Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I'm constantly amazed

by my kids. I know every parent probably says the same thing but that's probably because they see things very similar to those things I see on a daily basis. Children are little sponges. They absorb absolutely everything, and their powers of learning are astronomical.

I think my kids are clever. Really what parent doesn't? Lexi, she is an arty little chickadee. She loves to draw and would sit there all day if you let her. She's a lefty, and has been basically since she mastered the art of holding things. She knows all her colours, and many songs, and dances although her dancing looks more like a seizure because she really isn't terribly coordinated. She would fall over a chair in the middle of a football field. Actually, there need not be a chair for her to fall over. I'm not sure if she just forgets she has to lift her feet, or if her mind wanders, but she is down for the count on such a regular basis it is astounding. "Are you okay Lexi?" "no no no no no". That's not to say she isn't okay, more that she is frustrated she has fallen, yet again. She'll be sitting at the table or playing with something and I'll be having a random conversation, for example "oh my hands feel sticky I should really wash them" and she'll run off, grab a facewasher and come back and give it to me and say "here you go mum". Such a cool little chick.

Tabitha is a funny thing. Dancing, well, she nails it. Not complex moves or anything, but always in time, and she does the hokey pokey like no child you have ever seen. And loves the "oooooooooh" at the start of the chorus. We had our first expedition in the car just the three kids and myself today and she spent a good 40 minutes doing the hokey pokey while the other two slept. She also has an amazing vocabulary, constructs sentences, and knows the context of so many words too. She can count to ten, sing the ABC song (missing a few key letters though) and repeats nearly everything we say. Makes you realise that you must be careful with language around children.....

Angus is my little angel. Truly. The happiest child you could ever meet. When he is crying there is a reason. Always. He is not a whingy baby. And odds are it is a little burp that has just got stuck in his belly and once that's up he's good as gold again. Such a joy.

Being in Victoria is a huge change from far north Queensland. Instead of waking up lathered in sweat at 5.30am we wake up cool, actually cold most mornings, but quite a bit later. But the nights are not so settled. Tabitha is not used to a doona you see. She is still in a cot at 18 months (Lexi only went into a bed at 2.5 because she was such a restless sleeper), and Tabitha is much the same. But she doesn't like the doona. The last two nights however she seems to have given in just a little. In return for that she has decided she would like a bottle in the middle of the night. Hmmm. Interesting tradeoff there. Last night I fed Angus at 2am and he only had half his bottle. Tabitha woke up literally as Angus was being laid back down in his cot. There was still half a bottle he hadn't drunk. Well, waste not want not. And it did the job. Sensational.

One thing about Victoria that I hadn't quite prepared myself for was the fact that KFC do not have hot n spicy year round. I think I may have already mentioned this however as you will be aware KFC is quite a huge part of my life so I believe that it warrants more than one mention. Anyway, at least the original recipe is nice. Might get going on the wicked wings though. Similar. Not quite the same. But they'll do. With ranch dressing of course. Praise. The only ranch dressing. I sound like an ad.

Angus will be 4 months old tomorrow. I can not quite believe it. I had a lot of trouble during his pregnancy. I started getting contractions at 26 weeks and at 27 weeks started going into labour so was hospitalised and given steroids and drugs to stop the labour. The contractions didn't stop and plagued me such that I had labours stopped at 31 weeks and 32 weeks. He then turned transverse (sideways basically) and for 10 days I had relief - no contractions. It was brilliant. However it brought up the complication that if he didn't turn then I would have to have a c-section. Not ideal when you have a 14 month old and a 2 and a bit year old. Anyway, he turned of his own accord, and so the contractions returned (oh joy), but he managed to hold out til 39 weeks when labour started again. When I got to the hospital my blood pressure was 140/105 at first taking and 155/115 at second taking five minutes later so it was decided they needed to get him out asap so epiduraled me up and popped the old injection of syntocin in. After much toing and froing and the epidural not working etc etc, 7.5 hours later out he popped, 8lb 6, 54cm long with a massive 36.5cm head. My little man! And he held his head up to look at me as soon as they put him on my chest. And I instantly knew that all the pain I had endured over the past 13 weeks was worth it.

People say you forget the pain of labour once you have your baby in your arms. Um, that would be a no. You don't forget it. You do however realise it is worth it.

Now, what was I talking about? Hmm. No idea.

I have two essays due next week. And zero motivation. It happens. I worked out last night that I got up three times to Lexi (who for some very strange reason had a horrid night, as she usually sleeps through without a peep), twice to Tabitha, and twice to Angus. That's seven times. That's a lot of times. When you think about it. Hopefully they'll all settle soon. Fingers crossed hey.

Tomorrow I think we might do some drawings. I think that's a definite. And maybe a bounce on the trampoline, although I must advise you that bouncing on a trampoline after having had three children in fairly quick succession is by no means the same as bouncing on a trampoline before having had children. I shall leave the rest up to your imaginations because I'm most certainly not going to go into detail!

I suppose I should contemplate either study or sleep, however after last night's effort I do believe the latter option will be victorious in this little battle.

I shall also endeavour to post more regularly as I have done in the past, but please bear with me. I, and the three children, are getting used to a new routine so sometimes things just don't go as planned.

And as they say in France, a la prochaine.

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