Saturday 06 August 2005
Hello! Welcome to my 66th Update. Today I am 3 years & 3 months old.
There’s been such a lot going on in my house since I last Updated you that I hardly know where to start! First off, I guess, would be to wish my cousin, Austin, a very happy birthday for 29 July – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUSTIN! I was thinking of you and wishing you a fantastic birthday.
I suppose the biggest news in my world is that I’ve very recently been persuaded to taste a few new foods. I had another appointment with the Speech Pathologist whom I’ve seen a few times now regarding my strange eating habits, and when I was there on 26 July she talked me into taking a few small bites of raw mushroom! How clever am I?!?! Since then, I took a couple of small bites of a sausage on one occasion, I’ve taken a few small bites out of a banana a couple of times, and I’ve taken the world’s tiniest bite out of a miniscule piece of cooked broccoli! Obviously I’m not taking giant leaps of food faith here, but it’s a start. The Speech Pathologist told my Mum to bribe me with extra specially tasty treats, so after each bite of banana, for example, I’ve had a bite of chocolate biscuit. What’s that song about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down…?
The other big news in the World of Alex is that I’m moving to Indonesia. With my family, of course. I’m VERY excited and although my Mum & Dad don’t think that I really understand the concept of a different country, I do know that:
* I’m going to have a new bed in a new bedroom in a new house;
* I can learn to speak Bahasa Indonesian (which, by the way, I’ve already been practicing); and
* I will get to go on a big plane and stop off in Brisbane to see Grandma and Soss and jump on their trampoline.
All the stuff of little boy dreams, eh?! We’re due to fly out of Australia to Indonesia on Monday 29 August 2005, so my next Update might be in Bahasa!
Speaking of Bahasa, I’m doing really well learning to speak a different language. I’ve mastered counting from one to ten, and can say ‘thank you’, ‘goodnight’ and ‘be careful’ (which, for some strange reason, I’ve taken to saying to Mummy before she goes to the toilet!!).
I’ve been learning lots of other things, too. For example, I’ve recently taken a great interest in the sun and the planets. I like to inform people that "the sun is a big ball of fire!" I can tell you that "the sun gives us nice sunny days and energy and light and hotness". I know that there are nine planets and I can name the first five coming away from the sun ("mer-kry", "veeenis", "oerrf", "mars", "joo-pin-ter"). I even know that the planets "resolve" [revolve] around the sun, and can demonstrate. I make one hand into a fist representing the sun, and splay the fingers on my other hand to represent the planets, and then move my ‘planet’ hand around my ‘sun’ fist. My parents think I’m a bit clever to be able to do that.
In keeping with my space fixation, I’ve decided – in the tradition of all little boys? – that I’m going to be an astronaut when I grow up. We had a little holiday in Port Macquarie, and on the way home (on 24 July) I said, "Mummy, when I get to be a big person, I’m going to be an astronaut. But don’t worry, I won’t scare you. I can wear some glubs [gloves] and a helmet to be an astronaut." Later in the conversation I was saying that I wanted Baby Jess to be an astronaut with me so that I didn’t get lonely on the moon by myself, and that I’d buy her some "tiny little baby glubs so she can be an astronaut wif [with] me!".
A couple of days later I was telling Granddad & Nanna about my aeronautical aspirations and I said that they would be fulfilled "when I’m a big, big, big, big boy… a daddy boy!"
Now that I’ve started telling you some of my ‘funnies’, here are a few more:
24 May 2005
Daddy had arrived home late the night before after being in Indonesia for 2 weeks. When he left to go to work again early the next morning, I waved him off at the window, came back inside and said, "Well wasn’t that lovely of Daddy to come and see us for a little visit?"
28 July 2005
Mummy was tucking me into bed and giving me cuddles. When she said she had to go, I said, "Why?" Mummy said, "Because it’s getting late." I said, "Yep, time is just ticking away. Tick-tock, tick-tock!"
01 August 2005
Daddy was trying to encourage me to eat bacon. I said that I didn’t like bacon. Daddy said that everyone likes bacon. I said, "Well I’m not ‘everyone’!"
And last but certainly not least, each night before I go to sleep, the very last thing I say is, "Goodnight, Daddy/ Mummy, I love you. Have a good sleep!"
