Enough said…I won.
Battle of Will’s Battle # 2
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Category Archives: Jaxon
Battle of Will’s
A typical night here for dinner would mean having conversations with Jaxon that would go like this from the moment I told him what we were having for dinner.
Jaxon: What are we having for dinner??
Mum: We’re having…
… steak and three veg…
… fettuccini carbonara…
… steamed chicken and vegitables…
… insert any number of meals here…
Jaxon: I don’t like…
… steak and three veg…
… fettuccini carbonara…
… steamed chicken and vegitables…
… insert any number of meals here…
Every single night we have to battle him at the kitchen table. Every night we have to fight with him to eat his dinner. Regardless of the fact if he has had it before and loved it, never tried it or only had it once. Its so repetitive and by far our biggest challenge when it comes to raising Jaxon.
We have tried various methods to try and get him to eat more (I am so so so so so so so sorry for doing this to you Mum!) or try something new (including cakes and sweets!) We have sent him to bed hungry on various occasions. We have sat and tried to reason with him. We have yelled at him. We’ve tried negotiating number of mouthful’s before he can leave the table and stop being begged to eat his dinner. We have tried it all and he just does not repsond to those things.
Mid way through our first discussion about all of the reasons he couldn’t eat dinner I decided I would try something different. I forced him to sit at the table until he finshed his dinner.
We all ate our dinner and then moved away from the table. I did the dishes, played with Dexter and gave him a bottle. For one and a half hours Jaxon sat at the table with his cold spaghetti.
He tried every single trick in the book! He dug really deep this time!
… Muuum, I’m not hungry…
… Mum I’ve got a sore throat…
… Maaaaarrrrmeeee, I have a sore tummy…
… Mum, I just don’t want it…
… Mum I’m very very sad…
… Mummeeeeeeeee, I’m going to cry!…
He really did cry! He’s never cried at the kitchen table like that. But he refused to eat all night before finally getting told to go to bed hungry ten minutes before bedtime!
So I’m hoping I won this battle of will’s with him tonight. Since starting school he’s really been one up on me behaviour and additude wise and I am hoping this will be my one up on him for a breath of fresh air!
Yay…we’re free!!
This possibly fall’s under a Jaxon-ism.
I’ve decided these school holidays that I have a couple of new goals to reach.
One, I want to lose three kilo’s. To get me below 80. I haven’t been below 80 since I was 16 or so!
Two, to start taking more GOOD photo’s of the boys. I’ve been using the auto function for nearly two years now. Since Tim had his MS attack.
So I haven’t taken them out for a very long time to do JUST that. I don’t think Jaxon would even remember our little trips to parks and creeks and what not just to take photos. As I said, first time in years.
Yet when I put the camera down for a few minutes he asked me if I was going to stop taking photo’s. When I replied yes he exclaimed “Yay, we’re freeee”
It can’t be that bad can it?? For furture reference Jaxon, Mummy only has a few baby to teen photo’s to remember life as a child by. Count yourself lucky!
My anal retentiveness means I have to seperate these photo’s because they’re different layouts and it would piss me off to look at all mixed up!
Thanks to daylight savings I actually took the boys to the park at just past 7am in the morning. I was wondering why no one else was there!
Jaxon’s First Public Appearance!!
You know, Jaxon’s been having a hard time dealing with school emotionally. We think he has a hard time being away from me and Dexter during the day and when he gets tired he gets very emotional about everything. He’s scared he’ll do something wrong and he gets upset when he doesn’t know how to do something and wont ask for help. He holds it all inside until BANG…it comes out in one big burst of emotions.
That’s unfortunately, exactly like me. Down to the letter I was like him. I cried for the first 6 weeks of school when Mum left and I put little or big (as Mum would say, pfft!) brick walls up when I was scared of trying and I wouldn’t even try. BUT. I was incredibly confident otherwise.
This little video shows just how much like me Jaxon is. I was the kid volunteering to speak in front of huge crowds. And I was really good at it too! I did speeches for the school when important people came to visit and I was always the “president” of the SRC every year until year 12. I was highly involved with things like that.
