Miss Fine's sleep milestone

Miss Fine SnapChat filter

This blog's main purpose has been to record the life and times we have with Miss Fine. I still value coming here and reading all about her milestones, and hope one day she will still be able to come back here as well. We forget so easily. (The Internet is also like a flashing file, and hopefully we will still be able to read it here in future?)

Sleep has not been the most easy since Miss was born. We could never find the off-button, until it finally was off! She can sleep very late every day. But going to sleep, that is the problem...

The Eldest has moved all of her belongings out of her room, and we have been slowly moving Miss Fine into her room. It is a bit bigger, and across from our room. Miss Fine has been enjoying setting up her new room. She has the big Miffy (which I had won at the Kids Living launch), which got set up immediately by Miss Fine. She can switch and dim the light because it is right next to her bed.

Miffy lighting

Guess what? This week she has gone to bed with a book, and all by herself. It is her decision. We used to take turns to lie next to her until she falls asleep. I know, she's nearly 10. (It took that long.) We are celebrating our "free time" from 8 - 9 pm at night. But it is also sad. The nightly cuddles and talks have come to an end. A milestone has been reached, and an era is gone.

We, the parents, don't know what we want.
"sigh"
"Yeah!"

Happy sleeping, Miss Fine! I know I am going to miss this.       

The magic of Father Christmas

The fantasy and magic of Christmas time! I believe in adding fantasy and magic to the lives of our kids! They love the stories of a Christmas Father, with reindeer, and bringing the presents from the North Pole.

(On that note: How cute is the Portable North Pole videos from Father Christmas that you can personalize each year? For free! (Although there are cooler options when you upgrade.) There are also the birthday video that comes once a year!) We watch them every year!

I can remember my own excitement as a little kid at Christmas time!

I do not want to take this special time away from her. Little Miss has already told us that she knows that it is us who brings the presents! She is nearly 8 years, and it seems this year is the turning point! Some kids at school have also voiced their opinions... But she still gets excited about putting up the Christmas Tree, and musing about her presents!

I saw a video of a pastor in America shouting to kids at a mall that Father Christmas is not real! *Sigh*

I do not think of it as telling lies, but as adding excitement and fun into her life. She will be able to separate the myths from the truths in years to come! How boring would life be without these family traditions?

(It is also not difficult at all to add religion into the mix when you explain the reason why we are celebrating this time!)

I was reminded about the seriousness of her beliefs in a Tooth Mouse when she dislodged one of her final teeth last week. She immediately went to put the tooth in a shoe and kept on checking up on it through the evening. The Tooth Mouse was very tardy, because when she checked up the next morning, the tooth was still there! The Tooth Mouse had a lot of explaining to do (in a letter) about helping Father Christmas at this time of year...

I personally love the magic of Christmas time!
This is the best week of the year building up to Christmas Day!

Enjoy!
Peace!
Happy families!

Why I am still doing Wordless Wednesday's?

I reached a milestone on my blog yesterday with my 300 Wordless Wednesday post!
My 1st Wordless Wednesday was just a very small photo of The Hubby sleeping on the couch with baby sleeping on top of him. (It was yesterday, surely, not 7 years ago?)

It must be a record somewhere?

It doesn't matter! In my books, it is a record!

Why am I still doing Wordless Wednesday's?

- It is fun!

- I always have a photo to share that is not necessarily worthy of a blog post.

- It increases blog fodder! I don't have to think on a Wednesday of what to post!

- I love looking back at my Wordless Wednesday posts, and being reminded of how quickly she grows up/time flies!

- "A picture is worth more than a thousand words!"
Sometimes it is!


Do you still do a Wordless Wednesday, or is it only me?

Wordless Wednesday #300 - Camping at Buffelspoort

Two wheels' milestone and a report card

Little Missy was adamant the previous weekend that her dad must take off the extra two wheels on her bicycle. She is ready for the two wheels!

Her dad had to hold onto her for the first two days, but on day two she had mastered going forward on her own.

First time without the extra wheels!

Making new friends on her bike

Blurry, but there she goes!

Little Missy is five and a half now, and although I don't do the monthly updates any more (who's putting on the brakes now?), we are loving her energy at the moment.
(And getting tired by just watching her.)

She is forever doing cart wheels and hand stands and head stands. And getting better and better at it! She can spin a hula hoop for a very long time!

