of bed, so I could help him go to the toilet, and couldn't quite last until I woke up and got him to the toilet. But, as we say, accidents happen! Never mind.

I went out and got a lot of new underpants, to allow for accidents, and frequent changes. There are dinosaurs, monkeys, robots, Cars and plain. A digression - I asked David if he wanted to wear robot underpants or plain underpants. He got really dispapointed that the plain ones didn't have (air)planes on them! My fault. I explained what plain means. He is asking me about words a lot these days. "What means because?" What means welcome?" What's hallelujah?" "What's Praise the Lord?" "What's sweet dreams?" "What means bet?" ( Try thinking about how to explain the concept of betting so that you can meaningfully get him to understand what you are driving at when you have said "You bet!!")

Also exciting is that I am back at work on a small project for my old employer, part-time, flexible with the job to get done by Christmas. Rewriting existing policies, and updating some new global policies for local application. Great stuff. I feel like I am getting back in practice, and I have been effective from the first morning, which is great. I am also talking to someone else about some part-time work, so wish me well!

The even more exciting part is that we have a cleaner!!!! Yes! and she is going to come weekly!! We had a test clean done this week, and it was absolutely WOW to walk in to a clean, tidy house that I hadn't done. Kudos to Paul, who said that it was a condition of my returning to work.

We are now in the run up to the third birthday - and the co-incident AFL Grand Final. Exciting. I will keep you posted.

This is a photo of David with his new easel and paper roll. He loves it. It was an early birthday present from Nanna Josie. Delivered early on a wet weekend. My thinking is that it also helps him appreciate the individual items a little. Otherwise, it is extreme overload on the birthday itself (like Christmas). David is wearing his swimming rash top - not quite sure why. Probably something to do with it raining and it having Woody and Buzz on the front. He can sit on his chair and draw, or stand on it, as here.

I will try to get back into short sharp updates to the blog. It is hard though as David is still going to bed late, so I can't do it at night. We have had a few days with no naps (quel horror) and this also means that I can't use it during the afternoon. We are working on convincing David that when there is no nap, it means an early night. With some success. However, I have to be really careful about being in the office on the computer, as I turn around and there is someone watching me, who wants to play and look at things on the computer. Last Friday he said that he would make a nest on the floor and sleep there while I worked - yeah, right. He had lots of fun, but didn't sleep. I went to a sleep seminar organised by the day care centre, and it was really useful. Not really specifically aimed at techniques to get a child to sleep, but more general on building a happy, resilient child, who then should sleep well. Things around reducing anxiety and overstimulation. I have been trying a few things. Anyway, it is all good.

David does talk about things a bit if they bother him. He is saying more that he misses Daddy when he is away for work. He says that he misses me when I leave him at daycare, but he says that he has a "Great" day. He has to go back and say goodbye to everyone through the fence, before we leave, and hug various friends. His latest friend is Rafaella, and they are inseparable at the moment. They did toilet training together.

Batman!

Last week, as a treat, David got a toy Batman - it isa news toy, anda big boy toy. It is an action figure. He deserved it for practicing going to the toilet and brushing his teeth. And the big news is that in the last few days David has succeeded in toilet training himself . We still need to practice, but he is there. He is wearing big boy underpants, at his request, and staying dry. Still using a nappy at night which takes some negotiation sometimes. Because he is getting to be such a big boy, we went out yesterday and bought a doona set. I thought that Spiderman was the favourite, but David chose Batman. It is great. We have a nice washable doona in it, and I think that David was a bit hot last night, because he crawled out from under it at least twice. I eventually covered him with another quilt, and he slept late.

The Olympics has been exciting and David has a little Australian flag to wave, and knows how to encourage - Go [insert name] Go!! We have been staying up late to look at sport, so maybe next week I will get a few earlier nights.

Here are a couple of photos from our outing on the ferry last week to Circular Quay, with daddy! Also a photo of David with claws!

What comes next?

Hello! Another week has passed. David is well, and continuing to test all the boundaries. Mostly good, but still gets very frustrated when he doesn't get what he wants.

