Adam and I went over to meet his potential childminder today.
And now she is his definite childminder.
She is lovely and has a lovely house and lovely children and I want to kill her and steal her kitchen. 🙂
She knows this.
So that’s that sorted.
Next up…a gardener. Maybe…
Today Adam and I went to the dentist.
He was absolutely fine as he sat watching CBeeBies in the waiting room while I went to have my teeth cleaned. The receptionist checked on him every few minutes and said he never moved. Just played with the train he brought and watched the TV.
And then the dental assistant came in to call us back to see the dentist. And Adam freaked out. Total screaming, crying, running away freak out. I managed to corner him in the dentists treatment room and pull him into my lap. The dentist, whose name is Chris, came in and, since Adam was screaming so loudly, he actually managed to have a look and see that all of Adam’s teeth are indeed in and that they look okay.
So I took Adam back to the reception room and he instantly calmed down. I went back into the dentist as it was time for my check up. And Chris said ‘Have we ever hurt him?’
‘Nope,’ I replied. ‘All you’ve ever done is look. Rita (the hygienist) and I sort of held him down last time so she could see, but she certainly didn’t hurt him.’
So why is my son so scared?
It was suggested that perhaps he was picking up on my fear, except I no longer have a fear of the dentist. This is why I go to Loughridge Dental Care, even though they are private. Because they helped me over come my fear of dentists.
So Chris and I mused that perhaps there is just an innate fear of people poking at our teeth.
We then discussed how we can help him as eventually he will need to get his teeth cleaned. Bernie, Chris’ assistant, pointed out that he was fine in the waiting room. So they noted on Adam’s chart to see if Adam would let Chris look while sitting there. And that Adam and I would go alone into the treatment room, play on the chair, etc, to try to show Adam that it’s not so bad.
And maybe, just maybe, at his next visit? He’ll be able to tell us what’s scaring him.
BTW, I have no cavities and my gums are much better. And if you live in Belfast and need a dentist? I highly recommend Chris and his team.
They rock.
Adam turns 3 on Monday and today we celebrated his birthday. He helped me decorate his cake:
And he opened his presents. Granny and Grandpa were here to see, although they didn’t get to see much as once Adam opened Buzz Lightyear from Aunty and Uncle…that was it for awhile!
His gifts included trains and tracks:
And then a trip to the toy store:
Where he picked out this as his gift from Mummy and Daddy:
Amazingly, he’s been playing with all of his new toys equally and having a blast. His trains go for a ride on his big truck, Buzz Lightyear helps run the trains on the tracks and everything plays together so very nicely.
Monday he’ll take cupcakes to school and wear a ‘I’m 3!’ badge.
And that’s him. Another year older.
My baby!!!!
Looks like an interesting group of parents. All sorts. The ‘integrated’ part of the school seems to be true.
One worry. Adam’s uniform jumper may already be too small. And that’s the largest size they have with the playgroup’s logo on it, which is slightly different from the Primary School’s.
He has a play session next week and he’ll wear it so we’ll see if it’s as small as I am afraid it is. If it is I will mention it to his teacher and see if she has any ideas.
In other news, I am a bit perturbed by his nursery who are really pushing me to put him in underpants, just so they can move him up to their pre-school room. I really don’t think he’s ready. And I don’t care if he stays in their toddler room until he leaves at the end of the summer. I’m half tempted to do it and let them deal with the mess, but I won’t.
This weekend we have plans but the weekend after we don’t so we may try pants then.
FFS, he’s not even 3 yet!
Not only did Grandma buy him this Thomas and Trevor toy at our local resale shop for the low low price of £9.99, when he got home from nursery today she took him out back and helped him ride his trike for about an hour.
He’s also been doing spectacularly at potty things and has gotten tons of stars and treats. I think he likes the chocolate even more than the toys. 🙂
I’ve been sleeping badly so I’m exhausted. But still enjoying my mom’s visit. #fibrosucks
Longer post soon. I promise.
About everything from a cup he’s drunk out of 10,000 times to the ceiling and the floor.
And not once. Twice. Three times. Four.
‘What’s that?’
‘Your Thomas cup.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Still your Thomas cup.’
Over and over again.
I’d almost, maybe, not really, prefer why.
Almost.
Maybe.
Not really!!!!
As my mother arrives in 7 days and I have some stuff to do before then!
I will note here, however, that Adam is willingly (with some bribes) using the potty. 🙂
Next stop…doing the washing up!
So, as I’ve mentioned, Adam starts pre-school in September.
Which means a new childcare situation.
I hate this.
Forget the fact that I hate the telephone and would rather email and text people.
There’s the fact that you never really know if the person or people will be good at looking after your children.
But I do need additional care for him. I currently have about 24 hours a week childfree. 16 of those tend to be used for the company, whether working for clients, looking for new clients, doing my books or what have you. That leaves 8 for everything else I like to do without a small boy underfoot, like clean the house and get some rest.
Preschool is only 15 hours per week, 3 hours a day. I will in reality probably have 2 hours a day to due commute time.
So I’ve just gone from 24 hours a week to 10…
So our goal is to find someone or some place to take care of him for at least 2 days, adding at least 8 hours to my childfree time.
Still not ideal. But 18 is better than 10.
So I’m looking for a child minder or a nursery who will pick him up from school and hold onto him for the afternoon.
Anyone local have any recommendations?
“You ATOY!”
What does it mean?
For the longest time Simon and I couldn’t figure it out. We thought it must have come from nursery in some manner.
And then Adam and I were waiting for the bus and he yelled it at me when I told him to stop jumping so close to the road.
“YOU ATOY!” with a small finger shaking up to my face. And I realized.
It’s what Woody says to Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 1 and what Buzz says to the other Lightyear toys in Toy Story 2.
“YOU ARE A TOY!”
And my 2.10 year old thinks it’s an insult to call someone a toy. 🙂
Now that I figured it out I laugh when he says which, of course, just makes him madder. One time when he was calm I tried to explain to him that Woody and Buzz aren’t being insulting, they are trying to convince someone of something. But Adam isn’t buying it.
So I continue to get called ATOY! when Adam is mad at me. Which, at nearly 3, is all the time. As nearly 3 year olds often have to do things that they don’t want to do like brush their teeth and get their nappies changed when they’d rather be playing with Lego or watching the aforementioned Toy Story, any of them but 3 is the big fav.
Of course there are much worse things he could call Simon and me. Much worse things he could yell.
For example?
Yesterday he said ‘Oh Frack!’
Ooooopppps
The above is my son’s current favourite sentence. It’s adorable!
Obviously he’s getting his verb confused and means to say ‘I don’t want it!’ but that’s not how it’s coming out.
Overall his language has come on leaps and bounds. The little boy who caused a bit of concern with his low vocabulary at his 2 year check last year is now pouring out with sentences (wrong verbs non-withstanding) and paragraphs and stories and information.
Although if you ask him what he did at nursery that day he usually answers with ‘Yummy toast!’ while rubbing his tummy.
Which is also adorable.
For the record is he is also about 30 pounds and 38.5 inches. So over half my height. At 2.10.
I’m doomed…