No thanks Mummy!

So a few of you have started asking, why have I stopped blogging!? It really wasn't intentional. You see, shortly after we got an IPad I stopped using the laptop. The blogger app is just not user friendly enough for me and I just got lazy! =P The IPad is super convenient to lug around and the battery lasts for ages!

Kayden is at that very fun stage right now where he yaps away at just nothing and everything in particular. I love it when we have little mini babysations. Earlier today (after a round of negotiations, where I promised a snake gummy if he would have his cold medication), he held the snake to his ear as if it was a phone (yea I know, that's so completely random)

"Ello?"
"MMmm Hmm!"
"Yeaaa...."
"Uh Huh."
"OooooH?"
"OK, Bye!"

Apparently, that is how I sound like on the phone. According to my little man. Further confirmations with Daddy confirmed it.

Uh Huh.

I think the boys in my life are mocking me!

He has a pretty good understanding of everything that we say now. Sometimes even when not spoken to, he replies. (While on the phone to Daddy) Do you think we should have some pies for dinner? "No thanks! Rice!" would be his reply. Of course rice boy. Of course. 

On the positive side, his very adamant NO is very often a "No thanks!" instead.

Kayden don't just eat the chips. Have some of the chicken too please?
No thanks Mummy. Chips. 

Outside Mummy! 
Its cold and windy outside, stay inside please?
No thanks! It's cold. Hat on! Let's go! (he thinks putting on a hat is the answer to beating the cold LOL)


And then after we step back in the house...

Kayden, let's have a hot shower instead of a bath?  
No thanks Mummy! Bath.
And without skipping a beat, turns on the tap in the tub and starts prepping his bath toys to go into the bath!

He tends to go on those floor stomping tantrums lately too. (Yea, I think we are still stuck in the terrible Twos) So by the end of the day, I am just willing for things to move along in a nice and peaceful manner, so I just go with it. These very polite No thanks seem to let him get away with alot of misbehavior to be honest!

Summer food (and work)

Keep going my boy, there's a whole TWO cubic meters of mulch to scoop!

Last week was pure summer bliss! We were out on day trips and where we are not out, we were back home working on the garden.  By the way, I don't remember giving K ice cream on a cone like this much before. But he now attempts to make playdoh ice cream in that shape! Must be an instinctual thing? I've ever only given him home made ice blocks (made out of smoothies or diluted juice) prior.

These photos are gold! Definitely ordering large prints on these!

CYA

I had some pretty cool professors at uni back in my days. They all left us words of wisdom. At one particular tutorial before the exams, our research prof walked in empty handed, except for this one transparency (and a texter). Which he proceeded to flip the overhead projector on and wrote 3 big letters on it.

C Y A

He wasn't telling us all 'seeya later!' We most definitely do not want to see him ever again for repeating the same unit that's for sure. CYA means COVER YOUR ASS. Oh my, I laughed until I cried during tut I think. Whatever you do in life, just make sure you cover your ass, he says. Well that's made an impression for sure.

And Kayden my son, you most definitely need to learn this one important life lesson. No matter what you do, always CYA. Doing the above is not CYA-ing. You almost got away for the number '9'.But the 'Y' and the 'U' is a big red fat FAIL my boy.

Remember boys and girls, always CYA!

Everybody fall in!

Hopefully this ensues even when he's a couch hogging teenager. The being tidy part. NOT looking forward to the couch hogging.

Groovy baby!

With Christmas already in the air, there is much joy to be had. We attended the wedding of a cousin yesterday. Almost all week long it was sunshine and warm breezes. But the day before the wedding. It POURED. It poured so much, our backyard looked like a mud pool, Kayden would be more than happy to roll about in. It was so gloomy and horrid. There were reports of flash floodings. 

But someone must have been listening to all our prayers for the wedding couple. Because the next morning, it was as if that torrential downpour never happened. (if you don't look at my backyard).

He had his own glass. And of course, he had to clink glasses all night long. "Cheers Mommy!"

 

See us? On the bottom right hand branch. Towards the tip of the branch, that little cluster of 3 leaves pointing down?

It turned out to be one of most beautiful of days. It was a beautiful wedding, very befitting for a stunning looking couple. We are so happy and grateful to be part of their special day.

We wined and dined.  We danced with the family. We listened to some very touching speeches. We laughed with one another until we reached for tissues.