Little Missy got a very good report card from the school. The teacher is happy with her, and says that she is working hard when she is supposed to be working hard, and enjoy playing with all the children in her class. She can't think of any reason why she should not be able to continue to Grade One next year!

We are extremely relieved after we found Grade R to be a bit of a bummer in the beginning of this year! Little Missy loves her teacher and her class, and misses them when it's not school. With the midweek break she was counting the days to going back to school again.

We even had two mornings in the past month  where Little Missy announced at 6 am that she wanted to do a speech that day and I had to notify the teacher. It is something they are encouraged to do, but not enforced. She grabbed paper and pencils and was off in the car while vigorously sketching on a tray. (Hope it is not a peak into her future studying methods?) Apparently the teacher says it went very well! We can't get her to do the speeches for us as well...

And of course, her teacher knows best and e-v-e-r-y thing, and her commands are obeyed to the letter. If I smuggle in a little sweet in her lunch box (bad mother!), it gets voluntarily dumped in the dustbin! "No sweets in my lunch box, Mom!"

This is a very interesting age!

The Tooth Mouse is visiting tonight

The first milk tooth is finally out!

The tooth is in her boot, with a message to the Tooth Mouse and an arrow to indicate where it us.

The teacher pulled her tooth today and stuck the tooth in her school note book with a message to the Tooth Mouse. 

Related post:

- Great excitement about a loose tooth!

Great excitement about a loose tooth!

Little Missy is extremely excited!

She has been telling me non-stop since picking her up today that her bottom front tooth ‎is loose. That is the same tooth that started to hurt yesterday and for which I had made an appointment at the dentist for tomorrow. 

I had to feel for 101 times that the tooth is getting more wiggly by the second! 

"I do not care‎ that your hand is dirty, Mom! Feel the tooth!"

I had to phone her dad immediately to tell him the news. 

But her Big Sister must not be told... She wants to surprise her with the gap in her mouth! (Be warned, Sister‎!)

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 2 - gets a thumbs up by the preschooler

We saw Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 2 a few weeks back.

Little Missy loved it, and she did not blink through the whole cinematic experience.

We love it that we can go to the movies now and she really enjoys sitting through the whole cinematic experience. She did not take off her 3D glasses once.

The whole family went with Little Missy, and afterwards we all had to confess to each other that we had some bouts of sleeping in-between watching the food running around on screen.

It is a very colourful and wacky movie, but the first movie was much more interesting...

AND for how long can you actually watch food running around?

The question afterwards. What do they eat now, because all their food are running and talking? We did not get the answer to this in the movie. Not that this question bothered Little Missy...

Thumbs up from Little Missy!
Thumbs down from the rest of the family.

Luckily it is a movie for children. It is worth taking your children to see it!

--------


Related to this, but not from the cinema.
Little Missy got this clay toy with a Wimpy Meal and she loved designing her own 3D picture on the same theme from the movie.

Grade R, bring it!

Grade R has been the ultimate ultimate goal for our Little Missy!
She has been bugging and dreaming about the elusive Grade R for decades years!

It is finally in sight when they start at the primary school next week.

We went and bought the sport clothes, the only uniform she is going to have to wear this year.
And apparently only on Tuesdays or when they tell us to.

She was very excited!

I had to ask for the smallest size, and it still looks a bit big!

She is ready!

Four and a half years

 I used to post each month on the 21st a monthly update, but the 21st days of each month are passing too quickly...
She's getting bigger! Too soon!

Little Missy is her own personality, and it is such a blessing to see her becoming her own person.

She still wants to be carried, and that's why we have to get a shopping cart.
(She is four; sometimes small, and sometimes big!)
15 kilograms are heavy, especially if she is all over the place.
Look there!
What's that?
Why are they wearing that?


She also does not want to sit in the chair, but at the back of the shopping cart, or standing on the front, holding.
Or being pulled like a roller-blader all over the shopping mall floors. (See the Vine above)
Anything, but walking...
Walking on her own needs creativity with racing from one shop to another, or seeing who gets where first!

I have a friend who still has to carry her 25 kilograms 4-year old! We consider ourselves lucky :D

Do you also struggle with getting them to walk on their own, or should I start worrying?

Trust

Week 4 of the Weekly Parenting Poetry Workshop by Lauren Wayne of Hobo Mama.
The theme of this week is Trust.