Nanna Josie is much improved. The operation on her knee went well, and we are hoping that it may end up with a new and improved knee when she finally gets out of hospital. She will be on antibiotics for a few more weeks, to make sure that the infection is gone. She had been having trouble with the knee, so hopefully the new components will will assist with how the knee feels, when she is back home.

We went to the library today and got lots of good books. David likes the library, and choosingbooks. Unfortunately, he chose one, and somehow it didn't get checked out - he was too busy carrying a video and running. We will survive. Curious George has been a big hit, so we have renewed it again.

We have been shopping for a big bed for David - we have found a couple that we like, but it will take 4 to 6 weeks on order for the favourite. So we haven't rushed in yet and will keep looking. What David really liked was all the character sheet sets. In particular, Spiderman sheets. We will see! We have almost decided on a king size single bed and I just hope that they make licensed sheet sets for king size single beds!

Attached is a photo of David with his Spiderman hat, still a favourite after over eight months. He still has milk in a bottle in the morning and night, but drinks everything else out of cups and straws etc. A bit of a comfort thing, I think. You can also see the big boy shoes and big boy trousers.

Just another week

Well, I am not really sure what to start with. The bad news is that nanna Josie is in hospital. After a few days the consensus is a serious infection in her knewe - the one that has the artifical joint. She is due to have an operation tomorrow to clean out as much of the infection as possible. We are hoping and praying for a good result.

In other news, late July & August is another birthday hot spot. We had a gathering at the house last Saturday for Dad's birthday. David loves birthday cake (carrot of course). Cousins, friends and Katie came, so David had a wow of a time. The two of them were up and down the stairs all afternoon, playing in David's room - and Katie enjoyed getting lots of things out of the wardrobe. She had fun getting into David's bed, then asking for all the possible blankets to be piled on top.

Then Cousin Matthew had his birthday - David spoke to him on the phone and wished him Happy Birthday. Matthew was a bit shy to talk. Then it was Uncle Steve's birthday. We posted him a parcel and called him on the phone. Nanna organised a surprise birthday party for Uncle Steve at the Friday night dance, which has been very exciting, even from a distance. Uncle Steve had no idea (and generally gets his way and has absolutely no fuss for his birthday) so it was a real change. A very big birthday cake too! There may be pictures in the paper - we will have to wait and see.

I bought David some red mittens yesterday as it has been so cold. He wore them this morning on his walk with his dad - and now I can only find one! They even had a long string connecting the two, but that only lasted a couple of hours. Because they are plain red, David thinks that they look like boxing gloves. How does he even know about boxing? I think that I explained something about it once, but it is a big leap to then decide that your new warm gloves are for boxing!!!

Man of Action

Well, another big week. Yesterday, David asked me what was in his LEFT hand. I asked him if he knew which was his left hand, and he thought and waved his left hand. I played the game. Then I asked him which was his right hand. He thought about it and waved his right hand. Later in the day, when we were reading books before bed, he picked up the toilet training book and said "This is called Stay Dry." I don't think that we have covered either of those things at home, so perhaps he has picked them up from Day Care. I was pretty impressed.

David got an Action Man yesterday. It was in the window at the Salvos store, and we passed it on the way to the post office. There were lots of desirable toys, but on being convinced that he could only have ONE, he chose Action Man. Pretty wonderful ("It's my favourite toy!"). You can see him giving Action Man a workout. He flies, he leaps does just about everything. David understands that a big boy has grown too big for Action Man, so he has given it to Salvos so that someone else (David) can buy it and play with it. No shoes or hat, but Action Man has tough feet, and head. David wanted to know what his other name was, presumably, his secret identity. After a few trial names, we think that his secret identity name is Jeffrey. Marcus or Carl came a close second. It has been a good week for Salvos. I picked up a bag of assorted old cars, earlier in the week, containing two more working rechargable cars, which goes with his racecar set. Absolutely magic, and useless unless you have the recharge "pitstops". We gave them a good workout on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

