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March 24, 2004
Wednesday 24 March 04
Ryan is almost 28 months old
A WATCHED POT NEVER BOILS
One more week at work, one more week. These last few days will just crawl by because I can’t stop looking at my diary or the date pad on my desk, thinking about what I will be doing this time next week. Actually, this time next week we will be on our way to the (hopefully) sunny East Coast to spend 2 nights at the newly opened St Helen’s Resort. Which brings me to my first question:
TRAVELLING WITH TODDLERS (ARE WE CRAZY?)
Granted, it’s not a huge air trip and we’re not exactly crossing time zones but I would love to hear your tips on travelling and ‘staying away’ with a toddler. The drive will be about 3.5 – 4 hours. We’re thinking of heading off when Ryan is due for his nap i.e. after his lunch. Good so far. Theoretically (ha ha) he should fall asleep for a good part of that trip, tummy full and nappy clean. We will take a couple of breaks along the way and if he gets cranky, well, he HAS to stay in that car seat so we will deal with it if it happens.
We are staying in a standard room with a cot provided so for the 2 days we are there, Ryan will need to nap and go to sleep at night in the same room as us – hmmm, could be problems there. He’s always been used to sleeping in his own darkened room. But I’m not going to stress over it, after all it is meant to be a mini break for us, time away from it all. We will have a lot of fun taking him for walks on the beach and exploring the town.
Please stop by my TTM board with your tips on travelling and staying away from home with a little one – I would LOVE to hear from you and would really appreciate your advice on how to keep them happy, sleeping arrangements while away, ‘don’t leave home without….’ etc. Thanks!
SICKNESS
Both DH & I have come down with some sort of tummy bug over the last few days which meant that our weekend was spent at home. The fear of being ‘stuck’ out in public somewhere was just too much! Touch wood (many times) but Ryan has not got it yet. I so hope that it has bypassed him as it has made me feel pretty awful and I hate to see him sick. The nappies will not be fun to deal with either……….. I just want us all to be fit and healthy by 5pm Friday so that we can begin our leave with a clean slate. I’m at work today but I’m thinking of going home when my co-worker arrives at midday. My boss is away at a SIDS conference in Sydney so that takes the pressure off.
I’m also having some more blood tests done and a scan to determine why AF has still not visited. The last time was November before I stopped taking the pill. I’m starting to wonder if I will ever see AF again. Right now it’s not that big a deal but if we ever did decide to conceive it certainly would be a big problem.
BIRTHDAYS
It’s my mum’s birthday today and DH’s next week. My mum is a nurse and spent most of today sleeping as she is on night shift tonight so no birthday dinner for her today. I will visit with Ryan tomorrow after work. My parents live about a half hour drive away. It was on my mum’s birthday 3 years ago that we told her she was going to be a Nanna and I think that was her favourite gift that year. It is DH’s birthday the following week (April Fool’s Day) and I still have NO IDEA what to get him! We will most likely go out for dinner somewhere (that way I benefit too!).
THE EX – SHOULDN’T THEY REMAIN IN THE PAST?
Time for some honesty here amongst all the good stuff. There is a bad side of ex spouses getting along so well. It is that sense of loyalty to his ex-wife that DH can’t seem to ditch and naturally this is causing a lot of arguments between us. I totally accept that he will be forever linked to his ex through my stepdaughter. What I don’t accept is that there remains a credit card account IN HIS NAME that she has retained since they divorced 5 years ago. I mean, when you divorce you sever all the financial/business ties don’t you? He says it can’t be transferred into her name for some ridiculous reason or other. I say he is gullible and naïve. It is in debit and has been placed with a collection agency. She says she forgot to redirect her mail when she moved and hasn’t been receiving the statements. AAARRRGGGHHH! He doesn’t accept my anger and disbelief that he has allowed this to continue and he also doesn’t accept why it is ‘any of my business’. Of course it’s my business, I’m his wife, we have a shared mortgage, shared accounts, shared everything. He is always worried about upsetting her but obviously not too worried about upsetting me.
There are times when I do wish he had no ties when we got together. It is all too complicated. I know it works out well for some people and for the most part it has been good. His ex and I have got along quite well. But when things like this crop up, it’s like she still has this invisible hold over him and he’s too scared to rock the boat. Grrrrr. That’s my vent for the week.
RYAN BITS & PIECES
Ryan’s doing just great and genuinely seems to enjoy trying out new words every day. His speech is still not overly clear but he is showing incredible comprehension and real pleasure in repeating things we say or things he might hear on the TV or radio.
Things he enjoys doing right now:
Watching Home & Away (an Australian soap – Ryan calls it ‘Awaaaaaaaay’ and knows that when it comes on, it’s almost time for bed).
Looking out the window at the trees in our garden where parrots like to sit.
Playing with crayons.
Jumping on mummy and daddy’s bed.
Giving ‘loves’ to the cat – he follows her around the room, going ‘Oh Kitty! Oh Kitty!’ very wistfully, as though he is head over heels for her. When she stretches out her paws/claws, Ryan says ‘Look! Kitty’s shoes!’ Hee Hee.
Looking at photos of himself and other family members. I’m not quite sure if he recognises himself, he usually just says ‘bubby’.
Pinching grapes out of the fridge – I wouldn’t mind so much if he actually ate one but no, it’s much more fun to squish them between your fingers!
He continues to be a very affectionate little boy, a quality that I just love. He always has time for a hug, a cuddle or a kiss (I’m making this last as long as possible because I can just hear him at the age of 10, protesting and saying ‘oh muuuuum, stop embarrassing me!!).
Ryan just loves his bath and adores having the water poured over his head (which surprised me). He loves the bubbles and has his favourite bath toys (ducky with no eyes – he peeled them off…, fishy, little bucket and a yellow watering can). It’s often hard to get him out of the bath and I end up pulling the plug out and we play a silly game called ‘No! Duckie, No!’ where duckie gets sucked into the plug hole as the water slowly disappears, and Ryan screams out ‘Come back, Duckie! No! Come Back!’ as though poor old duckie is going to be lost forever. Then it’s the same routine with ALL the other bath toys so actually getting OUT of the bath takes some time in our house!
He is wearing size 3 clothes, XL Toddler nappies (we’re hoping to ditch those very soon!) and size 8 shoes. I still have every stitch of clothing he has ever owned (grin), I am too sentimental! But I have made progress. Over the weekend I separated out quite a few things that I will list on Ebay and I intend to donate some other items to the Salvation Army. Ryan continues to grow, grow, grow – he is at least one metre tall now.
Please stop by to my board with any tips on travelling/staying away with toddlers, I’d love to hear your stories.
Until next time,
Sue & Ryan
www.babiesonline.com/babies/r/rg
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