 

Kayden wolfed down his shoestring fries. Just fries for his dinner. I didn't take a photo. He swooped at those fries so quick it was almost all gone by the time i remembered. That scrumptious looking chicken he went "cut! cut! CUT!!!" went untouched. He wined on his serve of tomato sauce. I heard his 2.5year old cousin dunked his dinner roll in it. They both indulged in individual platters of ice cream served to them. Complete with chocolate fondue, smarties and rainbow sprinkles. He's never ever set eyes on Smarties. Oh.Nope. Correction. As I type this, I just realised. I made milky way cars for his birthday. Of course he remembered! Sugar rush!

And just as well he decided to hit the dancefloor to boogie the night away! Me being the photo hoarder, the memory card screamed FULL! at me somewhat towards the start of the music! I only caught a few photos and videos here and there, but mostly blurred from all that booty shaking! Extremely cute! He imitated the adults. He did the twist, joined in a conga line and he even tried doing the swirl during the waltz while holding onto someone's hand. Heck, he even almost ran in to cut into the new Mr and Mrs first dance! It was a whole different style of head, shoulders, knees and toes for him!

My cheeky monkey!

We changed Kayden into his PJs just before we left the hotel. As expected, the boy was sound asleep, by the time we pulled out of the carpark, dreaming of more dancing in his slumberland, I'm sure of that. He was still dancing on the way to our car.

What a wonderful way to spend an evening!

The letter S

Skip this post if you're easily grossed out by nappy talk.

So the weather was a glorious twenty something degrees yesterday afternoon. But the house holds in the chill from the night before for a few hours in the morning. Hence I usually dress him in long sleeved tops and cotton pants just for the morning.

Baby boy must have decided it got too hot for him by noon. As I pottered around doing house things I stopped short when I noticed he had taken both his pants AND nappy off.


"Baby! Why have you got your nappy off too!?"

Kayden raises his brows at me and points over to his alphabet foam mat.

"EEEEEEEk!! YOU DID A POO POO THERE!?"


But oh oh. I think my reaction was alittle too animated because he was starting to whimper and tear up.

"Ohhhhh. You did a poo poo with your nappy off! Good boy baby!! Goooood boy!!"

He starts to smile and rushes over to give me a hug.

"But baby? Next time we sit on the potty to do poo poo ok?"

"OKAY."


So the story is, Kayden is well and truly capable of lifting the tabs off his own nappy now. And combined that with the fact that I have been starting to toilet train him now by sitting him on the potty must have finally clicked that is what we do when we need to poo or wee. But obviously he hasn't worked out he has to tell me first, AND get to the potty before he does the deed.

It's a step forward right? Or it could be very well just a fluke.

And what does this have to do with the letter 'S'?

That was the alphabet he did the deed on.

How. Very. Appropriate.

Fruitfull!

Like most other kids, Kayden doesn't like his vegetables much. Green ones in particular. But he will happily munch on carrot sticks and cauliflower florets. Basically anything non green in colour.

And thankfully, to make up for the lack of fibres through his greens, he consumes a huge amount of fruits. He LOVES his fruits. Apples, oranges, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, mangoes, kiwis, pears, mandarins, bananas, the list goes on.

If I let him have his way, he will most probably only have fruits for breakfast, lunch and dinner! On average, he has 3 whole fruits to himself a day. He prefers them peeled or deskinned and will eat the apple down to its very core. As a result, our fruit bowl is replenished at least twice a week. But it is never empty.

Is there such a thing as having too many fruits? I don't know, but surely it can't do too much harm?

Storytime

Of late, Kayden has been really into his books. He brings me a book, and asks for it to be read to him. When I say "OK. Come on!", he climbs onto my lap or goes to sit in his bed for storytime.

He's also really into his soft toys lately. And he MUST share all activities with a friend or two.

It gets tricky when I have to balance all 3 of them on my lap, hold and flip the pages as I read!

Brown confetti

 

Wednesday afternoon was apparently the warmest winter's day since they started recording the weather some 150 years ago.  There was no stopping Kayden from going to the door, saying "Open! Open!". Yea, that seems to be the word of the moment now. He perfected it during his escape fiascoes.

We have yet to lay out the lawn. It won't be happening till spring time, but that didn't stop Kayden from bringing his book and bowl of snack (not pictured) into the backyard for some time in the warm winter's sunshine. 

He poked around at weeds, peered into empty bottles that tradies left behind and did a perfect impersonation of a wild hippie child going "Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!!' in circles around the yard. 

