Thursday, December 27, 2007

We made it through Christmas and there was a tree and turkey and presents and everything! It was great!

Erin:
loves her new hippo craft caddy which has crayons, textas, pencils and paints in it. Today she painted pictures for Nanny and Poppy and Mummy and Daddy.

Erin (to herself): "First there is a capital M then.........Mum, is there an 'o' in Mum??

Me: No honey, it is 'u' M-u-m

Erin: Oh, well, I've made a CIRCULAR 'u'

When I had a look, Mum ended up being spelt "Moum" LOL

She also got a few books and a CD called "The Singing Bible" which I think is fantastic. It's put together like a radio show with talking between the songs and it links up songs to tell Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation. I actually managed to get her hair into a plait at the back today (two pigtails at the front still!) and she is getting so grown up. She is wearing her overalls and the cuffs aren't turned up at all! I am planning our home schooling for next year and I just can't wait to get into it all with her. Things just look more exciting through her eyes!

Billy:
got his own foam fold out couch because Erin's was being a bit trashed with all the use so he got his own, and a Colin Buchanan DVD which he LOVES. He has been spending a fair bit of time using both of them at once! He also got a few books and a CD of Jay Laga'ia which I personally love! He has had a few unauthorised visits next door while my back was turned hanging out the washing so I need to keep better track of him outside - he is off like a shot! He is very affectionate with everyone but he is the BEST at making Christopher laugh and smile. Almost every day I look at him, a hard little rock of pure muscle with big blue eyes and a grin so big you could get lost in it forever, and wonder where on earth he came from - but gosh I am glad he's come!

Christopher:
is even bigger and happier! Although he did have a bout of weeping eczema over his head after I put some massage oil on there to get rid of the cradle cap! I usually use olive oil but just grabbed the massage oil because it was closer. It was a gift from someone and I haddn't used it before. It is going in the bin now. I keep forgetting he is so young and thinking he should have better head control or be thinking about rolling over by now - then remembering he is still only weeks old! Speaking of Christopher, he's awake so I had better get going. I will check in again soon and do a proper entry!

Jess



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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Hi all!

Well Christmas is looming and I haven't even put up the tree!! How slack am I? Things have been a little busy and in the course of running around I have let myself get a little run down! I woke up with laryngitis this morning. Actually, I think that is God having a brilliant sense of humor. I was praying yesterday and asked that I would become more thoughtful about the words I speak and more soft in the tones that I speak them - and I woke up with laryngitis! I can just imagine Him saying "oh, she will get this one, she'll think it is funny!" Yet more evidence that it was God who created my sense of humor! And yes, I did think it was funny. I've been chuckling about it most of the day. I have been enjoying Christmas shopping even if I haven't done much else. In my opinion, it doesn't do to start the Christmas excitement too early with little ones. We have done our annual pre-Christmas toy purge though. Before every Christmas or birthday I put out a bag or a box and we go through the toys and the kids can choose some to give away. This promotes a giving spirit in the kids and keeps down the clutter - and I admit I do steer them toward toys I'm not particularly fond of!

Erin:
is thoroughly ruthless during a toy cull. She was tossing things in right, left and centre! I had to rescue a few of her brother's toys and there were a couple that I had to restrain myself from keeping just because I like them! We gave about half to the Unterberger family and half to charity (the ones that leave little bits everywhere or make noise went to charity - I like Katrina's friendship too much to do that to her! LOL). That night she told Jon that she gave some toys the the Unterberger kids and some to "the other kids, not the Unterberger kids, ordinary kids" LOL I guess that makes the Unterberger kids EXTRAordinary. She also thanked Jesus that she was "generous to the other kids" in her prayers which I thought was cute. She is getting MUCH better with the phobias she started having (it went from the bath filling, to pretty much all taps, the noise of the kettle and the noise of the microwave and a few other random things!). It was Jon that turned the tide. He spent a lot of time with her over the weekend and taught her that it is Mummy and Daddy that control those things and we won't hurt her. SHE isn't in control and she needs to trust Mummy and Daddy and relax a bit! She still gets a bit nervous and she asked to go jump into her bed tonight when I filled her bath - but that is light years from wetting herself in terror about it which she was doing last week!

Billy:
weighed in at 13.4 kg and measured 89cm tall yesterday - what a whopper!! He is off the charts in height - not in weight though the string bean. "Please Mama" is very much part of the vocabulary now. He has been getting away with yelling and whinging a bit too much lately though and I do need to bring that under control before he does my head in! I really don't know why I always melt with him! He is very cuddly at the moment. I told him he could wake Erin up the other day and he went over and patted her head and said "Hello!". She responded by wrapping a sleepy arm around him and kissing him on the forehead. I nearly called Jon right there and then and demanded he came home to make more babies because ours are so cute! Today we were over at the Unterbergers having morning tea and he was either cuddling and playing SO nicely or standing hollering at the top of his lungs for me or (once) whacking chooks with a stick! (I think he was trying to pat them) That's my boy, storm clouds or rainbows, nothing in between!