Trust 


to let go of you

each day
each milestone

to believe
to know
to be thankful

you are your own person
on your own
                            journey


I am only
                    your guide
                    your mentor
                    your safety net

                    your parent

I will be here
               for you

Little Missy
"A girl bird"
24-3-2013

The first feedback in Grade RR

We had our feedback session with the Little Missy's teacher the previous week.
(Before I forget, I am writing down the important points.)

It seems that most of my fears of her being so young are unfounded. Her birthday is in December which makes her a bit younger than most of her classmates. But her teacher believes that it is better to keep them with their age group, and that she does not perceive any problems of our Little Missy not going to Grade R.

Grade R is of course the final goal for Little Missy!
She thinks that she will arrive when she gets to Grade R.

She must be able to do the following: 
(Which apparently is not yet fully mastered)

- She needs to start helping with small tasks.
- She needs to be able to pack her own suitcase.
- She should be able to listen to the teacher.
- She must exercise her cutting skills.
- And: We have a whole list of stuff to exercise at home. (Which was handed out to all the parents)
(Wow! So small, and so many things to do and know already!)

The teacher tells us that she has a bit of a smart mouth on her:
- She retorted when she used a very bad swearword: "It's not me, it is my voice!"
- She was hitting another child, and when reprimanded: "I am not hitting her, I am giving her a hiding!"

The tantrums are also used very selectively, and also more than we expected.
(*sigh* We know! We still see it at home, but thought that it was more under wraps at school!)

She also has a best best friend, and even in the first week the teacher told me that they were very close. The friend calls the shots, and Little Missy follows.
Jade knows best! She knows everything!
The teacher has them seated at different tables, and she has a rule that they can't help or stand next to each other when they get an assignment.
The teacher overheard her once when she was waiting for Jade, and Jade kept on doing her own thing: "Jade I love you so much! Please come!"

Little Missy says that Jade just wants to play with her and no one else, but we see Jade playing with many other friends.

Always tough on the little ones when they focus on someone and don't see the other friends waiting on the side! (I see other friends hanging around when I go to fetch her in the afternoons...)
I will keep on telling her that it is good to have more than one friend!

I don't think boys have so many issues with friends?

Last day of being Three

A final toddler tantrum brewing (?)

Can I also call it the last day of the "Toddler"-phase?

I have been searching the developmental milestone sites, and it seems that the end of the toddler years is finally here.

Wow! Just like that we are passing another milestone!

Nooooo! 

Feeling quite sad about letting "The Toddler" go!
She has been so much fun and so exasperating and so lovable and so cute.
I hope there will be another few years of cuteness ahead!

She has been slotted in for the whole year with the four-year old's, and she was graded with all the four-year old's in her class.
She did not do too bad in her report card.
(Next year I will maybe go and ask about not getting a single top score of 4, but this year I will not worry about it!)

We still see a lot of toddler behaviour, especially those awesome tantrums, and hope that year four will have less of them! (Can I cross my fingers?)

There is much excitement in our house for the upcoming birthday.
She is counting the sleeps and told me to go and buy a chocolate cake with sprinkles, AND balloons!

That we will do!

Happy last day of  three, my little one!


The Preschooler is at hand!

Officially unemployed

The last matric paper was written yesterday!
Finished! Done! Final! Never again!

"Ma skryf matriek" has come to an end!

The last day of school clothes!
The end of an era!
The closing of a chapter!
The reaching of a gynormous milestone!

(It is a bit sad! For me!)

My daughter is moving on!

They have a joke going around that they are now "officially unemployed"!

But she is sorted for next year! Can I call her a "student" now?

The registrations for university has been done! The first payments (ouch!) have been done!

She is on her way...

I am so proud and so happy for her!

It happened so quickly!
(Much too soon for this mother...)



Photo: Patrick Pretorius at Photostyle.

Nobody as surprised as the surprised mother

I wanted to write the blog post last night, but we had a sleep fail night, and the off switch did not work, except for both parents! (Nothing new!)
We staggered out of our room after 11 last night, with washing that still needed to be hanged, and the lights to be switched off in the rest of the house... (No wonder I don't get time to read!)

The Toddler was 35 months yesterday. 3 is a month away.
And.... Ta-da-ta-dum!-ta-dum! is nappy free.
She announced last Thursday evening that she did not want to have a nappy on at bed-time, and that was it!

The status update on Friday
about the first nappy-free night at MomAgain@40 FB page

She is wearing panties 24-7, and she tells us when she wants to go...

