Category: being mom

Learning from my little one

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So my faults as a person has highlighted my victories as a parent
Two separate incidents had me thinking my that even if I’m not the best person I’m doing a pretty okay job as a mom (or my kid is just nice, who knows)
1.    At supper the other day I ordered food and so did Robin, I then got distracted by my phone as the waiter walked off. Aidan looked at him and shouted, PLEASE to which he received a huge grin, I don’t even remember if I said please…if I did it was a by-the-way, distracted kind of please and that’s not cool, even if people are paid to help you, an authentic please and thank you go a long way. He continued being cute by saying “Tanqu” (thank you) when his meal arrived asking for a “ straw please” and as we left the waiter got another thank you with a enthusiastic wave.
2.   I was having a lazy day the other day, stacking wrappers and glasses next to me instead of getting off my bum and going to the bin. Aidan saw me and said, “For the bin mummy” this made me cringe, my kid was calling me out for being lazy-oops.

Being a mom is making me a better person, I’m acutely aware that I am now exhibit in an ongoing case (his life) The way I treat people,l treat myself and the way I interact with the world are magnified in those giant light brown eyes and it makes me want to constantly improve.

Florence NOTingale…

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I have never felt quite as “motherly” as I do this week.
 Both my boys are sick, Rob with bronchitis and Aidan with tonsillitis, meanwhile I’m struggling to swallow and breath and (to the relief of many) talk.
You don’t really “get to be sick” as a mom though, even though Rob sent me off to bed early due to me having work today (he is off), I soon had both of them wanting to lay in bed with me cause they missed me.
 Rob dozed off into a drugged slumber while Aidan insisted on taking up the remainder of the bed while I told him his favourite bedtime story over and over and over.
Then he invented imaginary eina’s for me to kiss and then he wants to “huggy kissy mummy” then he wants to play a gayme (leap pad) then he passes out mid chatting.
I ended up sleeping on the floor – thanks for the plush rug mom in law – because I just couldn’t handle the heat or Aidan’s need to sit on my face.
Yes there are two other beds in the house, no I didn’t think of it, heat makes me silly.
A sick Aidan is an unpredictable Aidan, it’s so strange, he asks sweetly can he watch Dora, may he build blocks can he please have milk then he freaks out because his tower breaks and he lays down crying till something distracts him and we are happy go lucky like nothing ever happened.
He is not a good eater on the best of days and with his sore throat we can’t even get a cracker in him-I wish I could feed him through osmosis.
Meanwhile Rob is a sick man, I rest my case … Hehehe
Actually he is not the complainy type, even cooking supper and taking himself and Aidan to the doctor and pharmacy, I’m just not very good at being the Florence Nightingale type.
I can administer medicine but that’s it, I’d suck as a doctor, sick people make me feel awkward and act awkward.
So I just hover asking someone who is clearly not well, how they are feeling…I can’t even make chicken soup – I tried, it was a colossal failure.
Lucky for me they are pretty easy patients who just need me to be there, and I’d happily do that every time.

My son VS The Eng language

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At 22 months Aidan’s vocab is picking up nicely, I don’t know whats “normal” for his age, he might be needing to recite sonnets by now, but I’m happy with “Sing, stars sky high,mama” (Twinkle little star)  We had a fun little convo yesterday.

I had just changed him and he was sitting of changing table, I wanted to pick him up when…
HIM: No go away
ME: Then what are you to do?
HIM: Get down
ME: How
HIM: I Jump

ME: You wish
He seems to be picking up proper pronunciation now so I thought I’d share some of the words he is still abusing , cause it’s funny

Not to be confused with …

A little Aidan catch up before his second birthday

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I have a little chatterbox a chatterbox a chatterbox

I’m so amazed at how he is picking up words – to think I was nervous of his speech being delayed
Yesterday he pointed out a dinosaur in a children’s book, he said “tinosaw” actually, but I was still pretty impressed as his only experience with prehistoric animals has been the Barney parties he has attended, and here he points out a lifelike dinosaur without hesitation.
He tells everyone who will listen that he is getting a cousin. He also says the cousin’s name will be “bumbum” and cracks up laughing at his own joke (nevermind that,hehe)
He knows colours, well he knows ”boo, geen, puplel, yeyo and yed” – sometimes they are interchangeable but hey it’s a step in the right direction
He can count 1 2 3 9 10 that still counts as counting right?
He LOVES taking pictures and will turn anything into a camera “say cheeeesh”
He is odd in the way that his pronunciation of bigger words like “cousin, scissors, bandage, camera”  is perfect but he struggles with “cut, open, eat”