In talks with various people from the school, we’ve come to the conclusion that Jaxon (and I) is a perfectionist. He doesn’t like it if he doesn’t know how to do things. He feels silly when he see’s that other people know how to do things better and though having more practice would seem like a logical step towards getting things right or better, it’s easier NOT to do them and NOT get seen learning and failing when all you want is to get it right and be good at it RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND.
So here’s the video of his little speech. I am so very proud of him and hope he keeps his confidence up to do things like this for years to come. Public speaking really is a hard thing to do but it always came very naturally to me and I hope it does for Jaxon too.
I’d just like to note, before you watch the video, that in practice the kids that got to speak were asked to think of two things to say about their hats. In practice, Jaxon only said two things about his hat. But when he got on that microphone he didn’t want to stop!
I was a little worried that when his teacher Miss Jodie asked him “How did you make your hat” that he would say “My Mum made my hat” 
Jaxon’s First Sunrise…
Jaxon’s body clock is set to 5.45am these days. It doesn’t matter how often I tell him to go back to bed because it’s still dark (“But I’m hungry”) or go and watch TV until my alarm goes off at 7am (“But I’m cold”) he will insist that I wake up with him.
This one morning, he asked me what was wrong with the sky. Apparently it was his first sunrise. So we got ourselves a big blanket and we went and watched it rise together. It was a beautiful morning spent together.
Park
It was labor day weekend this past weekend so Jaxon had the day off, though Tim didn’t. The boys and I went to the park and it turns out…Dexter LOVES the slide.
After the first few goes with Jaxon he started to climb 4 inches up the slide and then “slide” down yelling “ahhhhh weeeee”
And the award for…
“Being a very special helper”
Sustainable Energy??
This is how we power the car to get home…fart power.
Dexter started it…
I need to be a Turtle!
The other night when we yelled out “teeth time” like you hear in this video, Dexter got off my lap in the lounge room and toddled off to the bath room for teeth time all by himself. Then he got off the bench, walked in to Jaxon’s room straight over to his power point to turn on his light and music. When he thought he’d turned on the light and music he went over to choose a book to read! That is our exact routine and Dex knew it by heart. It was like he’s been doing it for thirty years or something. Do you think I can get him to do it again for video? NO! Still trying though!
In the mean time, here’s another of the boys playing together Love my boys!
That dreaded day…
Jaxon said it. He actually said it!!! He said…nope. I can’t even begin to say it!
OK. You twisted my arm. He said…
I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE MUMMY!
All because I wouldn’t let him out side while Daddy was using the angle grinder!
He was sitting on the couch bitching about it and said IT so I kept walking and said “Fine, stay there until you do” Needless to say it only took about three mintues for him to change his mind about me but I gave him an hour of guilt over the hurt he made me feel and he got put to bed right after dinner.
The next day, Valintines Day, he gave me a big red heart that had “I love you Mummy” on it.
He’s growing up so quickly. Not two days later he’s added to his artilery, “if you don’t I’ll go and live somewhere else. Somewhere far far away”
First Day of School
The bottom photo was the morning of his first day.
Well, Jaxon’s first day of Prep has come and gone. It seems to have been a success. Nothing much has changed from kinder though. He still has this memory loss where he forgets what he does each day and continues to tell us that he did “nothing” all day.
I sent him in with a jam roll, a tub of yogurt, rice crackers, an LCM bar and an apple juice. Well. The little shit comes home and tell’s me that we’re not allowed to take yogurt to school. Ms. Jodie, his teacher told him so. I was dissapointed, and a little puzzled at first, because Jaxon loves yogurt and I thought it was a nice healthy thing to send him with.
Then, as the night progressed I started thinking that maybe it was because the yogurt might go off in his lunch bag. Or maybe, it’s too messy to be had at school. I felt the fool. What a stupid mother I am to not think of these things when getting his lunch ready.
But soon after that we started cluing in that he may in fact be telling porky’s. It became pretty obvious when he tried to tell us that we weren’t allowed to send him in with sandwiches or fruit either, that we were ONLY allowed to send him in with chocolate and cake. Hmmmmm.
Also, after his first day, on our drive home he told us that he would be alright to walk himself to school from now on. He knows how, and can do it all alone. Never mind that his school is about 4 km’s away and that he would have countless roads and parks to cross!!
