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Thursday, July 02, 2009

Jack has missed a week of Childcare due to an ear infection. The doctor prescribed an average tasting pink goo, to be taken twice a day. Jack is not particularly enthused by this.

This morning I poured the medicine into his mouth, and handed him some water to wash it down in. As we busied ourselves around the kitchen Al then asked Jack if he wanted any more food for breakfast.

“Yes, more food - but no water.”

Thinking that was an odd response I glanced over at him and saw he had his hand covering the top of his water cup. Al asked him what food he would like, but he answered with.

“Flat cheese – but no water.”

I walked over and took his water cup from him. At the bottom of the water was a pink goo mess. He had waited for me to turn my back and spat it all out into his water cup.

We told him off and tears ensued. I was however quietly amused by his thought pattern. Unfortunately it is also a sign that his dishonesty is getting better.

I’m not sure if I mentioned it before, but while he will still tends to occasional come up to us and volunteer “I didn’t do anything”, now he won’t actually tell us what he supposedly didn’t do.

Posted by Doug at 8:38 AM

Monday, July 13, 2009

I’ve been telling Jack lately that he needs to have more patience. On the weekend he retorted, “But patients are in the hospital, and I don’t have any of them.”

Posted by Doug at 8:24 AM

Nearing his birthday, Jack started harping on wanting a Ben 10 Alien making machine. He got very insistent and ended up throwing a number of tantrums when we wouldn’t just go out and buy one for him.

While I had noticed the toy was being heavily advertised during children’s shows on commercial TV, I had not recognised the character in any of the TV show’s Jack normally watches. I asked Jack if he watched Ben 10 on TV, and he told me “No, only in the ads.”

The power of advertisement.

In the end Jack’s main gift from us was his first proper bike, which he is pleased but relatively cautious about. From the pile of gifts he received from friends and family, his favorites are an Imaginext Castle, remote controlled car, the trouble board game, and one of Dad’s favorites, a Marbulous set.

When asked however what he got, the very first thing he says is that he got a Ben 10. (The single figurine we purchased for him.)

Posted by Doug at 8:48 AM

Both Al and I told Jack before his birthday party that he had to make sure he played with all of his guests. He replied that he did not have enough arms and mouths to play with them all at the same time.

Posted by Doug at 8:50 AM

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Once again it has been far too long between updates for me. It is hard to believe my maternity leave is already half over. The time is just flying by so quickly - much quicker than it seemed to with my first maternity leave. On top of juggling Jack and Grace, I have been very busy with appointments in recent times.

One of my goals on my maternity leave was to determine which school to send Jack (and presumably Grace) to. As with any big decision and my 'IT analyst' nature, I feel the need to look at all options available in detail before being able to make a decision. So this big task has involved reading and summarising websites from a wide number of public, private, and Christian schools, to then determine which ones are worth following up on. Once we knocked out options that were too costly, too far away, too extreme in their views or not in line with our thinking, I was still presented with a large number of realistic options. I have then been to visit most of these schools by now, with the final few to still visit. It has been a little stressful taking Grace along to all these visits, but considering she loves being carried, and sleeps peacefully in my arms for the most part while we walk around, it has worked out mostly well. Another reason I wanted to get this task over now while she is still small enough to carry around easily.

I have been impressed by the quality and variety of schools. It has been well worthwhile to go and look at them in person (for the most part one-on-one tours with the principal), as it really does help get a feel of the school. There were some schools that looked great options on the website that just didn't feel right when I walked around them, while there were others that I went along not expecting too much and was really impressed by. It has also helped to have the opportunity to ask a wide range of questions and discuss Jack's personality and needs directly to see how they respond. Some schools are willing to bend over backwards to help you, and have individual approaches, whereas other schools have a 'one size fits all, take it or leave it' approach.

I have discovered there are so many factors to take into consideration. For Jack, I have been trying to find a school environment that he could feel comfortable in as well as hopefully an environment that provides him with opportunities in areas that interest him. Important considerations include school and class sizes, transition program (particularly given he is unlikely to know any students when he starts), buddy programs, preferably separate play areas for different age groups and particularly prep, lunchtime activities and clubs so if he isn't feeling comfortable in the general playground there are 'safe' areas or activities he can participate in and that he may enjoy, and how much individual student needs are met in areas such as remedial and extension classes. Other factors include the depth of their programs in language, music, performing arts, sports, IT, as well as extras such as camps, excursions, music instrument lessons, before/after school care, and school holiday programs. Finally, just a general 'feel' of the school environment - if the principal seems welcoming and someone you could approach with any issues, the impression of students, teachers and the physical school environment as you walk around the school, and the general philosophies and approach taken at the school.

I am thankful I have found a few schools that I can imagine Jack fitting into, and that meet most of my criteria. The difficulty is to find one school that matches every single thing you want (it would be nice to pick the best things from each school and combine them into one 'perfect' school). With the public primary approach we are taking, I feel I can meet around 80-90% of what I am looking for. While the private school options get up to the 100% of what we are looking for in a school, when looking at the cost, and the work hours we would need to do and the impact that would have on the lifestyle of the entire family and additional resulting stress for everyone, we have unfortunately had to set that aside for consideration at the high school level. While you want what is 'best' for your child, it can be hard to quantify what 'best' is, and has to consider all aspects of lifestyle, not just the school. It is more about finding the 'right' school for your child, then the 'best' school on the market as such.