My parents don’t know if it’s the influence of preschool or just because I’m a big 3 year old boy, but I’ve started saying ‘rude’ things. I definitely picked up calling people "stupid head" from preschool, but after Daddy got very cross with me a few times, I’ve stopped saying that so much. My most recent insults include "dumb-dumb" or "dummy", "bum-bum" and "poo-poo". My parents swing between trying to ignore me, and telling me that it’s not nice to call people names, and not nice to be rude and say naughty things. Unfortunately, I’m a bit too clever for my own good, and after I’ve been scolded for saying "you dummy!", I then put on my angelic face and say, "Baby Jess has a dummy, doesn’t she?? I can say dummy because that’s what Baby Jess uses, isn’t it??" At about that point I can often see steam coming out of my parents’ ears…
My Mum has started a little list of things she NEVER thought she’d catch herself saying, such as:
* get your head OUT of the garbage bin!
* it is VERY yucky to sniff dog poo!
* you should NOT play with your penis during dinner!
* do NOT lick inside your sister’s mouth!
* please don’t play in the toilet bowl after you’ve done a pee!
I hardly know how to continue after that, but… moving right along…
I’m still in close contact with my friends from Mothers Group (or First Wives Club, as we call it). Of all my First Wives Club friends, I see Jonty Tipton-Akers most ofen, but also see Amelia Whaite, Chet Robinson, Ethan Sewell, Jayden Fry (he’s in my class at Banzai Preschool), Riley Vershelden and Shiarn Moss (she’s also in my class at Banzai Preschool). We don’t necessarily meet every week any more, but we do meet at least each fortnight, and we all still get along famously, as do our Mums and Dad’s. (In fact, my Daddy is out on the town tonight with Jonty’s Dad and Ethan’s Dad!) I’ll miss all my friends when I go to Indonesia, but I’m looking forward to making lots of new friends, and I know that I’ll be back to the Central Coast often enough to keep in touch with my First Wives Club.
In case it’s escaped anyone’s notice, I’m fiercely independent. These days, it can take up to an hour for me to get dressed because I absolutely insist on doing everything myself, from singlet and big-boy-undies, to shoes and socks. I’m getting pretty good at it, although my shoes only have a velcro-fastening – I couldn’t cope with tying shoelaces just yet. It’s only recent, but I’m also getting the hang of undoing buttons, but they are pretty tricky little critters, aren’t they?
I’m also getting more and more independent and confident with taking myself off to the toilet. I’ve had a couple of little wet accidents, but apart from those, I’m excellent at knowing when I need to ‘go’ and I’m very good at taking myself there. I can judge whether I can hang on for a few minutes, or if I really need to go NOW. However, when it comes to doing a poo, I flatly refuse to do it anywhere except in a nappy (although my parents do ask me to go into the bathroom to do it). I was VERY good when we were away on our mini-holiday in Port Macquarie; I didn’t wear a nappy even in the car and always remembered to tell Mummy or Daddy whenever I needed to go to the toilet. I keep saying that I’m going to be a very big boy and do a poo in the toilet soon, but as yet it’s not happened.
I’ve had some funny little sores on my face over the last couple of months. At first my parents thought I just wasn’t a very good healer, then a pharmacist told Mum that I had impetigo, but I’ve now been diagnosed with having dermatitis in some of the oil glands in my face. I took a course of antibiotics and am still having some special cream put on my face a couple of times a day, and you’ll be pleased to know that my skin is looking much better.
Oh! Guess what? I like to try to hop on one leg ("like a kan-a-woo [kangaroo]")! I think I’m doing a fantastic job of hopping, but sometimes I can see it in Mum’s eyes that she thinks that true hopping means that I shouldn’t be holding onto something. I’ll get there. Hop to it!
We’ve had the most gorgeous and mild winter this year. So much so that I’ve spent a number of warm, sunny weekend days at the park with my family having picnics, BBQs etc, and I’ve not had call to wear my real wintry woollies yet. The nights are pretty cold, as are early mornings, but the days have been almost spring-like. Gorgeous!
Well, fine family, I think that about wraps up my news for now. I’m almost hoarse with the effort! I hope everyone is happy and healthy, and I’ll Update you again in a few months’ time – from the wilds of downtown Tembagapura (Indonesia)!
Loads of love from
Alex (aka ‘the clown’)
xxx