He is quite big for his boots this kid:
 I tell him “come let’s eat” he replies “come let’s don’t”’
I try to give him meat (he is still a vegetarian) and he tells me, “no mama, go away, just go away”
He threatens me with my mom’s house, like if I tell him to do something he tells me “I go ma house” 
But all the sass aside, we have finally found something that works (for now….KNOCK ON WOOD, SALT OVER SHOULDER,NO JINX) Naughty chair
If he misbehaves I let us both take time outs I put him on a couch in the lounge and tell him that he has to sit there till he is ready to apologise or clean up or stop being a Tasmanian devil of naughtiness
He sits there and cries, sometimes throws my pillows down, sometimes lays down exasperated like a character in a Jane Austen book — but every time he will get up apologise, give me a hug and ask for a bottle or a book or a tv program and be good…and now I can actually just ask if he wants the naughty chair and he wags his finger and says “No mama, don’t just don’t” to which I reply “then you don’t” cause I’m mature like that…

He will be two in April where has time gone?!?!?!

Grabbing those cuddles while I can

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Mr independence
Many books/experts say that letting your child fall asleep in your arms breeds bad habits and spoils them.I get where they come from and understand the need for self soothing.
 Besides, with time constraints it’s not always possible to “co-sleep” and falling asleep on a toddler bed with a foot in my ear and teddies staring at me is certainly not my first option. 
But yes I spoil my son and often lay next to him till he falls asleep. We read,pray,he dozes off and then I quietly slip out of his room,pack lunches and go to bed.
I don’t mind spoiling him this way because he will not be little for ever and if I stick to my plan of one and done I won’t get this chance again and even if I have another child splitting time between three beds will be quite a task (I’m no SA president) so for now when he asks me to “dudu here mama” I do and I’m pretty sure part of it is spoiling me not him….
At not even two he is fiercely independent this kid.
Just yesterday I dropped him at daycare and had him squirming and crying,  I thought it was because he wanted to come with me and not stay there, but in actual fact he wanted me to put him down (not carry him in front of his friends) once I put him down he strolled in, got a hug from a class mate and started playing blocks, not looking back once… (my heart broke a little)
I shouldn’t be surprised though he brings juice or water from the fridge when he wants a drink in a glass, milk for his bottle and even gets himself snacks (provita,a fruit,a yogurt that sort of thing) 
He chooses what toys to take on visits and packs his favourites away at night.
Aidan sets up for his own bath grabbing towel,pjs and even placing the large plastic bath I still use to bath him (save water) into the bigger bath.
He tells me to “clean bum bum now please” when he is dirty, does hugs and kisses on his own terms and the cutest yet most sad; I caught him kissing his own “booboo”…

So I for one will take what I can get even if it involves a children’s bed and 5 bed time story repeats…they grow up so fast and one day looking back these will be moments I remember – to those who think I’m spoiling him, don’t worry I intend to stop by University :p 

21 months and counting

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Aidan will be two in no time, I can hardly believe it, I swear he was born just the other day.
Just the other day I was walking up and down with him in the middle of the night trying to get him to doze off, he now walks himself up and down in the middle of the night…Just last night I was laying in bed with him reading and I fell asleep (mom of the year award) he then nicely got up and went to cuddle with his sleeping father…no fear of the dark AT ALL! I swear he can see in the dark this kid.

He has become such a little personality, pulls faces in the mirror and says, “haha din” That’s what he calls himself din instead of Aidan.
He routinely climbs into his stroller by himself and you just hear him shouting “come push mama”
He climbed into a laundry bin and called himself “INdin” because he was in
He loves pretending to be a monster…puts anything on his head and walks around growling
He gets into his car seat himself and insists that you “closse it” that’s his term for strap him in
He is very good with the peease (please) and dankyou (thank you)
He surprises me with words like yesterday he wanted the geen numnum “(green squish) and he said he wants Buu dough (blue playdough) – Had no idea he had any colour references.
Yesterday while building a puzzle he grabbed the star shape and ran to his room saying for the sky…turns out he noticed it matched the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling.

Watching him grow is such a privilege even if he has discovered the joys of a tantrum…