I will be happy when the task is complete and we have a final decision made. I am glad I took the time this year to do it while I am not working, and without the stress of an impending deadline to have it complete (since many transition programs start 6 months prior to the student starting). Apparently after all this research it appears that I know what I am talking about to the principals as several have asked me part way through the tour if I work in education since I seem to know so much and using the appropriate education terminology!

Jack has recently turned 4, so I wanted to ensure I capture my thoughts at this time. The past year with Jack has been dominated by toilet training (which thank goodness is now behind us other than the night training we are yet to tackle), and preparing Jack to have a baby sibling and his adjustment to it. Jack continues to be really positive directly towards Grace at all times, and loves being a big brother and interacting with her. Unfortunately of late he has reverted back to throwing a huge number of tantrums and hasn't seemed quite happy within himself. He has also amped up some attention seeking behaviour and expressing frustration when he doesn't get exactly what he wants when he wants us. This has been difficult for all of us to deal with. Another major positive for the past year is that he is now sleeping independently in his own bed all night long (other than occasional nightmare), and also puts himself to sleep independently at night without needing me attached to him or in the room. Now that he is not having a day sleep at childcare, we are also finally in a routine where he consistently goes to bed around the same time (7-7:30 each night) and generally gets up between 6-7 in the morning.

Summary of Jack at 4 years old:

. Capable of mostly dressing and undressing himself, but still demands help with much of the process (particularly tricky things like buttons)

. Starting to learn to ride his first 'big boys' bike' (his 4 year old present from us). As usual with anything new, Jack is very cautious, but we have been pleased he is having a go

. Amazingly adept at controlling his new 'remote control car' (present from Grandma Q' and has far more control of it than I do (thank goodness he appears to have got his spatial awareness from his dad not me!)

. Capable of playing the new 'toy story board game' present (that involves pressing a dice and counting the moves around the board for each piece and following several rules in how the game is played) - the first real board game he has learnt to play and has picked up very quickly. He has also been ok with 'winning' and 'losing' (and has won about half the games so far with no help from us!)

. Happily trotting out the door with his dad to all his activities, and often requests to accompany dad on shopping trips

. Loves his little sister. If I am busy will willingly try to talk to her and occupy her if she starts to whinge, and if he doesn't succeed, then tells me I need to 'do Grace' so wants to ensure her needs are met (and her crying stops promptly!)

. Still can get very fixated on anything he wants, and takes a while to pull himself out of tantrums when he doesn't get his way

. Has 3 firm friends at childcare (Lochlan, Brayden, Brady) that he plays with each week, as well as occasionally playing with other kids

. Jacqui has reported he has started to come out of his shell at childcare and is participating well in group discussions and putting forward his ideas. She also reported he will now lead kids at times (rather than always follow others), and is ok if other kids choose to follow the different direction he is taking the play, or if they don't

. Still scared of older kids outside at childcare, and will only play next to the carer outside when the big kids from the next room (turtles) are playing outside

. Taking a long time to warm up at parties at play centres/McDonalds (can take 80-90 minutes before he is prepared to join in and play when the parties generally only for a couple of hours)

Summary of Grace at 4.5 months:

. Delightful with lots of happy smiles, coos and girly squeals (one of my favourite ages and stages!)

. Wakes up each morning usually between 7-8am (unless Jack wakes her up earlier). Still up and down with day sleeps (sometimes sleeps 45-60 minutes, other times wakes up after 5-10 mins - can sometimes be resettled while other times won't go back down). Still has a 'witching period' between about 5-8pm then goes to sleep in my arms. I keep her downstairs in my arms till about 9:30pm (she usually wakes up if I try to put her in any earlier). She then sleeps through other than usually one feed (anywhere between midnight and 6am).

. Still in her cradle but needs to move to her bigger cot very soon as we regularly find her legs sticking out the side, and her head right up at the end of the cradle

. Rolling from tummy to back (but only occasionally, not continually)

. Often rotates herself around 180 degrees when left on rugs on the ground (rolling to her side regularly and back again which moves herself around gradually)

. Gripping and holding onto toys well

. Loves her mobile above her change table, her activity mat for short periods, and starting to play with rattles

. Continually sucks on her fingers, and sucks on all her toys

. At the start of the day she can happily be by herself for 10-15 minutes. This amount reduces as the day goes by so that by evening she barely wants to be left alone at all.

. Still very quick to let you know if her needs aren't being met with loud cries, but generally has a bit of whinging preceding it as warning

. Doesn't mind being in her rocker in front of the TV for short periods, next to us while eating and in front of my shower (although her patience is wearing thin)

. Gives me big grins when I do her baby exercises and sing to her. Gives Jack and Doug big smiles virtually every time they come near her. Still frowns a lot regarding things at other times

. Very inquisitive and takes a lot in - her eyes always darting around looking at everything in sight

. Is interested in having books read to her for short periods of time. Has paid attention to the story times I have taken her to, and enjoys looking around at the other babies

Posted by Al at 12:55 PM

Friday, July 24, 2009

Grace rolled herself from her back to her stomach for the first time today - and repeated it several times with a pleased look on her face. While she has already rolled herself from her stomach to her back before, it hasn't been with quite the same confidence.

Posted by Doug at 11:18 AM

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