Punching Day

“Dad,” she interrupts our conversation on the way home in the car. “Dad, I have something exciting to tell you.” (We’ve told her many times that she needs to wait her turn to talk.) “Yes? What is it Anya?” “We’re going to have a Punching Day tomorrow!” “What’s Punching Day?” “Punching Day is when we all punch each other until we fall down. Then whoever wins gets a prize!” (A long pause as we imagine a Kindercraft-wide punch-up.) “What?!”

The concept was clarified this morning as David asked, “Anya, could you tell me about Punching Day again? Will everyone at Kindercraft punch everyone else?” (We smirk at each other.) “No, it’s at Mama’s gym!” (The light dawns… she’s made this up out of what I told her about my Saturday morning kickboxing class!)

One More Good Reason to Be a Parent

“Mum, mum,” gasping with laughter as I tickle her, “stop, stop, stop,” squirming and wriggling, “stop that business,” and as I start laughing at her turn of phrase, giggling harder, “settle down mum!”

There’s nothing quite like laughing with your kid!

Stats

Just a quick snapshot of Callum's growth (generally above the 50th percentile) so far and how he compares to Anya at the same age (almost 2 kg heavier and about the same length).

Anya weighs 17 kg now and is 3-1/2 years old.

A Groggy Weekend

We had a very tough weekend -- kids not napping and both of us exhausted by day's end. Seems like Callum may be going from two naps to one nap per day, and Anya is moving toward no nap at all. One benefit hopefully would be to have earlier bedtimes at night, but I really don't know how I can survive a napless day! We indulged ourselves in a lunch outing today and although it didn't alter the napping situation, it helped us both feel a lot more relaxed, so I think we'll be doing more of that!

Anya said something that surprised me yesterday. We were watching In the Night Garden (by the same folk who did the Teletubbies) and she said out of the blue, "I think there's a person inside Iggle Piggle." I replied, "Really? What about Upsy Daisy?" and she said, "I think there's a person inside her." (She also pronounced this in that strange way you can say something tentatively, with a rising inflection at the end of the sentence so that it almost sounds like a question.) I was amazed... I didn't know she would have any idea about them being costumes, although of course it makes sense as she loves "dress-ups."

Meanwhile Callum has been getting us to read books to him (when not indulging in his primary obsession, walking) -- he literally opens my hand, puts a book into it, and inserts himself into my lap. He can point to pictures of cars, dogs and so on when asked. His favorite book is This Old Man...

Going Back in Time

I made a quick list of highlights that I missed posting when I didn't have time to blog (May to August) -- see the "Backtrack" post, August 23rd.

Jacaranda Season

The jacaranda trees are blooming all over Brisbane at the moment, coloring the skyline purple and lacing the ground with beauty as well. I took all sorts of photos this morning while walking to work because the University of Queensland lakes are a particularly stunning setting -- they have masses of yellow water lilies blooming as well -- unfortunately I couldn't seem to get the right composition to capture the effect. As well, this camera doesn't seem to do purple very well, as if it's automatically adjusting it to a less surreal color or something. I shall have to go try again at lunchtime.

Secrets

I read PostSecret regularly and quite enjoy it, but often what goes through my head during the viewing experience is, "I wish I had a secret worth posting," followed closely and indignantly by, "these aren't SECRETS" (while looking at someone's arty farty made-up secret or not even secret, just some sentiment). It seems to me that quite a few people send in "secrets" just so their art can appear on the site. Not cool.

Great Events

Today is our eleventh wedding anniversary, but that's been eclipsed by my mother-in-law's 80th birthday party. David's oldest brother, Don, hosted the party of thirty people, one of whom said that he'd known Raema for 65 years. That is pretty incredible. It was also pretty incredible the way he kept patting her on the head like a pet, but I guess that's the familarity that comes with time...?

The day started with a mist over everything, like a foggy mountain morning (not the usual sort of weather for sunny Brisbane), then burned off to become quite a warm day. So we had our first swim of the season in Don's pool.

The other big event of the day was Callum's teeth. I noticed that he was sporting two new top teeth, bringing the grand total to six (four on top, two on bottom). This explains quite a bit of his recent restiveness during sleeps. He was a big hit at the party -- always is, to be frank, because he is so friendly and relaxed almost all the time. I do worry he's going to grow up to be a bit of a Casanova.

Anya had a great time running around with her cousin Siena, who is only 3 days older but looks about six months older as she is larger and sturdier. Luckily for Anya, Siena is the youngest of three, so doesn't mind Anya's bossiness.

We each brought a few dishes -- I made an enormous supply of nasi goreng, while David made a green salad and the birthday cake -- all absolutely delicious. I never actually looked up a recipe for nasi goreng before and was surprised how simple it was -- I used to buy it frozen from Trader Joe's (when I lived in LA) and add slivered almonds, and it seemed to have some ineffable flavor. Turns out that's a blend of kecap manis, shrimp paste, soy sauce and chili sauce! Not so mysterious now that I live in Australia where Southeast Asian food is practically home cooking.