Nobody is as surprised as me!
Something just clicked!

I was beginning to worry about the deadline of next year and the new school...She is supposed to be potty trained by then.

It just shows you! All in their own time...

"I can do it!"

It dawned on us last night! We don't need to buy those expensive pull-ups or Pampers or Huggies... anymore!
*Happy dance!*

Related posts:
Up close with the toilet
Potty training - report back
Wordless Wednesday #69 - More uses for the potty

Up close with the toilet

Another title: Potty training adventures

There is nothing like potty training to get you up close and personal with a toilet...

A toddler has intense fascination with a toilet, and there is nothing more exhilarating than flushing it. (Woot-woot! squeamish parents!)

I am of the opinion that you should spend as less time as possible on a toilet, and get finished with your business... Well, quickly! There is the minor fact of germs and multiplying...

That’s why I still don’t understand why people would want to read while there. It’s the germs multiplying, people! Take into account that if the previous occupant flushed the toilet while the seat was not closed... More germs multiplying all around... 

(Not to mention those magazines stacked up in toilets... Germ palaces?)

(Maybe it’s just me, or I have watched far too much of The Doctors!)

But potty training brings the toilet very close:
-    The toddler touches the seat with both hands while getting on. (I can do this myself, Mom!)
-    She sits with both hands on the seat.
-    She even checks inside the bowl...
-    She comments about anything landing in the bowl!
-    She lingers while sitting there...
-    She wants to flush immediately! (Please close that seat, Love!)

Potty training is teaching me a few things as well! Patience is definitely one of them!

Luckily we can wash our hands afterwards. Also something the toddler enjoys immensely...
And the promise of washing hands also helps to move things along considerably!

We have been very lucky the last two weeks! Fingers crossed! (Don’t tell Murphy...)
It seems the Toddler will be potty trained by next year. Err.. Toilet Trained!

Potty training - report back

Potty training has started at the day care this month for the toddler. All that has changed for us is that we have to send pull-ups to the creche. (Costly exercise!)

They say that she participate very well, and sometimes there is a hit!
We are celebrating a pee and a poop when we hear about it, or when she gets it right at home! (Can you believe it? ;-) )

I asked the Toddler to show me the little toilets at day care the other day. She know what she is supposed to be doing there, especially with the toilet paper... If you do not stop her, she would roll down the whole toilet roll. Without anything to show for it...

I can see that it has not yet clicked in her mind! She is not there yet! And it's all fine...
Take your time, my girl!

You are growing up way too quickly!

33 months on World Peace Day

The Toddler was 33 months on World Peace Day yesterday. #worldpeaceday

 It is a day in recognition of a world favouring peace, and for once not a day AGAINST something! We should definitely have more of these!

Days to call Peace to the fore in the World, for our children!


I saw this cute dress with the peace sign & "Peace" written on it at A-C-Kermans yesterday, and could not resist.

To get her to stand still for a photo is not always possible...

The Teen even tried taking a picture through a window...

Peace!

33 months is all busy and talkative and major Tantrums.
The tantrums are even more forced with louder theatrics.
And to get the off button for sleep stays a major issue!

But, she cannot get cuter than this! We are sure of it! ;-)

Two and a half years full of questions

Come and look!

Toad in garden

30 months today!

The toddler is a bag full of questions:

"Wat doen jy?" (What are you doing?)

"Wat is dit?" (What is that?)

And whatever we answer, she repeats it diligently!

She absorbs everything!

This is a wonderful age! I want to freeze-frame the cuteness of her!

A lover of books at 28 months

The Toddler loves books! She is 28 months today!  My job is done! *Pat on shoulder*

We went to pick up some Disney books at the Post Office yesterday afternoon. The Toddler wanted to hold it immediately, and it had to go with when we went shopping in the Mall this afternoon. I read “A Bug’s Life” to her when we went to bed, and while breastfeeding there was two books firmly clutched in her hands... Two books stuck between us, but she would not let go!  She was telling me over and over of some of the incidents in the book; the ants, the naughty grasshoppers and the bird in flames!

I think it is the greatest accomplishment to get a child to love reading! It is giving her access to the whole world of knowledge and experience! I loved books when I was small, and I think it is one the big reasons I went to study Librarianship.

When I ask the Toddler if she wants to go to bed, it is always a firm “No!” But when I ask her if she wants to read a story, she says goodbye to her Dad and start walking up the stairs...