The Sleep and Eat project

We've been having terrible times trying to get Bax to go to sleep. He's a control freak too so we asked around the Wontoks and came to the agreement that we should put Izzie into his room and then tell him he is in charge and has to be quiet. SO last night Izzie went to sleep (still in her portacot by the way) in Bax' bedroom and about half an hour later G crept in with Bax and put him into bed and kiss goodnight nightnight Bax of we go. Tip toe downstairs. Then for about 15 minutes (only!) we could hear quiet giggles and squeals then silence. I crept up and found both of them in bed and fast alsleep - YES! Success! Yeeha. This morning at 7 I went in and they were sitting up in bed chatting so I put Izzie in Bax' bed, gave them a pile of toy cars and some picture books. Bax said "I won't let Bubba go out the door Mummy". I closed the door and left them to it. I'll call in a minute and asked what happened next.

And with the food thing. While at Granny's this past weekend Izzie ate two bowls of pasta mince full of veges which is amazing so we thought we'd try some more variety and so we all sat up at the dining table last night and we had about 8 different things for dinner and it worked brilliantly. It look Bax about 10 minutes to eat one tiny piece of mushroom and he was so funny doing it that G had to leave the room for a minute 'cause he was laughing so hard.

Calling all Aunties

Liane and Rose, If you read this please check your comments on the latest entries on your own blogs. You need to call G as soon as you can. All the best and love, Jess

London so far away

It has been two years since we left life in London. Some days it feels like a century ago. As I watch as Izzie puts her smeary hands all over my suit jacket just as I'm walking out the door. As I admire the strength of handi towels as I wipe weetbix off the kitchen tiles. As I wash a bucket of nappies before eating breakfast and then decide breakfast isn't at all what I feel like. As I take out four bags of rubbish to the curb wadding through the thick wet grass in my high heels. As I pass a tissue back to Bax on the way to kindy and watch in my rear vision mirror as he moves the snot further up his check. As I stand in my little bathroom (similar to the one we had in London, only this is the ensuite, and we have two of them, and the real bathroom is downstairs) and watch the fantails darting in and out of the trees in the rain.

And then sometimes London is very close again. Like last night when I was reading Bax a story we hadn't had for ages, one that Becky who works in publishing, in London, gave us. And as I'm reading I keep coming across little post-it notes she has stuck inside the pages with a very adult running-commentary of the story. I laughed so hard, flashing back to long drunken nights of rambling conversation in my prechildren, pre-rural-life, pre-all-this days, poor Bax told me I was scary and he didn't want that story, he wanted Ollie the Egg instead.

How much is that Bax in the window

Poppa

Poor little Bax. He's all stuffed up and coughing with a cold caught from G who weedeated in the rain.

And yesterday he got it into his head that Poppa and Granny were coming. he kept saying "Poppa's coming to put me to bed soon", "granny's coming too". But they aren't coming, not until they finish work for the year and that's weeks away.

So we rang Poppa up. "When are you coming to see me Poppa?" Said Bax. And then 'I've got a dump truck Poppa" "I'm having a story" "Izzie's in the airplane Poppa" and the usual Bax stories for five minutes or so. He seemed a bit happier when he got off the line.

But then this morning, first thing he said was: "I was running and running and running faster and faster and then Poppa came and picked me up and gave me lots of cuddles." Must have been dreaming about Poppa coming down too.

Head of the Class

G has now got a job - as school caretaker at the local intermediate. He loves it. "A lot of little projects, all stuck together" he told me. But on Thursday last is rained hard all day and poor G got soaked to the skin. Now he has a stinking cold. But the lovely principal gave him a Certificate of Merit "For going above and beyond the call of duty and weed eating in the rain" AND he got stickers and a chibbachup. So all good.

funny story

How about this one? I got home a bit early on Tuesday. Went inside to the lounge. There's both kids eating iceblocks standing about 4 inches from the tv screen with infomercials playing. I said to Bax, "Where's Dad?" Without a thought he said "Gone to the pub". I went up stairs to our room and found G out on the balcony sitting in the chair out there reading his book. He looked a bit pale and had to admit he was hiding from the two rugrats downstairs.