When he got tired, he plonked his nappy bum down, and was throwing  handfuls of dirt into the air like brown confetti over his head. 

Just before the warmth disappeared, we went for a walk around the neighbourhood and he made some new little friends on our street. (with K covered in dirt and all haha!)

Loving life at the moment!

Co-sleeping

Depending on the way I look at it, it is both a good thing and a bad thing. Of course I am acutely aware that there are the risks of co-sleeping even at K's age, but when exhaustion takes over, you surrender.

While we were away in Singapore at my parent's place, Kayden and I shared a room. We each had separate beds, but sometimes I would find him snuggled up right next to me in the middle of the night. I hadn't gotten used to caring for a cheeky toddler without hubby's help and was naturally tired at the end of most days. So I let him. When we got back to Melbourne, my toddler became even more clingy, probably due to yet another change of environment. And then again, when we moved to our new home a couple of weeks back.

It is fair I think, not to expect him to be sleeping on his own, in an unfamiliar room now.

It has been just over 2 weeks since we have moved in. And I have started the process of weaning him off sleeping with us. I can't bear hearing his distressed cries of "Open! Open!" (his room door) as he tries to open it. He has succeeded once and tumbled out of his room right into our arms as we stood outside listening in. Just to make sure he is ok. Once we saw him putting his toy keyboard under the window, lifting the blinds and trying to climb out of the (locked) window!

So, I give in most nights (even thought I know it shouldn't), snuggle into his bed with him and help him doze off to sleep, then tip toe out of his room.  Of course it is only my own fault Des and I are both rudely awoken (despite the baby monitor being on the lowest setting) every single night by his cries.

If you have been through this, or know of someone who has, share with me your experiences! I would love to hear and learn. It's going to be a loooong journey towards sleeping on his own. One for both him and us.

My 20 month old prank caller

As seen on my sister-in-law's Facebook.

Smiling with your eyes

Every year my mum makes her own dumplings for 端午节, or what I grew up being told it was called the Dragon Boat Festival. We are very lucky it happens before we leave, so I get to savour some yummy homemade ones!

Kayden was most intrigued, he settled himself next to my mum and observed her at the beginning while she went on wrapping the first few dumplings. Then after a little bit, he went on to explore the different condiments.  He poked at the glutinous rice, then the fillings and then the leaves used for the wrapping of the dumplings.

And then, he wanted to have a go at wrapping his own dumpling too! Scoop!

Furrowed brows.

This dumpling wrapping is serious business. That look of concentration! 

He was even seen 'helping' Por Por 'test' a batch of the fillings! He was so pleased with himself, he flashed me this 'no eyes' smile every now and then. Seeing my baby this happy makes me happy too! (Plus I get to eat the dumplings after of course).

=)

Drama King

Ice Age was on television one evening the other day. I settled him on the couch, gave him something to snack on, and left him on the couch to watch it. He loved the movie, it looked like he thoroughly enjoyed it. So, I thought oh good! Something else that he will sit down quietly and watch, mermerized. Besides that Giggle and Hoot DVD which he's watched 2,457 times.

I only stepped away for a couple of minutes when I heard an outcry of horror! Kayden came running into my arms. Tears! Quivering lips! Even trembling a little.

I wasted no time in checking him all over for a signs of a fall, a bruise or a cut. Nope. No blood thank God.

So I asked, "Did you fall Kayden!???! WHERE does it hurt!!? WHAT HAPPENED????"

Then what was happening on Ice Age struck me.

Oh.

"Kayden? Are you upset because the baby elephant got taken away from his Mommy and Daddy? Mommy and Daddy elephant no more? Gone?"

He nodded furiously. Then with an upside down smile, he sobbed into my neck again!

Everybody say Nawww!

You know that scene in Ice Age, in that re-enactment scene that Manny the mammoth recalled the time when he was young? He got separated from his parents as a young mammoth. Where if my memory doesn't fail me (it's rare these days), it wasn't even the proper animation shot for it, it was portrayed as a sketch?

I thought it was just oh too cute! Who would have known! My little man getting all emotional over that?

Of course, I smothered him with hugs and kisses, and promises that it will be ok.  But as he buried his face into me, I was trying my darn hardest not to laugh! I was actually fighting back chuckling out loud to save hurting his feelings! I shouldn't be even thinking it, but it was so funny!