We are trialling phasing out the afternoon nap. Yesterday he didn't have one, and was tired and fractious all day. We had a few small confrontations, and one major meltdown. It took 45 minutes to do a 5-10 minute return from the local park. After David tried to bite me and then threw his drink bottle at my head (he got me) I ran out of patience and frog marched him home to the naughty mat. He lay on the floor on the naughty mat and cried about a lot of things. It took a while to progress, because essentially he wasn't sorry for hitting me - he meant it, because he didn't want to come home. Anyway, that is being two going on three years old. He went to sleep at about 8.30pm, and slept until 4.15am when he came into bed with me and fell asleep until 7.00am.

Today we got up slowly because I was tired after yesterday and the broken sleep. After a shower and breakfast we went late to Playgroup. David dressed up as Spiderman and had a lovely time. It was a much better day, and we managed to negotiate putting the suit back in the cupboard without a tantrum, in fact it was fun because we moved on to the next thing which was stamps, a biscuit and playing on the other equipment. After we finally left (a bit problematic) we then went to the park. We cancelled the planned trip to buy bagels and fruit before the park, because he didn't want to go. We went home, got towelly and some lunch and then went to the park, and kicked the ball, ran, climbed and had a picnic. Lots of fun! This butcher bird came to the picnic, and David shared his sultanas. It came really close, and caught the sultanas out of the air. We came home at 2.45pm (after more than 4 hours out) and David had afternoon tea and watched Play School and a few other things while I made a cake and his dinner. David was helping with the cake, and then went back to sit down. He was fast asleep when I put his dinner out just before 5.00pm. So, we will see how he goes with sleeping through.

David is improving a lot with kicking the ball. He is very good and kicking it while he is running. He loves it. Stationary kicks require thought, and it is a real effort to kick with either foot. When running though, he just does it and with both feet. Lots of fun for us all, and particularly for Dad. We had a great afternoon at the park on Sunday, playing then kicking the ball, then using the bat and then running part of the way home. The photo is of David climbing the playground equipment, without any help from Dad.

We are still working on preliminary toilet training. Both at home and at Daycare. David is asked if he wants to sit on the toilet several times every day. Sometimes he does. He is still in nappies, and not really ready for underpants. (We tried last Sunday for a couple of hours). He has a chart and a couple of books, and he gets stickers for sitting on the toilet.

This week - what's been happening

Well, to start with a few things that have been happening. Today we went to a Playschool concert. There were a few of us there from Mothers Group and a room full of excited toddlers and (mostly) their mums. At 45 minutes it was just the right length. Lots of singing and toys and a few jokes. David was very excited all morning, particularly as Katie was going to the concert too. No breakfast, but toast in the pram. He sat or stood with us and sang and clapped etc for at least 25 minutes of the concert, and then we ran around, explored, climbed and jumped on chairs and steps for the last 20 minutes. For David, that is pretty good. A very good time had by all. Afterwards, we went to a coffee house with an outside play area. Because of the concert, there were lots of other kids there and they all played together very well - nine of them! There were two big groups, so the others knew some of the kids, but David played with and talked to them all.

Also, I attach a photo of David in his new robot pyjamas climbing on top of the couch. The robot pyjamas have been a huge hit. They are actually more summer pjs, and a bit big but David loved the robots so much that he had to wear them. As the quilt was warm, it didn't seem to worry him in bed. He wore the top to daycare, and cried because I wouldn't let him wear the shorts too (not warm enough). The top looks just like a t-shirt, with robots on the front. The Sunday morning after the first night, he wore the shorts over his trackpants and the top under his jacket up the road for his walk with Dad. On Monday, he wore the top to Daycare and cried on the floor when I wouldn't let him wear the shorts - not warm enough. I went back and bought another set of pjs exactly the same, so we could alternate.

It has been cold here in Sydney for the last week or so, and particularly so the last couple of nights. Eight celcius is cold for Sydney. So, the last two nights he has been in his new (too big) Thomas the Tank engine pjs. Again, very excited about them, and he had to wear the shirt to daycare. These look a bit more like pjs though!!!