The baby who wouldn't go to sleep

Bax is back to not sleeping. G moved his whole room around after many many moans from Bax of "My room is too too scary". Now Bax says his room is not not scary but he still won't go to sleep.

We have a new bedtime procedure which involves putting him into bed, turning off the light and sitting in his big chair until he goes to sleep. Last few nights G has been in there for 14 minutes with him. Last night it was my turn.

I read him a story (or four) put him into bed, went and sat in the big chair, turned off the light, ignored him. Toughest bit is not falling asleep yourself!

But Bax wouldn't sleep. He yelled at me "Go away Mummy" "Get out of my room" "I don't like this Mummy". Then he started reading a book called That's not my tractor. And for a while there he randomly yelled out bits from the story combined with morther focused assaults. "Go away Mummy, that's not my tractor, I don't like you mummy, it's headlights are too shiny, get out of here mummy, it's trailer is too scratchy. That's not my tractor Mummy!"

Getting more and more sleepy his words became slurred. "Get out of my thinking chair mummy (a cross-textual reference to Blue's Clues)" "That's my tractor, go away mummy."

45 minutes later. I left him to it and went downstairs to G. I could still hear Bax in the distance "Mummy come back! Mummy Don't leave me! Mummy it's engine is too rough!"

G went up and did his version of the procedure. 6 minutes later he was back in front of the telly with his feet up.

Reminds me: I was joking to Bax the other day saying that Puha (our alpha female chicken) was the boss of all of us. Bax said "Huha's not the boss, Daddy is." I had to check "Daddy?" I asked. Bax nodded "Daddy is the big boss of all of us!"

Welcome to the newest member of our gang

It was such a privilege and a pleasure to meet Miss O's baby brother this week. I hightailed it up to Akl to see him. He's a precious, beautiful, clam little soul with lots of dark hair.

Angus James Russell is his real name, his blog name will be Master AJ.

So, welcome to real life and cyber life and all the bits between, Master AJ. Welcome to the adventure, the friendship, the team work, the experience it all brings in little ways and in big. Welcome Master AJ to the tangles and the triumphs and the testing times and the juicyness of a life full of everything and all of it. Master AJ, Welcome to the wild wicked wise and wonderfullness of this world. It's a lovely pleasure to have you here with us.

Beep beep

And yesterday we went to town to buy a horn for the bike so when Bax and Izzie (one at a time) go on rides with me they have something to do.

And now everyone in Otane knows Bax has a horn because G took him for a ride around the streets after bath time last night to test drive it!

Daddys stay home

This morning was the first time we've all got in the car and driven to town to have seperate days doing our various work. On the way Bax asked what Daddy was doing with us. G said "I'm going to work". Bax laughed out loud. "Daddy's don't work" "Daddy's stay home". It was hilarious. He was really laughing at G. G started laughing too. "Mummys work, Daddys stay home."

Prize winning gardening

In the mail box this week we had a little packet of seeds from Progressive otane - the local group injecting life into our village. There is a competition to grow the best sunflowers in time for our big village fete in Feb. Every house has been sent a packet and been asked to plant them so that the village is full of bright yellowness come Waitangi day. Yeeha! See that's why I moved to the Country!

And. My godmother sent us a big packet of swan plant seeds so we can attract the monarchs.

And. Auntie H sent us some cucumber seeds and kept some for Miss O and now we are having a "Who can grow the biggest cucumber" competition.

Make believe

There's been yet another switch into consciousness in Bax. This morning on the way to kindy he and Izz had a balloon each. Bax said "Let's play partys" and they waved their balloons around with Bax singing Happy Birthday loudly to us all. "We're playing parties Izzie" he told her excited. She promptly opened her window and watched smiling as her balloon flew out the window.

Dancing feet

We were watching 'So you think you can dance?' the other night and Bax was fasanated. Izzie had gone to bed but Bax was still up. The tap dancing was a particular favourtie and Bax started trotting around the lounge tapping away with his arms out. Is 3 too young to start thinking about lessons?