His second day seemed to have been more productive. Ms Jodie tell’s me that it’s prefectly fine to send him with yogurt if I want. He showed us that he can play hopscotch and…he learned the word “doodle”. In context, “I’m going to change in the lounge room so Dexter doesn’t bite my doodle off”
My little boy is growing up
Australia Day
Green Hill Lake near Ararat
Jaxon-ism’s 5072
This one comes from Poppy who, the day before Christmas had a deep and meaningful conversation with Jaxon about Santa visiting.
Poppy asked Jaxon if Santa had his address and Jaxon replied “No, Mum has a dress I don’t have a dress!”
Would *I* lie to you???
Take a very good look at that face.
That, is the face of a little boy who just got busted telling Santa he eat’s all of his veggies like a good boy.
Jaxon’s end of year Kindergarten Party
Jaxon-ism’s – A Sad one…
I am yet to post pictures from our day in the park for Jaxon’s end of year Kinder party. But I will.
Jaxon informed us on the way home from the park, where Santa had rocked up on a Harley and given all the kids lolly pops and hugs, that Santa was “a fake” (his words!)
We’re trying desperately to tell him and have him believe that Santa hires all of those “fake” Santa’s because he can’t be everywhere at once but it’s not going over with him.
I’m sad to think that the magic he finds in Santa may soon be lost. I want to keep it for another year!
My Beautiful Boys!
This is becoming quite the daily tradition. Dexter wakes up and Jaxon goes in to play with him. This morning though, Jaxon was “teaching” Dexter how to high five and pronouncing “We’re partners Mum”
I’m so proud of Jaxon as a big brother. I have no doubt in my mind that he will forever look after (and perhaps UP) to his little brother for the rest of his life.
Primary School!!
Jaxon had his first day of Primary School Orientation today! I don’t know who was more excited…me or him.
I tell you who wasn’t so excited?? The mother of that little girl standing with Jaxon and holding his hand.
Her name is Maddy and they are friends from Kinder as well. So when Jaxon spotted her, he immediately went and grabbed her by the hand and whisked her away to their “yellow” group.
In the mean time, her mother is sitting there all flustered and wanting to cry because her little girl just ran off with a strange little boy and forgot to say good bye to her!
I thought she was going to stampede through a group of 4.5 year old’s in the line to get there in time for a hug.
Jaxon’s imagination!
This is Jaxon…
Going to the moon in a rocket ship…
It had to be a blue moon, like the one in The Smurfs movie.
I asked him to smile but I think there was like 9G’s pushing down on his face by the time I got the camera
Jaxon-ism’s 6789
Excuses for not being able to go to bed are getting elaborate.
Jaxon: I can’t go to bed because my finger nails are too long…
New Friend…
When Rory died we had decided that we would call our budgie breeder lady (begrudgingly, because boy can she talk your ear off!) and put our name down to receive a pure yellow or pure white budgie the next time she got one. But it turns out that with her male breeder, she only get’s white and yellow females. We need a male. They’re nicer and less bitey. So that wont do.
She told me that she had a bird just out of the nest ready to go now. He was white, with some black on his face and wings and blue under his wings. He sounded great, so I went and got him on Friday.
I picked him up and had him in his little cardboard box when I picked Jaxon up from kinder. I had him sitting on the bench as I told Jaxon I had a surprise and got him to help me set up a new cage. All the while he keeps asking me “What IS my surprise?” and it never clicked to him that it was probably another bird.
I asked Jaxon to go outside and get Rory’s little yellow birdy ladder that somehow became a trampoline toy for his mini Buzz to climb. While he was out I quickly took the new bird out and put him in the cage and WISH I had thought to have the camera ready to capture his look when he realized his surprise was a new bird.
Anyway, this is BUZZ LIGHTWINGS. He’s far younger than Rory was (8 weeks) when we got him. Buzz is only 4 weeks old. I wanted to take him early (he’s still capable of feeding and drinking for himself) so that he would not form relationships within his huge avery and so that he might be easier to hand tame. Rory was already a bit nasty about my hand when we got him home so I never tried to tame him, instead just trying to teach him to talk and whistle.
