Recently Alex picked up a picture book called 'A Bug's Life' (based on the animated film) for 50 cents at a garage sale. Since it's mainly about ants, Alex has re-named it 'An Ant's Life' which hasn't caused a problem until I told him that there was a DVD of the book, and he wanted to watch it.
Today it was time for a treat, so I phoned JB Hi-Fi to check whether they had any in stock. Alex asked to be put on the phone. "Hello? Do you have an Ant's Life?" the sales assistant obviously tried to explain that the movie was either Antz or A Bug's Life, and they are two separate movies. Alex became frustrated so I took over the conversation. Once I'd established that they did have A Bug's Life (only $12.95, movies have gotten cheaper since back in my day), we set off to the shop.
On the way, Alex mused, "What happens to JB Hi-Fives when they run out of Hi-Fives?"
Monday, September 7, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Secret boys business
As happy as I am that Alex is learning all sorts of new things at pre-school, where for example they made a 'volcano' erupt in the sand-pit the other day, it leads to some interesting at-home experiments.
I was changing Maya's nappy in her room when I heard Alex's footsteps going backwards and forwards between the kitchen and bathroom (which has the only sink in the house that he can reach without assistance). "What are you doing Alex?" I enquired.
"It's ok Mum," he reassured me, "I'm only doing things that are allowed. Nothing else." This was followed by clattering, running water and him mumbling instructions to himself.
When I ventured in to see what he was up to, I found a jug full of water next to a cup and assorted cutlery. Alex was pumping sorbolene into the jug, thankfully having decided not to use the expensive hair product or hand lotion. "It's just an adventure," he shrugged. I think he meant experiment.
I was changing Maya's nappy in her room when I heard Alex's footsteps going backwards and forwards between the kitchen and bathroom (which has the only sink in the house that he can reach without assistance). "What are you doing Alex?" I enquired.
"It's ok Mum," he reassured me, "I'm only doing things that are allowed. Nothing else." This was followed by clattering, running water and him mumbling instructions to himself.
When I ventured in to see what he was up to, I found a jug full of water next to a cup and assorted cutlery. Alex was pumping sorbolene into the jug, thankfully having decided not to use the expensive hair product or hand lotion. "It's just an adventure," he shrugged. I think he meant experiment.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Herbie a has-been?
"Mum, I'm too old for Herbie now," Alex announced out of the blue one morning. "I still like Minis, but Herbies were for when I was around 2."
An age-old question
Climbing into bed with Alex to lie down and read him a story and wait until he falls asleep, I asked, (almost rhetorically), "Alex, when are you going to be able to take yourself off to bed by yourself?"
He appeared to consider this question and replied, "When I'm five."
He appeared to consider this question and replied, "When I'm five."
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Not for the faint-hearted
Alex has been ill recently, but still managed to do a running commentary of events in between reaching for the bucket.
Sitting in bed, Alex says, "Mum, I'm going to bomit. I need the bucket." in a forlorn kind of a way. I rush out to get the sick bucket while he dutifully waits for me to return. Sighing wistfully, (as if to say 'here we go again') he reaches for the bucket and neatly deposits the contents of his stomach into it (tried to think of a way to say it more delicately than that, couldn't).
When it's over, he looks at me and says,"You know, when you eat, you chew the food, it goes down your neck and into your tummy. When you bomit, it comes back up your neck and out your mouth. It's pretty tricky that way." I agree that yes it's tricky and not nice, but he's doing a great job. He shrugs. "It was the pancakes." (as in 'whatta ya gonna do? you mess with pancakes, you pay the price')... personally at the time I thought it was the croissant, chocolate egg, hot chocolate and half a Tim Tam he'd had throughout the day (not our best ensemble parenting, one of us thought we'd given him too much without realising the other had done the same!)... turns out it was an ear infection! Still, maybe we won't be repeating the chocolate overdose any time soon...
Sitting in bed, Alex says, "Mum, I'm going to bomit. I need the bucket." in a forlorn kind of a way. I rush out to get the sick bucket while he dutifully waits for me to return. Sighing wistfully, (as if to say 'here we go again') he reaches for the bucket and neatly deposits the contents of his stomach into it (tried to think of a way to say it more delicately than that, couldn't).
When it's over, he looks at me and says,"You know, when you eat, you chew the food, it goes down your neck and into your tummy. When you bomit, it comes back up your neck and out your mouth. It's pretty tricky that way." I agree that yes it's tricky and not nice, but he's doing a great job. He shrugs. "It was the pancakes." (as in 'whatta ya gonna do? you mess with pancakes, you pay the price')... personally at the time I thought it was the croissant, chocolate egg, hot chocolate and half a Tim Tam he'd had throughout the day (not our best ensemble parenting, one of us thought we'd given him too much without realising the other had done the same!)... turns out it was an ear infection! Still, maybe we won't be repeating the chocolate overdose any time soon...
Thursday, July 2, 2009
An Alex retrospective
Just thought I'd add in these snippets from days gone by:
Alex, age 19months, the tortured artiste is taken to a music shop by Pa, wants to bang on all the drums and pull all the guitars off their racks. Indignant at being forcibly removed from the shop, he kicks and screams as he's carried away, screaming: "I just want to play music!"
