Transitions

Short one this week! We have had several 'transitions' hit us all at once - transitioning from 2 kids to three, Billy transitioning from two sleeps a day to one and Erin transitioning to being a big school kid doing some phonics work every day. So at the moment the routines are in constant 'tweaking' mode trying to work out what still works and what doesn't. Add to this a trip to the mainland to see my Granny before she goes in for surgery next Monday and it makes for one rather flat out mama!! I really need to get everything done before I sit down at the end of the day too because once I sit down, Jon usually has to wake me up to send me to bed!

Erin:
is now a big school girl!! She started writing 'letters' and has been showing an interest in reading herself so we have started doing a page a day of 'school work'. We combine it with lots of good books and conversation ("what does Billy start with Mummy?") and she seems to be thriving on the one on one. Of all of my kids, she seems to want the most attention and sometimes resorts to very "look at me, I'm 3!!" behaviour. I don't like to reward that behaviour, even when it is particularly funny (i.e. removing all her clothes during nap time and then jumping out and yelling "surprise!!") so her 'school work' is a great way for her to have the attention she seems to crave. Her hair is needing to be tied back every day now or she looks like an Old English Sheepdog with the hair flopping over her eyes. She looks very cute in pigtails though! As always she is my bright, bubbly little girl and she is trying so hard to be good and obedient and soaking up anything and everything like a sponge at the moment it is a pleasure to see.

Erin quotes:

Erin: can I talk to you Mummy?
Mummy: Yes sweetheart, what do you want to talk about
Erin: Me.
(She's honest I guess!)

(on finding her naked in bed at nap time)
Erin: I'm naked!!
Mummy: Yes, I see that, why are you naked??
Erin: Because I took all my clothes off!!
(You just can't argue with that logic!)

Billy:
is turning into a couch potato. We rarely have TV on, but I have been making use of it recently because things have been so topsy turvey. It helps entertain short people until tea is ready when tea is running late and Mummy is frazzled!! Anyway, if I look like I may be turning on the TV, he runs and gets Erin's little fold out foam couch and sits down with his eyes glued to the screen!
He seems to be skipping words and going straight to sentences. When he had finished his tea the other night he turned to me and said "Mmmmeeee ahhh finniii" which translates to "Mummy, I'm finished!".
Billy is actually the least adaptable of my kids at the moment and he really gets emotional when there are changes to the routine or environment, so he hasn't been coping well with Mummy being out of routine. He gets very tired and emotional by the end of the day and if tea is late we often get a series of tantrums which I am not sure how to manage - other than applying the usual consequences at the time and trying to get tea ready on time in future! It will be interesting to see how he copes with the trip to the mainland.

Christopher:
smiles and LAUGHS!! Still sleeping and eating like a champ. He has finally gotten rid of most of the baby acne so his bum is now REALLY as smooth as a baby's bottom!! He has a slight strawberry birth mark on the back of his head, but nothing huge. He is a bright, happy little baby. We spent some time outside on the lawn today in the sun getting some fresh air and then he fell asleep in the sling while I hung out the washing.


The house:
the kitchen has always been my hot spot. I love cooking in it, hate cleaning it! I also find it hard to make a good time to empty and fill the dishwasher as I need to go too and fro from the laundry and kitchen which involved going through the garage. When Billy helps, he often gets distracted and tries to play with Daddy's tools! So the kitchen is a bit of a bomb site and I have been flat out because of that. I can't quite seem to get completely on top of it. Jon is out tonight though, so I will use this time to tackle it properly!

Jess

And now we're TWO weeks!!

Gosh time flies! Jon goes back to work this week and I think we may actually get out of 'holiday mode' and get into some type of routine when that happens. Mum is here visiting at the moment and has taken Erin out for a girlie day shopping, Jon has also gone out to do a few things in town and the boys are asleep so I am enjoying a few minutes on here before I get into the things that I want to get done around the house.