But Buzz has been here now for a few days and has willingly hopped on my hand a few times now. I spend about 10 minutes over the day just letting him sit on my finger for a few minutes at a time. Sooner or later, I’d like to make him an outside the cage play pen attached to his cage so he can come out and play with the kids.
I happen to think he’s far prettier than Rory was, but don’t tell Jaxon that
You Snooze…they snooze….you lose.
Every single night I suffer a huge case of procrastination. The boys go down at about 8 now. Jaxon nods off between then and 9pm depending on how busy his day was and how much we yell at him to be quiet and go to sleep. But when they go down, I procrastinate. I’m tired enough to just go to bed right then and there. But then I start thinking about all the things I want or need to do that I can’t do while the boys are awake.
For instance, I can’t paint while Dexter is awake because he would be getting in to all sorts of trouble while I wasn’t watching. Not to mention he’d probably try to HELP me paint. I can’t paint at the moment while Jaxon is awake or around because he got his paints confiscated for a while for “accidentally” painting a hand print on the wall. I do think it was accidental, but the lesson still needed to be taught.
Then I have several other projects going all at once. I’m making lot’s and lot’s of origami paper cranes to hang from the ceiling either in Dexter’s room or in the corridor that connects all of our bedrooms to each other so we can all enjoy them. That I can’t do in front of Jaxon because he wants to make them too and can’t do it yet. I have tried to get him to make paper airplanes which he can do very well while I do my birds but it’s not good enough for him.
And of course, when they go to bed I noticed all the little things around the house that could be done quickly without them in my way. Like tidying up the kitchen bench. Walking in the kitchen with Dexter in there is like having to do the waltz with him because he is literally my shadow. If I open the dish washer, he’s in it. If I open a draw, he’s in it. Ug!
Well last night my procrastination began at about 8.30pm. I wanted to watch the end of a movie that I had started watching a few nights earlier. So I did. Then some other things happened and it was midnight before we ACTUALLY went to bed. But for those few hours I kept repeating to myself…I should just go to bed. I should go to bed. Go to bed. Right after this bit, I’ll go to bed. But I didn’t. And I regretted it.
Dexter’s become a good sleeper again, now that the majority of his teeth have pushed through (3 on top, two on bottom…none appear to be coming through at the moment) and I don’t “expect” him to wake in the middle of the night anymore. But last night, just as I nodded off he woke up at 1am.
As I got out of bed Tim said to me that he was sorry I had to get up, and even more sorry, but he hoped he would be asleep by the time I got back. As I leaned over to pick up my ugg boots I saw that Dexter’s crying had woken Jaxon. So I turned to him with a snigger and said “That’s ok, you can deal with THAT one”
Well, the plan had been that Jaxon would snuggle with Daddy until I got back (a bottle only takes 10 minutes now and he goes right back down) Well, when I got back…this is what I found.
With my back the way it is I can’t lift Jaxon, and waking him to move him back to his own bed would have caused more trouble than it’s worth. I didn’t have the heart to wake Tim because he’s not sleeping well at the moment so I decided to sleep on the couch for the night.
Normally, Jaxon is up with the birds. But this morning, if I hadn’t set an alarm to wake them both up at 8.30am I’m pretty sure he would have just kept sleeping. Maybe he needs a king sized bed with life sized Daddy doll (with snoring box in back) to keep him sleeping in!?
I put the black pillow under him because he had looked much like he was going to slip off the bed when I checked on him at 2am.
Brothers just wanna have fun…
Every time Dexter wakes up and we can hear him stirring through the monitor Jaxon will ask me if he can “Go and say hello”
Today though, as I listened to him saying hello, the playing seemed to be going on forever. Normally either Jaxon comes out proclaiming he’s done saying hello or Dexter get’s so hungry that he starts to kick up a fuss.
None of that today. I finally got suspicious and went to see what all the giggling was about.
Mum, I need a bigger bed…
This is how it goes every single night!
Love my Nanny!
Nanny made Jaxon the most beautiful quilt these past few weeks. It is absolutely AMAZING! Jaxon loves it, we love it and it might just be the thing he needs to get away from his teeny weeny Sesame Street cot blanket that his feet have been hanging out from for months now! Thank you Nanny, we LOVE it and I’m glad you didn’t sew your thumb to this one…ouch!!!
