The last of it

I had a nightmare last night that all the blog readers got really sick of me talking about the kids and their sleep patterns so now I'm all self-conscious. I'll keep it short.

Coupla weeks ago Izzie slep through the night two nights in a row. They just happened to be the same two nights Bax decided to wake up in the night.

Then she went back to her old ways of getting up and going night wandering. At least she comes into our room and climbs into bed rather than lying in her bed yelling at us to come and get her.

Then night before last both kids slept right through til morning....just happened to be the same night the AllBlacks played Scotland at 3am and G had to get up and watch the game..!

But then last night they both slept through and so did both of us!

We went to a SHOW

On Sunday...styled on a WW2 troop entertainment concert party type thing. It was on in the town hall across the road from our house and Mum and I took the kidlets. I think they loved it. Bax laughed outrageously through the first half and wriggled outrageously through the second half. Izzie sat either tranfixed or half asleep throughout.

At the interval we had tea and sausage rolls. The kids had two each and Bax scoffed his immediately. Izzie ate one and saved the other and half way through the second half she carefully unwrapped the luke warm serviette wrapped package and slowly ate the second one much to Bax' annoyance!

Then yesterday they had cookies and Milo before bed and as I was whispering my last goodnight to Izzie she unfurled her little fist and there was her carefully saved second biscuit! She said with a grin "Mine Bikkie!" and preceeded to nibble it under the blankets!

Blossom Parade

Well we took part in the local festival to celebrate spring again this year - We've actually been here long enough to do annual things TWICE! Wow. The big guy in blue and red is our mascot Puzza! You can just see Bax in the foreground of one shot and Izzie to the left of Puzza in another. Bax' trike was decorated with blossom.

The walking sick

Driving home this afternoon in the car...
Bax is fake coughing and saying "I'm still sick Mummy"
I say "Baxter sick is not fun, it's boring"
There's a long silence....
And then from the back...
"Sick is a little bit fun Mummy"

Oh blow Izzie is sick again - just can't seem to get her right.

She woke up at 2 this morning and limped along the hall to our room sniffing and crying and all hot and bothered. She brought her collection of bits and pieces with her - namely the pop collection. It took her ages to get comfy in bed. She wanted her PJs straight and her pops in the right place, then she wanted a "Little drink please thank you " then the pillow was wrong, then the blankets and it went on like that for a while. When she was finally comfy, all snuggled up in my arms and drifting off to sleep, I heard her whisper, only half to me, "Safe and sound"

Just lovely poor little magical mite.,

Sleep

SO we tried the technique of our LA auntie and put Izzie to bed 13 times in one night - a couple of nights of that and now she is sleeping through in her own bed - or she did for two nights running (and both those nights Bax woke up for some reason and ended up in our bed (it's a plot!))

Last night when I went to bed I came up the stairs and she was fast alseep at the top - now I'm wondering if she sleep walks?! - she had just woken up , I said to her "What are you doing?" She said "I've just woken up" I wonder how long she had been there.

She has a confusing dummy thing (she calls them her pops). She has three and has to have all three or else it's just not right. Also she had a balloon. And a motorbike and a jeep in her PJ pocket, and a clip in her hair which was probably sticking into her scalp. So she has all this kit, no wonder she can't get comfortable.

I took her down stairs and gave her a drink. She was very hot and had an aweful cough. I put her back to bed but then she drifted down the hall and ended up in with us again. Oh well, two sleepy steps forward, one sleepy step back.

And when Bax woke in the night and I went in he said to me "Big scarey teeth" I said "Are you a tiger?" then Bax to me "No not really" and he rolls over and goes back to sleep.

Everything you didn't know you needed to know about pancakes

It takes 1 large and 1 small soup scoop of batter to make the perfect pancake. Izzie knows this because she can help make pancakes by pouring the batter into the skillet.

It is possible to eat pancakes everyday for a week without getting sick of them. Baxter knows this because that's exactly what he's done this week.

To make the perfect pancake put a cup of flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl then mix in an egg, preferably from your own hen (!), then whisk in milk. Put it in the fridge for a bit (about enough time to make a cuppa tea) Add water and whisk again (it should be quite watery). Then heat up a knob of butter (hahaha I just wrote knob) and a splash of oil. Melt together and pour residue into a little dish so you can use throughout your pancake-athon. Then just go for it, ladle it in, flip and serve. Oooo yummy.

The differences and the samenessess

Izzie and Bax are so funny the way they are so different but match really well. In the supermarket while Bax dithers about the pros and cons of stealing a lolly from the bulk-buy, Izzie just charges right in and by the time he's made a decision one way or the other her little hand has shot into view flipped up the tub bin, nicked a sweet, shoved it in her mouth, and shoved her hand back in her pocket.

When Nana Anna put all the littlest teddies up along the window sill, Bax said I want my monkey and made me get the little blue monkey down, Where as Izzie went to where all the other toys live and found a little ted who had been left out and asked me to pop him up on the window with his little friends.

But sometimes they perfectly match and they're the only thing each other needs.

This morning, both kids have hacking coughs and so does G so while I whipped around the house feeding animals and getting ready for work the kids went into their room and when I poked my head through the door there they were curled up together in the big chair Bax 'reading' a story and Izzie listening attentively as he sang her "There was a farmer had a dog and BINGO was his name o Hey diddle diddle diddle didle dee"

Marketing to midgets

My friend has been caught up with the China lead paint saga. His son who is three has a large collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stuff and a couple were part of the recall. My friend dutifully packaged up the couple of affected carriages and sent them back to Mattel. Yesterday a package arrived from Mattel and my friend opened it up with his sone. Inside were replacement toys and a letter from "Thomas". It said: Dear Fraser, Thank you for lending me Old Smoky and Henry. I really enjoyed playing with them and I have also fixed them up for you. Thank you very much from Thoman the Tank Engine. D was quite impressed with the letter and the way the whole marketing campaign had been handled, Fraser didn't look impressed at all. D said "It's a letter to you Fraser, from Thomas!" Fraser stared at him like he was a crazy person "Wow Fraser it's actually all the way from Thomas himself, he wrote you this letter" Fraser did the three year old version of eye-rolling "No he didn't Dad, Thomas doesn't have any hands".

Kids aren't thick or gullible really are they?

classic lines and quotable quotes

Here's some doozies:
Bax said yesterday when we saw a hatchback broken down on the side of the road "What a bugger, that's such a bugger!" In the perfect tone to make him sound like a little old gent.

And when in the car today he was asked what he'd like to be when he grows up he said "A fixer" A fixer of what? "Petrol Stations" - well ya gotta have dreams!

And when Izzie was chewing on a nail "Don't swallow it Izzie it might pucture the baby in your tummy!"

Tactics

Here's how I'm playing it: Last night on the advice of My American Friend I put Izzie to bed 13 times without speaking, cuddling, cooing or making any eye contact - this is quite some feat. She had a massive tantrum in the middle there but finally stayed put and went to sleep.

Tonight I am sitting in the study next to her room and she ios sitting outside her room playing with a toy telephone (it is ringing and ringing) but she is not talking or anything actually so I will not yet go and put her in bed (for the 8th time). I did notice when I peaked out last time that she has piled a cairn of toy cars at the entrance of her room like some kind of shrine to freedom seekers everywhere.

My computer is angled into the corner and to my left is a window which acts as a mirror so I can see her if she walks past the door. Right now I can hear her inching closer and closer to the perrimeter fence - she's almost in the target zone - patience patience keep your cool Jessie now go go go go

Who will give in first I wonder.

I think tomorrow I shall build a maimai in the corner of her room.