I Can Do It! I Can Do It!

Last night Anya finally realised how buttoning a shirt works, and was proud to button her own pajama shirt. It's funny how such a small thing for adults is such a huge achievement for toddlers!

She has also continued to practice her jumping and balancing -- can balance on one leg for up to 30 seconds at a time now. (This doesn't sound like a lot, but you try it!)

Her drawing has also developed incredibly -- we were astonished yesterday by a cat she drew all by herself, complete with ears and whiskers. I shall have to scan it in and post it. :) (fridge art taken to the next level...) She's also been practicing her lettering (mainly focussing on her own name) and can write a very passable capital A now as well as several numbers.

Look Ma, No Hands!

This week Callum has been surreptitiously freestanding without support. I say surreptitiously, because he started doing it only for microseconds while next to secure supports. I started noticing when he grabbed interesting items with both hands and stood on his own without realising it. His most advanced move was to grab a newspaper while seated, and stand up while still holding it. I seem to remember other parents telling me their sons seemed to walk and stand more easily while holding a toy. This never happened with Anya because she started by holding my hands for walking, but I guess boys are typically more independent.

Jack and the Beanstalk

For fun yesterday I downloaded the words for "Jack and the Beanstalk" from Sur La Lune and printed it out with spaces inserted for me to do my own drawings. This is pretty rough as I did it in a hurry, but I might do a more polished version if everything turns out well. (I've also been doing a similar project with Puss 'n Boots but much more carefully and slowly.) Below are just some of the sketches.


Jack meets a stranger who, curiously, knows his name and offers him five magic beans.


Jack wakes up the next morning to a shady bedroom and finds a giant beanstalk outside his window.



The ogre throws down three calves from his belt and says, "Here, wife, broil me a couple of these for breakfast." (I wish I had drawn the table a bit lower, but I love how Jack is peeking out of the oven, where the ogre's wife hid him. I had trouble not thinking about Shrek when sketching up the ogre!)

Bittersweet

The annual Riverfestival started this weekend with a spectacular fireworks display along the Brisbane River bridges and F-111 flyover with afterburner, but we missed the whole thing, as Anya informed us that fireworks are scary (too noisy) and we were not keen to brave the crowds anyway. Maybe next year. So we spent the weekend pretty quietly, with small forays to the library and the park. I managed to attend my usual Saturday morning kickboxing class and had fiery thighs the rest of the weekend. I guess that’s good – one day, I might have thighs of steel, if I persist.

We’ve recently had the bittersweet pleasure of our little boy pottering around the house until all hours. (Meanwhile, his sister did not fare much better, playing surreptitiously in her bedroom when she should have been in bed and asleep.) All I can think is that perhaps the thrill of being in charge of his own destiny has gone to his head. He spends his daytime hours insisting on being accompanied at almost all times (“I’m crawling over here, but you’d better be there when I turn around!”) but in the evenings he is quite happy fossicking independently through all the kitchen cupboards, the recycling bin and various storage boxes while we spectate bemusedly from the living room. He doesn’t seem tired at all, and protests mightily when we finally decide that he must go to bed despite being terribly cute. This is quite a change from his easy sleeping ways since birth.

As for Anya… I was planning to report triumphantly that we had managed to banish lice from Anya’s head after three strenuous weeks of foaming, combing and “sit still! Anya! SIT STILL!” but this morning I was dismayed to still find several eggs in her hair. Her hair is so fine that the eggs are really hard to remove, and there is so much of it that it really feels like a Sisyphean task when I sit down to comb out the eggs one by one. I can only be relieved, anyway, that Callum, David and I have managed to avoid getting infested. I still feel itchy whenever I think about it, though…

Anya Portrait

Anya Portrait
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

Callum Portrait

Callum Portrait
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

Life, the Fast Version

I’ve decided to try posting via email from now on. Sadly, I can’t seem to find time to blog properly, so maybe this will work. You’ll notice I started back at work mid-April and stopped posting in May… (except for one or two uploaded photos)… We actually hit a lot of milestones recently which surely merited blog entries, but time continues to shoot past like whitewater rapids, so I’ll just have to recap quickly now:

This weekend Callum’s two top teeth started to break through so he’ll finally have a complete set for biting… he’s already a menace whenever anyone is eating (wants to eat everyone’s food!) Now he’s really set. As for walking, he is still “surfing” the furniture. I’ve tried holding his hands for walks, but so far he only takes a few steps and sits down. Talking consists of babbling although a few times he’s seemed to repeat a sound back, and his main form of communication continues to be laughing (most of the time) and screeching (when he wants something NOW, or is frustratedly trying to remove his shoes and socks).