Introducing…
Roary, the Racing Bird…
Believe it or not….Jaxon HATES birds! But he was the one who asked us to get one for him after watching RIO. At first he jumped each time Roary moved about the cage. And every time he cheeped Jaxon’s jaw would drop as if to say “Holy Shit!”
But now he sits by him in the mornings and draws pictures for him. Now he asks him questions as if he might reply.
We’re slowly taming Roary behind Jaxon’s back. Jaxon wants for him to come out and play with us but I don’t think he’s really ready for a flying bird in the house yet.
Dinner Time Fun!
I’m pretty sure that my Mum is going to come along and say that I did this too. But I assure you she’s lying. I know this, because she has no photographic proof like I do and I don’t remember being like this. Seeing is believing people. I WAS NOT like this at all! (Promise)
Mozzie Season!
This is how badly Jaxon reacts to mosquito bites!
Poor Roary!!!
Comparison
I’ve been told I can’t compare Jaxon and Dexter. But when you’re using hand me down clothes from your first born (who becomes “the norm”) on your second son…who is slightly bigger and probably more “norm” than anything, you kinda can’t help but notice the differences.
Jaxon = 14 months old Dexter = 4 months old
We’re screwed…
Typically, when we don’t want Jaxon to know something we’re about to say, we spell it out. It makes life easier for us and I KNOW other parents do it too.It means that we don’t have to tell him certain things until they’re actually happening, hence, avoiding tantrums!
Some examples of this would be:
“P A R K ” (Let’s take the kids to the park after dinner”)
or “I C E C R E A M”(Let’s have ice cream when Jaxon’s gone to bed”)
or “N and P’s Tonight?” (“Let’s go and see Nanny and Poppy tonight”)
This morning though, we figured that in another year we wont be able to do that. Because Jaxon is SO SMART. He’ll know soon enough what we’re up to.
We discussed it thoroughly. We’ll next have to start using Pig Latin. It should be at least another 6 or 7 years before he can figure that out. And after that we may actually have to learn another language. It’s either that or we need to make up our own language.
I’ve left learning Morse code off of this list of to-do’s because Mum and Dad did that to Terry and I. It didn’t work though because our brains picked up on the language much faster than theirs did and soon enough Terry and I would hear them doing their beeps and dashes to each other and respond “Ewe!” or “Can we can we can we?”or “There’s an image I could live without Dad!”
Tim and I are screwed!
Jaxon-ism’s (03)
Daddy: If you eat all of your dinner Jaxon you can come and water the garden with me” (Jaxon is a terrible dinner eater and will only have a bite or two of what he’s given)
Jaxon: I have a better idea Daddy. If I drink all of my drink I can come and water the gardens with you. What do you think Daddy??
Mummy’s little Helper?
In the space of about 24 hours Jaxon has become Mr Independent.
Yesterday, he did something to the dishwasher. I don’t know what but it ran for an entire night. When I opened it in the morning and it STILL wasn’t finished it’s first cycle Jaxon looked at me and said “I did it by myself” He’d even put in a dish washing tablet.
Then this morning, he poured himself a drink. He also poured the bench a drink. And the floor a drink.
He has learned that he can get to the freezer all by himself. He now comes to us with his hands behind his back only to pull out an icy pole asking “Can I have this one?”
Several times a day.
Today he helped me push the button’s on the washing machine. I was cleaning sheets. While I was giving Dexter a bottle the load finished and started beeping. It beeps every five minutes just to remind you that you have not done your motherly duties yet. When I finished up with Dexter and went to hang the sheets out, the washing machine had been started again. My sheets are very clean.
Today we made cookies together. The kind where you buy the dough and just cut it up ready to go. These things never work so Daddy and I decided to make a MONSTER COOKIE. We had nothing to lose, since they never work. When they came out of the oven and were cooled we came in to the kitchen to share it around. Only to find that it was ALL gone. I bet it was the best cookie ever. Jaxon will tell you that anyway.
He’s also learned to navigate the computer. In particular my facebook account. I’ve found him many times just looking through our photo’s. Or photo’s of my friends.