Dad is back for the weekend, so we had a lot of fun this morning and the weekend will be excellent.

We went to the library last Sunday and took out books with David's own library card (NEW!!). He likes having his own card. David found a Curious George book with several stories and that has been a real favourite this week. I have taken it along and read one of the stories to him when I drop him off at Daycare and it is helping the separation process.

Grandad

Paul's dad passed away on 26 May. He had been very ill for some time, and he just slipped away. It is very sad. David and I went to Melbourne arriving from WA just after the funeral. We stayed with nanna for almost a week and with David around it was never dull.

Here is a photo of David and grandad taken at Christmas, and another of David having fun in grandad's chair.

We were away in WA when we got the news that the doctors were worried about grandad. After several months in palliative care, the end came quickly. On Saturday he was asleep from in the morning, didn't wake for lunch or dinner. On Sunday he was quietly asleep, but there were concerns about his breathing. He slipped away quietly just after midnight on Monday morning, with Josie and Gaye there. We got the news in WA just before midnight on Sunday. No time for any of us to get there, but Paul had visited him just a few days before.

David and I went to visit my mum, who is still having chemotherapy, and stayed for a few days. On Saturday, in the middle of a dreadful storm with high winds and torrential rain, which we mostly avoided, we drove up to Perth. In a very large blessing, the rain stopped for us to leave the hire car and make our dry way to the airport. However the storm returned to close the airport, delaying the flight for three hours. We survived it all, and a full flight and got in late on Saturday night. A long day.

We saw all the family, and David saw Matthew and Evan. It was lovely to see nanna, but sad that grandad is no longer there. We showed David the picture of the modified light destroyer (HMAS Adelaide) on which grandad served during the war. He was very interested in the guns, and could remember that there were anti-aircraft guns as well as big guns to shoot other ships. Nanna told David about the time that grandad was stuck in the crow's nest during a big storm, and was sea sick. I am not sure if David realises that grandad is gone. We are dealing with it as it comes up.

The last photo is a blast from the past, with grandad holding a much smaller David.

David was still on Perth time for sleeping for Melbourne and several weeks after. We are now back in a routine and David is going to bed around 8.30pm. A bit late, but he does see his dad every evening. More soon.

Howdy and haircut

Well, after a long break, here I am blogging again. I will start with the immediate, and probably go a acouple of retro blogs to fill you in on recent developments.

The first photo is David helping me with the washing up. He is washing a sweet potato. There are many uses for his chairs, all good. We are really happy that we got the strong ones, that are good for standing (whether it is me or David).

Last Thursday, David had his first haircut. We had been talking about it for a while, and David was changable as to whether he wanted it or not. David has been saying hello to Tom on the Saturday walks since he was only a few months old. That's where dad gets his haircut. An example of the varying attitude - coming home from daycare, in terrible traffic at 6.00pm at night, he wanted a haircut - cried for it for over five minutes. When dad took him for a walk right to the barber shop, and he could see Tom, he didn't want a haircut. Generally, the further he was from Tom's, the more he wanted it.

However, dad & I arranged to meet at the barber's on Thursday at just past lunchtime. After a complete little meltdown, because I couldn't get David to go downstairs, we eventually got out of the house. It was nice and quiet and Tom and Lily talked David through it. Lily cut his hair, and he had a lollypop afterwards. It is a good cut, and he looks quite grown up after it. No more baby fluff. As you can see, we did it near the window, not in the barber chair. Lovely.

We kept some hair for the nannas!

Camera is back!

The camera is finally back and repaired. Let's not go into why Australia Post can't manage to deliver parcels, or even tell you that they are there - the parcel has been at the post office awaiting collection since 22 May.

The big news is that it is back. This is a photo taken the last day at the park on the day the camera broke. Good isn't it? David is driving a digger and looking moderately happy!!!!

More news and photos later when I feel able to go into all the news.