The end of another year

Christmas and New Years Eve 2011 leapt on me with a bit of a surprise. I have felt so busy this year, even though I got so much more accomplished in 2010. Here is a very brief summary of my 2011:
Mieke aced grade 2. Quinn mastered riding a bicycle. Matt went back to working 6 days a week. I got myself a job at Bunnings. We accomplished nothing around the house. We had two brief holidays with family. We threw around the idea of me going back to work full time. The dog stopped chewing things he's not supposed to. The cat continues to walk about on the bench like it's his God-given right. Quinn perserveres with his fondness for Abba and AC/DC and Justin Bieber lyrics and a love of all things superhero. Mieke remains true to the stereotypes of what 8 year old girls are into, adding to that a natural skill for and commitment to karate.

Happy new year to everyone and may you all enjoy a healthy and happy 2012. Over and out.

My baby is six with two adult teeth!

I'm a bit late with this post, but it is an important one as my youngest babe turned 6 last week. And what a week of celebrations it was! Having just started a new job I felt busier than usual and we had a massive lead up to Quinn's special day. I was fortunate enough to do classroom help with him after a morning of opening presents and exclamations of how much bigger he definitely is (and a couple of tears from me in private, lamenting the end of the preschool years and the passing of what was a wonderful time in my life. Though the freedom of having children who are less reliant on us for everything and mostly require more conversation with us than supervision is a pleasure).
So we out for dinner on his actual birthday (Thursday) with just family. All 23 of us, not including a couple who couldn't make it. Then on Saturday he had his party. Can you guess what the theme was?

Star Wars. Even though he decided to dress as a pirate (hey, its his perogative). He invited 8 friends from school, all of whom came. It was FABULOUS weather and we were able to be outside for most of it. Matt arranged workshops from droid making to make your own light sabers. I did food, decorations and pass the parcel, pin the asteroid on the space ship. It was a success, the boys were all exceptionally well behaved and Quinn soaked up every minute of his birthday week.

A day after his birthday Quinn lost his second tooth. The tooth fairy was so exhausted that she forgot to come that night, visiting instead on the second night and leaving a bit extra for interest!! We are all looking forward to a quieter couple of weeks of catching up with friends in the holidays!

Three year olds and tantrums

So Quinn is fairly oppositional and defiant at present. Oh, did I say fairly? I meant totally and absolutely, wholly and completely. His first one of the day occurred at 5:30am this morning and we are enduring up to eight tantrums a day (that was his score today). They can range from 5 minutes to about half an hour.

Some of the range of things which currently unhinge him - in no particular order:
putting shoes on
putting coat on
taking coat off
having his seat belt on
getting out of the car
eating lunch
washing his hands
drawing
not drawing
being refused permission to eat lollies every 2.7 minutes
being refused permission to drink cordial
being offered a mandarin
being offered a cuddle
not being offered a cuddle

Some of the things he says to me nowdays:
why?
i don't want to
no
no
no
why?
you're a bum bum (shouted at me in a rage - I involuntarily laughed at the comment/him/my impending insanity and it distracted him long enough to break the tantrum)
no
why?
i'm not your favourite boy anymore
no
don't look at me
no
no
you are mean mummy

There are many more, but I won't bore you. Suffice it to say I'm a bit frazzled and a bit cranky. I must say that this is not turning out to be my favourite age for Quinn, give me his compliant clumsy toddling, his slobbery kisses and one word requests any day.

What worked for Mieke at the same age does not have the same desired effect on Quinn. Mieke has always been more responsive and sensitive to moods of others. She is highly attuned to Matt's and my emotional status whereas Quinn seems a little less concerned. He is so content to be his own person and do his own thing that if it means going against the flow, then so be it. And I think that will be a most positive character trait in his adult life, we just need to work a way around it now so he will comply with our Very Mean, Bum Bum and Not Favourite Boy everyday routines and rules!

Look at that photo over there on the right. It seems incongruent with what I've written above doesn't it? Bless him. It's hard being three.

Happy birthday Quinn

Happy number two, my beautiful little fellow. xxx

When I found out we were having a boy I was overjoyed but a little panicked at the same time. I mean, what do I know about boys?

Well now I understand of course that he's more than a boy, he's a person. And such an interesting person too. He's assertive, lively, affectionate, mischievous, so so funny... he's wonderful. And I love him more than I could have ever imagined.

I can't believe he's two already.

Just because

Here are photos of my two Best Things.

The men in my life

Matt has been in hospital since Sunday and continues to wait for surgery. "It'll be done tonight" or, "you'll go first thing in the morning" are the promises coming from staff which are starting to sound repetitive (and just a smidge annoying). I submitted a complaint to the Patient Relations Department this morning around how he can be continuously put at the end of the theatre lists. Surely at some stage he would be a priority, if only by virtue of the fact that he's been there the longest? Private health cover is beginning to show its appeal. Wouldn't be so bad for Matt if they were letting him eat, drink or move about, but they have him imprisoned behind his pink curtains with nothing for nourishment but IV saline. Every twenty-four hours or so, when they're sure he's not going to be whisked away to theatre, he is provided with a meal (which he thinks is a strategy so that you don't realise how bad the food really is because you're just inhaling it to stop your stomach from digesting itself). And every hour he's there we're losing income. There are six orthopaedic surgeons in the unit, surely they can't all be test driving Porsches on the same day? Isn't one of them actually working? To add insult to injury, the whole procedure takes around forty-five minutes. C'mon...call one of them in from dinner, I dare you.

Through this experience I am getting a true taste of what it would be like to be a single parent. Hard. Slog.

Now to my other man. With Matt absent Quinn has insisted on confirming everything that is "daddy's". Repeatedly. Our days have included more than one inventory of Matt's side of the room with reassurance from me that yes, that is daddy's, and that is too, and yes, that as well, yes, all daddy's. Must be so confusing for him.

Quinn has recently developed an obsession with buses and trucks. Buses and trucks. Buses and trucks. Did I mention buses and trucks? We have a Fisher Price bus with flashing lights and a driver who, when pushed down on, activates the sound and music. Trouble is the music is only ever once (and about ten seconds) to about five statements from the driver. Statements such as "watch for the stop sign" "my bus has flashing lights". Which wouldn't be an issue if Quinn didn't have to have the music playing in order to 'drive' his bus. And what's worse, his whole world collapses every time the music stops and the man reverts to talking. Big tears roll down his face and he brings the bus to me saying "duck mumum" (duck is Quinn-speak for stuck). Sounds adorable, and it would be slightly more endearing for me if it didn't happen every thirty seconds. That bus is going to get 'lost' tomorrow.

Kidlets

Quinn's new tactic for opening Mieke's bedroom door. He loves closing doors, trouble is he used to get stuck. Not any more! (note the chair to enable him to get onto bed and move across to bedside table. He's resourceful). Mieke can actually reach her door handle, she just grabbed the chance for a photo op.
This one of Quinn by himself is one from a series of photos taken of Quinn last weekend. To me it doesn't really look much like him, but I love the picture.