The only really good thing he’s learned to do all by himself is get himself dressed.
Cherry Park
It was a yukky muggy day today so we decided to get out of the house and take the KIDS down to the park. I still can’t believe I get to say KIDS! Two little people in MY care! God Help them (or me!)
Social Butterfly
I honestly don’t know where he get’s it from. I don’t know if the way we have raised him has made him the person that he is or if he would have been like this anyway. But Jaxon is the most social person I have ever met.
For example. I took him to the park after dinner tonight and the first thing he did was go and make friends with all of the adults in the park. And then all of the kids.
His conversations went something like “Hello, what’s your name? My name’s Jaxon. Its nice to meet you. Do you know my baby brothers name? It’s Dexter. How old are you? I’m 31″ and on and on.
He proceeded to drag everyone in to a make believe ice cream shop where they all got to order their own ice cream and then give him wood chips as payments. Only I seemed to be uncomfortable with this. Everyone else thought it was just adorable that this 4 year old thinks he’s 31 (and acts 31) and wants to play with everyone.
Heaven forbid any of them decide to leave the park without saying good bye. Because he would run after them yelling “bye. Have a good night. It was great seeing you” as the hopped in to their cars.
I worry about many things when it comes to Jaxon and how he’s going to deal with the things life is throwing at him. But making friends and being the most polite and friendly and accepting person in the world is never going to be a concern.
Jaxon Turns FOUR!
It’s so hard to believe that Jaxon is now four years old. It seems like millions of years ago that we were anxiously awaiting his arrival. Yet here we are. He actually made it this far!
The cake was made by Daddy and Jaxon. Daddy was given very specific instructions on what it had to be. It had to be a strawberry flavoured cake that was green, with red icing. Despite looking a little odd, the cake was delicious!
Boat!
Jaxon is quite obsessed with boats. Last year, when it came time for us to VOTE I heard Daddy telling Jaxon that he needed to get dressed so we could go. Minutes later Jaxon came dashing in to me yelling “Mummy, we’re going on a BOAT and I’m going to catch FISH!”
Recently we decided that it was time Jaxon got some alone time with just Daddy and I. So we gave Dexter to Nanny for the day and headed to the local ferry, which travel’s an hour each way in to the city. When we finally told Jaxon we were taking him on a boat he lit up with excitement. And then asked to go and get his fishing rod.
We had a fantastic day and I’m sure this will be a wonderful memory for Jaxon. We got to see a sea plane take off, a black swan, a big ship, lot’s of bridges, the city and of course…we got to go on a boat.
Jaxon got to drive for about 15 minutes. Before the boat came in to dock I pointed out the man in the white shirt as the Captain. We entered the cabin and the second the man in the white shirt came in Jaxon yelled out to him “Hi Captain!!!” Minutes later, once we had been turned around and were heading out to sea the Captain came and got Jaxon and put him in the Captains seat. He stood there talking to him and let him take the wheel. Jaxon would steer us off course and the Captain would ask to have a turn to steer us back. Then Jaxon would steer us off course…and the Captain would steer us back. And so on. He had a ball!!
Reading Skill’s, need some work!
On a very hot and humid night a week or two ago we had our very first night of calm AND awake Dexter. Normally, the two don’t go together. He’s either awake and crying or awake and eating…or asleep. We sat on the bed in our room with the window’s open for the breeze and got Jaxon to read a book to Dexter.
He does pretty well. The first page reads “Grug had saved enough money to buy his first bike” and then Daddy laughs on the second page because Jaxon is ad libbing. When we read his book to him each night we sometimes get bored and make up our own words. Jaxon laugh in hysterics. Essentially the book is the same but we change the minor details. The book states that Grug buys a bright yellow bike. And Jaxon has changed it to bright blue boat. Just as we would have if we had been reading it. He’s a very clever boy, though it might be a while before he gets through the entire book! (the pages that he did “read” were spot on)
Sore Throats will do that to you!
I had actually intended to come here today to tell you all about Jaxon’s new found skill of song writing. But that can wait another day because today, he made me laugh so hard and it has to be recorded!
My morning sickness is getting pretty bad now. Up until today, I’ve only been forced to go and drive the porcelain bus once in front of Jaxon. Today, I had to do it again.
