So Close

Photos from my phone 12/9/2009

Kate's first proper hairdresser appointment.  I thought that at age 4.5, I would stop cutting her hair with the kitchen scissors and let her have a proper hair cut.

 

My gorgeous Maxie boy, he is such a sweetheart. I think I have a happy baby, yay!

His first taste of cereal

 

Adam, Max and Rose

 

Max in the bath (my little Buddha Baby, love the rolls!)

 

Adam and Kate in the bath

 

(You can click on the images to enlarge them)

PS I promise that I will post pics of the not-so-new house soon. Truth be told, I am a crap photographer, so I need someone with a bit more skill to take a few pics for me.  

PPS I love my BlackBerry dearly, love it with a deep and meaningful passion, but even I have to admit that it has a farking useless camera.  Takes terrible pics, but it's a small sacrifice to pay in order to feed my addiction of being online 24/7.

PPPS Can you believe how big my baby is already. It is frightening how fast the time goes by.

The other mother and my aching butt

Phew!  Marko saw the other mother at school today and she thanked Marko for the note Adam wrote.  I am very relieved, I hate having bad vibes.  Perhaps she just needed some time to cool off.  (Which is better than my friend's version of why she was a bit 'off': "Perhaps she is busy consulting a lawyer with the intention to sue)  Now let's hope Adam keeps his teeth and other weapons of mass destruction to himself!  (BTW he is actually not a biter.  Kate is more likely to bite than Adam is.)

PS I nearly died at gym today.  If you are following me on Facebook or Twitter you will have noticed that I have become somewhat less excited about this gym thing.  I am still going, and I will continue to go, but I have to say I expected to 'ease' into things a little more.  I expected a more zen approach to gym, you know - some gentle stretching and perhaps a little adopting of the lotus position or something like that.  Not this blood, sweat and tears right from the start!  For someone who is used to working with the elderly, she is bloody hard taskmaster.

New baby = sibling regression?

After Max was born, everyone asked me how the twins are dealing with the new baby and I was proud and relieved to say that they were coping amazingly well.  They had just been through a move to a new house, which in itself could be quite stressful (especially if you are you are the mother who also happens to be three weeks away from giving birth, but we wont go into that now), and a few weeks later they had a new baby sibling. They went from being the baby, to having to grow up.  Some (my mother and everyone else I know) might say 'about bloody time' as they are four years old, but they were and still are my babies!

It is true though, they did cope with it remarkably well. I have very adaptable kids, as long as they have their mother and father around, they can cope with pretty much anything. 

However, things have regressed slightly. Nothing drastic, but most definitely noticeable. As in you'd have to be entering rigor mortis not to notice.  Kate has taken to sucking her thumb, something she has never done before.  She now sucks it all the time.  I am not quite sure what to do about it - I've chosen to ignore it completely but Marko tells her to stop doing it. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?  Ignore or ask her stop before it becomes even more of a habit?

As for my very easy-going, not-at-all sensitive child (YEAH RIGHT!) Adam - he has taken to talking in baby talk (sooooo uncute) and also asks to go 'uppy' all the time.  My children are about 7 foot tall and I am about a hundred years old with a bad back, a terrible combination to go 'uppy'.

Adam's OT also mentioned that Adam is being a little more 'sensitive' lately - "Are you still brushing him?" she asked.  Um, not as much as I used to (never) but I will start it up again (where is that damn brush!!) 

Then two days ago we had an unfortunate incident at school. Adam bit another child on the arm.  The other child would not give Adam the puzzle piece he wanted so Adam launched over and sunk his teeth in the other child's arm.  Sigh.  It is not a nice to hear, that your child bit another child. I would far rather my child get bitten than be the bitee.  I know it happens, but I felt terrible afterwards.  And what makes it worse is that the mother of the other boy seems as if she is really pissed off with us!  I called her immediately after school but her phone just rang. I left a message on her phone apologizing and told her that I had a long talk with Adam about it, and that he is really sorry.  I then made Adam write a note (I held his hand) to the little boy saying sorry.  We even printed a picture of a tractor on it!!  I've heard nothing back.  Which makes me feel terrible. I understand she must have been upset that her child got a bite (Adam didn't break the skin, thank goodness), but it happens and I don't think I would hold it against the child or the parents.  Blech.  I feel all anxious just thinking about it.  

So, assvice and opinions needed:  Do I ignore the thumb sucking?  Do I ignore the baby talk (actually, both kids are now doing it) or can I say "stop talking like a baby, it's very irritating".  Please can I say that?  Because it is VERY uncute hearing a 4 year old talk like a baby.  And what about the uppy?  Is it ok to say "go ask your father, your mother is old?"  And what do I do about the mother of the child who got bitten?  Do I try say sorry again? Do I arrive at school early in hopes I never have to see her again?  If you were that child's mother, how long would you stay cross for?

Who said this mothering thing was easy and uncomplicated?  Because I would like to find that person and spank their bottoms. 

Why can't people see your privates?

In another installment of 'mother always knows best' (subtitled 'I told you so'), Adam slipped and fell while he was messing around in a rain water canal thingy.  I told the kids it was too slippery to walk in, but they insisted.  Two seconds later Adam slipped and fell on his butt (it is always Adam), resulting in sopping wet pants and underpants.  We had just finished his speech therapy session and were on our way to Woollies to get supper. 

But instead of going straight to Woollies, I had to take off his pants and underpants and drive home first to put on another pair of pants. I was very happy, as you can well imagine.

Adam offered to stay in the car while I went inside the store (chance of that happening = zero. Not that it stops him offering each time we go to the shop) but I explained that even if I would allow it, he couldn't as he had no pants on and everyone would see his privates.

What followed was a series of 'whys' that eventually left me stumped.  I am normally quite good and only haul out the 'because I said so' in cases of emergency or extreme fatigue. 

But why can't people see my privates?

Because they are your privates and people aren't supposed to see them.

But why?

Because it is private and some things are not meant to be shared.

But why?

Because..... because.... those are the rules and that is that.

Gah. What is the appropriate answer for a 4 year old? Why can't people see your privates? You know, besides the 'because there are some sick fuckers out there'.

(and yes I know you are supposed to call 'privates' by their official latin name penista genitalia etc, but 'privates' is a collective noun in our house for the bits you aren't allowed to show other people. Why, I am not sure.)