Alex, age almost 2 strokes Chris' hair for a while before farewelling him off to work. About halfway through the day, he turns to me and remarks, "Daddy's got a really nice head."
Alex, age 2 years 2 months after it's been raining, wipes his feet on the front doormat then leans down into a perfect downward dog, and wipes the top of his head too (to get the rain off).
Treating his newborn sister like a toy (that belongs to him): "I love Maya! Cuddles... I just NEED to cuddle her!" and later, in a more gentle tone, "oh! look at her tiny ears! She's got eyebrows!"
A month or two later, when Chris picks her up, Alex sternly instructs: "Pick her down, Daddy!"
Alex, 2 and a half Chris says he needs some moolah to get stuff from the shops. Alex disappears into his room and come back with his flannelette blanket with the cow pattern on it, announcing, "I got the moolah!"
Alex eats dinner with his bike helmet on. He uses my breast pad as a coaster and does a little tap dance under the table as he eats.
Alex, 2 years 9 months is very anxious about Santa Claus. Won't go near one, doesn't like the idea of him. Repeatedly asks Chris to explain the concept. "Does he come into our home?" "How does he get in?" etc etc. Finally, suggests that Daddy goes to the shop to get the toys, and just brings them straight home for him. Leave Santa out of it. At the playgroup Christmas morning, Alex just about overcame his fear by sidling up to the fake Santa, grabbing the present and making a dash for it. (It seems fear of Santa may be genetic, I remember doing and thinking the same thing)
Alex, age almost 3
Dobbing in his 10 month old sister: "Mum, Maya's not sharing!"
"Sue likes whippersnippers. She likes the noise they make. Rose likes monster trucks. They are trucks that have monsters in them."
"Mummy, who makes it night time? What does God like to eat?"
Gazing out the car window as sky becomes increasingly overcast: "Look at those dark grey clouds mummy, I think God's closing his doors!"
Alex, age 19months, the tortured artiste is taken to a music shop by Pa, wants to bang on all the drums and pull all the guitars off their racks. Indignant at being forcibly removed from the shop, he kicks and screams as he's carried away, screaming: "I just want to play music!"
Alex, age almost 2 strokes Chris' hair for a while before farewelling him off to work. About halfway through the day, he turns to me and remarks, "Daddy's got a really nice head."
Alex, age 2 years 2 months after it's been raining, wipes his feet on the front doormat then leans down into a perfect downward dog, and wipes the top of his head too (to get the rain off).
Treating his newborn sister like a toy (that belongs to him): "I love Maya! Cuddles... I just NEED to cuddle her!" and later, in a more gentle tone, "oh! look at her tiny ears! She's got eyebrows!"
A month or two later, when Chris picks her up, Alex sternly instructs: "Pick her down, Daddy!"
Alex, 2 and a half Chris says he needs some moolah to get stuff from the shops. Alex disappears into his room and come back with his flannelette blanket with the cow pattern on it, announcing, "I got the moolah!"
Alex eats dinner with his bike helmet on. He uses my breast pad as a coaster and does a little tap dance under the table as he eats.
Alex, 2 years 9 months is very anxious about Santa Claus. Won't go near one, doesn't like the idea of him. Repeatedly asks Chris to explain the concept. "Does he come into our home?" "How does he get in?" etc etc. Finally, suggests that Daddy goes to the shop to get the toys, and just brings them straight home for him. Leave Santa out of it. At the playgroup Christmas morning, Alex just about overcame his fear by sidling up to the fake Santa, grabbing the present and making a dash for it. (It seems fear of Santa may be genetic, I remember doing and thinking the same thing)
Alex, age almost 3
Dobbing in his 10 month old sister: "Mum, Maya's not sharing!"
"Sue likes whippersnippers. She likes the noise they make. Rose likes monster trucks. They are trucks that have monsters in them."
"Mummy, who makes it night time? What does God like to eat?"
Gazing out the car window as sky becomes increasingly overcast: "Look at those dark grey clouds mummy, I think God's closing his doors!"
Language
We have one of those side-by-side double prams that fits through an average doorway but the price you pay is supermarket-trolley style wheels that aren't fit for any surface but smoooooth shopping malls.
Chris was pushing both kids in said pram along a too-narrow footpath, huffing and puffing (fairly theatrically I would imagine, in the way men do when they want to emphasise the effort they're going to, but I wasn't there) as he tried to negotiate the stones, cracks in the pavement, etc.
"What's wrong Dadda?," Alex asked, and, as if to show his proficiency in using new words in their correct context, suggested, "Is it the bloody stones?"
Chris was pushing both kids in said pram along a too-narrow footpath, huffing and puffing (fairly theatrically I would imagine, in the way men do when they want to emphasise the effort they're going to, but I wasn't there) as he tried to negotiate the stones, cracks in the pavement, etc.
"What's wrong Dadda?," Alex asked, and, as if to show his proficiency in using new words in their correct context, suggested, "Is it the bloody stones?"
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