So there I am trying not to just do it. Trying to prepare Jaxon for what’s coming.
Mummy: Jaxon, Mummy’s going to be sick.
Jaxon: Mummy you come with me?
Mummy: Jaxon, Mummy needs to be sick in the toilet.
Then I start heaving.
Jaxon stands there, different to his father in that he put his hand on my back and patted me while I was sick. His Daddy would be making jokes about holding hair back and pretending to dry heave.
Then he says to me “Mummy, you got a sore throat?”
Mid heave, I have to laugh. Do you know how hard that is!? I tell him, yes…something …like …that. Heave.
Mummy, you need to have some panadol!
OMG! It hurts my entire body to throw up at this stage in the pregnancy. But let me tell you, it hurts to LAUGH and throw up even more! Who would have thought you could be made to laugh during one of life’s more awful events!?
Popcorn and Leprechauns
A conversation with Daddy.
Jaxon: Daddy we saw a rainbow! Daddy we saw a rainbow!
Daddy: REALLY! Was there a pot of gold at the bottom of it?
Jaxon: No Dad, just a pot of popcorn.
By far….
This is by far, the nicest photo I have ever managed to snap of Tim.
See that thing on his face?? The smile?? Not often I get that. I had to say something really funny to get that smile and though it’s totally suitable for your ears and Jaxon’s ears and anyone’s ears that might be close enough to hear, I’m not saying what it was.
I shall just remember that for next time. And Tim, there WILL be a next time. I love seeing you smile!!
DORA!
A couple weeks ago (I KNOW! I’m getting slack!) Jaxon and I went with Tasha and her kids to see a live show of Dora the Explorer.
We weren’t meant to take photo’s I don’t think…or video. But we did, as did everyone else.
I was so incredibly impressed with all of our kids who were so well behaved for us. I fully expected to be all stressed out and in fact, I was dreading the experience for weeks. But they did as they were told, they held hands and crossed the roads well. They stayed together as a group and not one of them chucked a hissy fit. I was just so HAPPY with them all!!
The funny thing was that Tasha’s youngest Abbi and Jaxon took a very long time to figure out that the stage was not just a HUGE TV! I actually think Jaxon STILL thinks he just went to the movies!!
Here’s some pics.
Jaxon was so impressed with the show that even now, weeks after we went he’s still asking me to sing “Pyramid, jungle, lost city” and if I don’t put the right kind of SPIN on “loooost city” like Dora does…well!! I might as well be dead to him!
A BIG thank you to Michael who gave us the tickets to go!
By the Power of Gray…something.
He-Man says “By the Power of Grayskull!”
Jaxon says “By the Power of Gray-cow”
Bed Time Stories
Fun for…er….the whole family!?
Dibber Dobber
There are a lot of changes going on around here at the moment.
Among them, we’re upgrading our spare bed from a blow up mattress to a proper bed for times when Grandma comes to visit.
We got our new bed frame, and Tim gave it a coat of vanish. It’s not wet anymore but it’s still a little grabby.
So as we’re in the room assembling it with Jaxon playing with Buzz Lightyear in the middle of us we tell him he’s not allowed to touch it.
Then we needed to leave to get the remaining bits to the bed and as we leave we reinforce our request for him not to touch while we’re gone.
On our way out to the shed Tim asks me how long I think it will be before he touches it. And I tell him he’ll do it just once “just to figure out WHY we asked him not to touch it”
When we return we fully expected that Jaxon would have his sticky little mits on the bed frame. Instead, there’s Jaxon holding Buzz in such a way that his hand was touching it!
He proclaims “Buzz touched it! Buzz touched it!”
Evil little genius he is!?
Routine – down pat.
We’ve got a fairly solid bed time routine set up with Jaxon, even if we’re slightly lax during the day about when we have meals and naps and plays.
It was all too obvious tonight, given the conversation that Jaxon and I had as I left his room.
It’s normally ME saying this stuff to him and him repeating it to me!
Jaxon: Leave the door open a little bit Mum (peease)
Mum: Yes, I will Jaxon
Jaxon: See you in five minutes Mum.
Mum: Um, ok!?