Christopher:
is 7.36Kg and 66cm long - so he's HUGE! I have moved him to the cot in Erin's room as he is sleeping through the night now and it won't be long and he won't fit in the bassinet anymore. He is cooking and laughing and smiling and still throwing up his on body weight daily - yes, that IS a lot!

The house:
Oh dear, guess who has fallen off the wagon? It is CLEAN washing on the loungeroom floor and the dishes are stacked neatly ready for me to take out to the dishwasher and I only swept the floor and changed the sheets last night so it isn't TOO bad - but I need to get on top again before it gets too bad. I have a piece of paper stuck in front of my sink with "It isn't finished until you clean it up. Shiny things will keep!" I have been easily distracted lately and going to bed FAR too late as well which throws the routine out which makes for a deterioration in quality of life for all! I need to go pull it all in line again.

Garden:
is growing fantastically! Flowers everywhere. I moved a ladybug larve off a flower that I picked on to another rose bush today and it was eating aphids before it had all it's little legs on the new rose bush! I love those little guys! The veg is doing well, although I need to get in to some cooch that is starting to come up - again! I have harvested cherries off our cherry tree and they were very yummy!

Craft:
I knitted Katrina a kerchief to wear on her head for her birthday. It is snuggly warm - just right for Dunorlan winters!

Jess



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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I'm back.....again

Sorry I have been neglecting the blog for a week or so. Jon was VERY ill with a nasty tummy bug which chewed up a lot of time plus there have been a few disruptions this end. We are back on track though.

Erin:
has developed a phobia of running taps. She is worried that I will flood the house for some reason. She has full hysterics about it. I am slowly talking her down out of it. I have to remind her that if I overflow the basin all that will happen will be me saying "Oh bother, oh dear!" then we will have to work together as a team to clean it up. Her absolute terror of things is almost frightening to watch! We are reading Charlotte's Web at the moment and we are both really enjoying it! Her conversation is getting more and more grown up and articulate. Tonight she was able to tell me the happiest, saddest, most exciting and cleverest thing she did today! Happiest - bouncing on the trampoline, Saddest - getting in trouble for being naughty, most exciting - going to visit the Unterbergers and playing with their toys, cleverest - counting to ten on my toes!

Billy:
got his chickenpox jab the other day and didn't even squeak! I was expecting him to howl the place down but he didn't even blink. His vocab has gone through the roof and he is a real conversationalist now. He is speaking more clearly too. Tonight "Milk please Mama" sounded like "Mik peas Mama" which is leaps and bounds on what he was attempting two weeks ago. We have a game where I ask him "Have I told you today that I love you?" and he says "Nooooooo" and I say "Oh but I do I do I do!!" and give him cuddles and kisses then ask "Have I told you today that I think you're special?" and he says "Noooooooo" and so we go on for ages. We both love it! As always he is my full on little boy and he has emptied two handsoap pumps all over the basin in the last few days! There are moments when he gets very frustrated at not being able to make himself understood now he has started getting the speech going too. But as always with Billy this is soon followed by giggles, grins and great big hugs!

Christopher:
does NOT like needles! The poor love cried more than he has in his whole life. It took at least five or ten minutes to get him settled again! He is still sleeping all night and happily throwing up liters per day. He grins, laughs and has a go at babbling some times. He can now suck his own hand and sits there noisily slurping at it. He is so laid back and in no hurry to do anything much other than drink and gaze adoringly into my eyes. It is hard to think that in a few months he will be rolling over and giving crawling a go! I am finding it hard enough to come to terms with him sucking his hand already.


The house:
is still looking great after the Unterbergers. The kitchen is being thoroughly cleaned every night and I am well on the way to making that a proper habit! Erin is learning to dry the dishes those times when we only have a couple of bowls and it isn't worth taking them out to the dishwasher. And I have actually been using my craft room for *shock* CRAFT!

Garden:
is going great! Seedlings are planted all over the place, flowers are blooming. I am pulling up a lot of weeds, especially cooch in the green house, but so far I'd say I am on top of it. I planted a lavender plant the other day next to a rose near the trampoline behind the garden shed. I am picking armloads of flowers for inside all the time.

Craft:
I finished Erin's pillowcase to go with her doona cover - then Christopher threw up on them both before she had a chance to use them, or even take a photo! You gotta love little brothers.

Jess



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