Last week I had one of those "super-mum" moments. We'd gone to Devonport to put in Christopher's paper work (birth registration etc) and Erin had been carsick on the way in. I changed Erin's clothes in the back of the car while Jon took some papers into medicare then we drove to Service Tas to put in Christopher's birth registration. I left Jon in the car filling out some papers with Billy strapped in the back, I took Erin to the toilet and put the paperwork in while feeding Chris under a shawl. As we were walking back to the car I was feeling pretty good about juggling everything and Erin said "Let's run Mummy!" I replied "I can't now honey, I'm feeding Billy." She looked at me side ways and said very slowly (as if to someone who had a little trouble understanding English!) "Mum, that's Chris" Doh! So much for super-mum!

Erin:
is adoring having Nana Julie here! This morning she climbed into our bed for a little cuddle before we got up and asked me to say the ten commandments with her. We then went through a few other memory verses and had a big cuddle session which always leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling for the day! She is right into her letters at the moment and I am starting her off on a pre-reading work book that I have. It is a little lazy on my behalf as I know perfectly well how to teach her without using a work book, but there are only so many hours in the day! So we have the work book and our usual diet of varied and much loved books. I won't be surprised if she is starting to read independently by her fourth birthday at the rate she is going. She is besotted with Christopher, even if he is a boy! She has ordered twin girls for next year because "I wanted a girl like me!!" and I have a feeling she is trying to tip the numbers in her own favour LOL The other day I walked in to the kitchen to see her sitting on a chair next to Christopher's bed singing "Jesus Loves Me" to him though so the love is still there!

Billy:
has had his first proper big boy hair cut - he has had one trim before but I attacked it with the clippers and gave him a number 4 on Friday night. I will take a photo soon and put it up but it makes him look much older and brings out his big baby-blues beautifully. He is turning on the usual charm with Nana Julie. It was quite funny yesterday when he wanted to get out of bed. He started off with "Muuuum......Mamaaaa.....Muuuuuum" and when that wasn't fast enough with results he moved to "Naaaaannnnaaaa! Nana....Naaaaanaa!" Then "Daaaadaaaa!!!" (we did get him out, I was just occupied for a bit!) He had a bath at midday today because he found the ash bucket when we were hanging out the washing!

Christopher:
is getting even bigger! He has put on 330 grams in the last two weeks. He's still feeding like a pro and sleeping beautifully. During the day he is parked next to the fridge in the kitchen so I can make sure no other short people try and climb into bed with him and he sleeps through all the usual kitchen noise (pots and pans banging, tantrums because bikkies are denied, etc!). He has shocking baby acne and great big "chesticles" (swollen chest) because of his big dose of third trimester hormones but you have never met a more content baby. If they're all like him from now on I want another ten at least! He is just precious.


The house:
looks a little like a cyclone has hit. We've all been in holiday mode the last two weeks with Jon home. We even missed church because everyone slept in until 10:30am!! We'll get back on track this week. I am very ths=ankful for the cooking I did when I was pregnant and my big washing machine!

Jess

He's a week old ALREADY!

Can you believe it? It is already going too fast for me!

Erin:
is still enthralled with the new arrival. She is loving the extra visitors having a new baby in the house brings, the little social butterfly that she is. She is telling great stories about how SHE is going to have a baby one day and has ordered a baby sister "just like me" for next year.

Billy:
generally wants to pick Christopher's nose or poke him or cuddle him and love him to bits. Billy is being a little moody and excitable - also I think because of the extra visitors but adjusting to being a big brother. He is still Mummy's little baby though and we have some great cuddle times! As with everything that Billy does, he is sunshine one minute, thunder clouds the next!

Christopher:
Sleeps, Eats, Sleeps and eats simultaneously, then sleeps and eats!! Brightens up after his bath and gazes around. Gets a little unsettled in the evenings - typical baby stuff - but just little grizzles every now and then. He's a "Chirpy Chucker" and happily chucks more than any baby I have ever met before. He chucked about 15 times between midnight and 3am the other night and I am hoping we don't repeat that one. Loves his dummy and puts himself off to sleep reasonably well. A great, squishy, baby to cuddle! Lots of washing with the chucking, but no acid reflux like his older brother so I am happy!

The house:
WHO CARES! I have a new baby :D Actually, it isn't too bad. Jon has been hands on when he can so things haven't gotten out of control and with such an easy going bubba I've just been pottering along myself.

I'm going to cuddle my new baby before his siblings wake up and want to join in!
Jess

Christopher Shane