Jaxon: “I love you Mum”
Mum: I love you too Jaxon!
Jaxon: Sweet Dreams Mum
Mum: Sweet Dreams Jaxon
Jaxon: See you in the morning Mum
Mum: Yes Jaxon
Jaxon: Sleep tight Mum
Mum: Jaxon, you’re stalling. Go to sleep.
Jaxon: Yes Mum.
As I’m walking off, and now no where for him to see I can still hear him yelling out “Night Mum!!”
JAAAAAAAXONNNN!!!
This is what happens on an ordinary night…when parents ASSUME that their child has gone quietly off to sleep.
At 11.30 tonight, after watching our normal nightly documentary…I went to check on Jaxon. I didn’t panic so much when I saw from a distance that his light was on. Sometimes he does that. But normally, he’s asleep.
Tonight…not so much sleeping was happening.
When I walked in all I could say was “JAXON!”
He began to cry immediately. Like deep down inside he knew he was going to get in trouble all along.
But I couldn’t help but LAUGH! So much so that I had to stop to go to the toilet.
He cried to Daddy that he hurt his head, here…here…and here. And over there. And he wet his pants. And could we please change him now.
You gotta love em, right!?
That little blue cup of water on his bed side table looked like it had an inch of slim on the bottom of it. When I took the sheet off the bed the room was filled with white smoke. There is a layer of powder on EVERYTHING and it smells VERY pretty in there.
Five Minutes Jaxon
When the terrible threes hit hard here we found ourselves dealing with a very head strong little man. One who didn’t like being told it was bed time, or time to leave the park or time to do anything for that matter.One little boy, who would kick and scream all the way home if it wasn’t something he didn’t want to do.
So a few weeks ago we implemented the five minute warning. It’s fairly obvious what that is, but just in case you’re a little behind the 8-ball today…it means that we give Jaxon a five minute warning for something very specific that is going to happen. Five minutes until bed time Jaxon, five minutes until we leave Jaxon, five minutes left in the bath Jaxon. It’s not just a five minute warning, but a follow up of 4-3-2 and 1 minute warnings right up until it’s time he does what we’re telling him.
This method of warning Jaxon that we would soon expect him to do as he was told, or that something was about to change works very well. So well in fact that now, if we should happen to forget to give him his five minute warning….he will remind us.
Tonight, for instance, when I told him it was bed time BEFORE telling him it was five minutes until bed time, Jaxon said “No Mum, three minutes till bedtime”
I used to think it was kind of cute. And truth be told I still do. But it’s also a little annoying because I know that after *I* have implemented the five minute warning, then it’s only fair that when I have forgotten to give him that warning…I should anyway. Especially, if he reminds me of it!
Toliet Training
Has well and truly started in this house hold.So far, so good. I think.
I just thought I would drop in and say that I find it funny that Jaxon demands absolute privacy when he’s on the toilet. But thinks nothing of asking Mum for a HUG while she does her own thing.
Daddy and I can’t be within “looking distance” when he’s on the loo. He demands that we leave. And he wont do his thing until we’re out of sight. But then the minute either of us need to go to the toilet ourselves…there he is.
“What ya doing Mum?”
“I’m on the toilet Jaxon”
“Can I have a cuddle Mum?”
Bye Daddy!
Ever since Daddy went back to school this has become our daily tradition.
Each morning as Tim get’s himself ready Jaxon goes through his little check list with him.
“Got helmet Daddy?”
“Got gloves Daddy?”
“Got keys Daddy?”
“Got wallet Daddy?”
The list goes on, right until Jaxon is satisfied that Daddy is in fact ready to leave the house.
Then we always make sure we go out and wave good bye. We wait until Daddy is out of the street and not a moment sooner will Jaxon let me start to walk inside.
When Daddy is coming home we can hear him from anywhere in the house. In this big shrill voice Jaxon will scream at me with bright eyes “Daddy’s come home!!!” and he rushes to the garage door to welcome him in.
Jaxon and I are extremely proud of Daddy, who is almost done with exam’s for his first semester back at Uni. It’s not been easy. In fact, there have been days where I honestly thought Tim wouldn’t be going back. But he stuck it out and I’m so proud of him.