Anya is starting to be interested in spelling out words, but so far only spells “DANGER” and her own name. She knows “DANGER” from going to the train station and seeing lots of construction sites around town. She’s been pretty indifferent to the Olympics, but it’s been good to introduce her to the idea of physical contests. She’s got a great broad jump, a tiny hop for vertical jumps, and super yoga-quality balancing and flexibility. Going from point A to point B usually involves running enthusiastically or sauntering slowly, with no in-between speed setting possible.

I turned 40 on August 2^nd and Callum turned 1 on August 11^th. It’s rather unnerving to be confronted so emphatically with the age gap between us (Anya’s birthday is in May, so I tend not to think about it too much, with her). The same week, Brisbane had the “Ekka” (Royal Exhibition), an annual week of agricultural displays and competition which has somehow become popular as a fun fair. We duly went along and showed Anya and Callum all sort of animals and took Anya on some rides, and went home exhausted after just a few hours. Since then we’ve felt a bit partied out, so haven’t been up to much.

What did I do for my big four-oh, you ask? My day started with my usual Saturday morning kickboxing class, after which I went to a beauty salon, where David had arranged for an hour long massage followed by a facial. Then it was home for lunch and naptime (not for me, unfortunately), then over to our in-laws to celebrate more birthdays (my nephew Isaac and niece Jessica). Last, in the evening, we went out to dinner with friends at Mondo Organics, a restaurant whose chef I’ve enjoyed watching on Ready Steady Cook. At day’s end, I collapsed gratefully into bed – really feeling my age.

Backtrack

A quick summary of Callum events (missed when I didn't post anything from May to August...)
21/5 waves back
3/6 gets keen on pulling himself up on furniture to stand
12/6 mimics my actions -- feeling a book, tapping a box
15/6 first tooth
2/7 Callum had been napping -- Raema (David's mum) heard a brief cry, and didn't go in right away; she found Callum crawling out the bedroom door, much to her shock (must have climbed out of his cot from the bassinet insert, across our bed, and somehow got down to the floor) -- we stopped using the bassinet insert!
8/7 loves to point; Anya has been licking his finger to make him laugh
14/7 second tooth
20/7 climbed a full flight of stairs, at Rob's (David's brother) house
27/7 clapping
11/8 first birthday! ...says "ah-ta!" peeking out from behind a cloth; puts things into a box (until now was only pulling them out!)
21/8 hands things to us over and over; loves rummaging in drawers and cupboards
23/8 third tooth (top left)

Going to Town

5-Aug-08 Gaythorne Station
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

This is our typical arrangement when going to work for the day. Behind David you can see the stairs we know very well from crossing the train tracks to get to the city-bound platform from the carpark. Anya now has legs of steel from traipsing up and down these stairs three days a week!

Man Enough

This is the tale of one man, two children, and several Samaritans...

David was taking Anya and Callum home on the train yesterday when Anya started to cough. She coughed and coughed and coughed until she started to gag and then... she threw up.

Two men nearby immediately moved out of the vicinity.

Three women immediately came forward to offer help. One even gave David her towel to mop up the mess.

Tangalooma 26-Apr-08

Tangalooma 26-Apr-08
Originally uploaded by jaguarish

Swimming with Dolphins

We had a great Anzac holiday weekend with Paul and Teresa and Heather (now 6 months old) at Tangalooma, a resort on nearby Moreton Island where dolphins come nightly to be handfed by willing tourists. I had imagined myself swimming with dolphins (yes in a fantasy-like mini-movie starring Elaine) -- the reality was quite different, with long lines of tourists going down to the water like an assembly line, but it was still pretty amazing to be that close to the dolphins. We waded out with a staff member and each had a fish to place in the water. I wasn't quick enough and my young dolphin (3 yr old) nipped my fingers a bit by accident. Anya, meanwhile, was keen initially, then ended by climbing my body in fear when Storm and Silhouette were actually circling us. (I'll post the photo soon.) So David fed Anya's fish to the dolphins as well, then the staff member even gave us more fish to prolong the moment. Paul gloated afterwards that he got THREE fish to feed their dolphins -- I didn't realise it was a competitive point!

The other great activity was snorkelling the wrecks just off shore. All of us enjoy scuba diving (Paul used to be an instructor) so it was the perfect holiday activity for us, and largely fitted in with the constraints imposed by two babies and a toddler. Paul earned platinum status by looking after both Callum and Heather while Teresa and I were snorkelling -- both babies needed naps and he had to walk up and down the beach carrying them both until they fell asleep. Meanwhile, David was back at the villa waiting for Anya to finish a nap. He went snorkelling after we came back, and Paul went back with him.

From Anya's perspective, the best part was probably having four adults to talk to. I don't think she considers herself a child! She enjoyed being right on the beach with grassy areas, sandy beaches, a swimming pool and playground all within a short walking distance. It certainly was great being able to swim at a moment's notice (the family unit at Peregian Beach is a couple of blocks away from the beach).