Goblin & Poppet

A Few Holiday Snaps

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:58:00 +0000

Sorry if you have difficulty loading this, Rachel. I promise I'll send you a CD. Much easier.

-The ferry over to Picton-

-With a present from Grandad-

-Miniature train ride-

-On the mail delivery cruise around Queen Charlotte Sound-

-Choppy water so hold on to grandad for dear life-

-Ship's Cove-

-The ugliest mouse on the planet. Conor agrees-

-At grandma's for Xmas day. Isla looks like she's off to Communion-

-Her new Kawasaki drum set no one is allowed to touch-

-And that includes you, Conor-

-Regaling Daddy later that night at Grandad's house-

-On the train with Grandad-

-Conor went up to his neck in the river with Grandad although I missed a good photo op-

- At the river right before Conor lost his beloved Pumpkin Patch hat to the current. He wore that hat everywhere (as displayed in these photos). He mourned it for days. It got old, fast.

-About to head home-

-Playing on the ferry. This rather large three tiered gym + café is located in the bowels of the ship and frequently it's rather empty as people in general don't seem to know it's there, despite the cinema being in the same area.

-Back home-

I did get a new camera mid holiday but I still haven't worked out the auto scene recognition/manual settings yet so the lighting in many photos is crapola. I can take better quality movies though. Look!

-Huge bump @ 20 weeks. Ultrasound in two days-

I didn't get half the photos I wanted, particularly the dinner at White's Bay, thanks to the dying battery in the old camera (which made taking more than one photo in succession hard) and failing to work the new one properly. I'll learn.

Merry Xmas

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:53:00 +0000

With the kids' great grandmother, June. All presents opened yesterday, holiday with other family, tomorrow. Had to include some with Bonnie in her new bee dress (complete with stinger).

Is It Xmas Now We Have Our Tree?

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Nice try, Conor.

I had loads of help from the kids hence the excessive amounts of baubles. Still, it looks relatively good. Unfortunately, the lights only flash on and off when they want to (which is very infrequently). Time to get some new ones.

I liked last years better by the window but that was so we could block it off with furniture prior to Xmas day, from the tree raider, Isla.

There's been an outbreak of Chicken Pox at kindy (last few weeks) and I'm on tenterhooks waiting for the kids to come down with it. We've had sneezing, some coughing, excessive grumpiness, a few flushed faces and a few innocuous looking raised spots/itchy areas this weekend but nothing really typical of a chickenpox infection. Well, at least to me. I remember mine and my siblings' experiences very well. 100+ lesions. Constant irritability. Suffice to say, both kids have been exposed to more than one infectious child over the last 3 weeks (one Conor's closest friend) and should be developing it by now unless they're just lucky and exhibiting a very mild reaction as we speak. Whatever the case, I hope nothing eventuates in a couple of weeks as we're going away December 22nd. It would be just our luck.

Conor calls them the "chicken pops" and says that he's just too cool to get them.

And no, the camera isn't dead yet. It's getting there.

Isla still carries around a "silky" when tired. Conor was exactly the same. Of course this is going to be a bad joke if we name a girl Silke (ZIL keh) and she too decides she needs a 'silky' comforter.

One more before the camera carks it..

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:26:00 +0000

Not much of an update. Just some last photos before the old camera truly has its death throes.

We have most of the Christmas presents sorted (thanks, Rachel, by the way, we did get the big dollhouse in the end and there were only a few left). Now Conor wishes Christmas on us already. No thanks.

I saw Isla's photo proofs finally on Saturday and I am suitably impressed. She looked amazing and they hadn't even been touched up yet. Honestly, she looked like a fresh faced doll in a few of the close up profiles and not in that icky unnatural way either. Her best shots were the set taken outside with Daddy. The photographer shot her on some steps in a small side street and despite being a very cold and windy day, you wouldn't guess it from her photos.

We are ordering the portfolio now and will go back in a few weeks and check the final results. I'm assuming they are going to airbrush the heck out of them, not that they need much work. I wish I could give a sneak peak on this blog but it's all copy written to hell and back.

And you'd think from some of the reactions from family and friends that we were putting her in tacky nightmare pageants or something equally awful the way they've gone on about it. I tend to shoot back with "Where do you think they get all the babies and toddlers for the kids' clothing mailers and tv ads from?". It's a bit of fun, nothing more, nothing less. Little is guaranteed in this industry and we are realistic enough to understand that. If I didn't think Bonnie would enjoy herself, I'd have avoided it like the plague. It's why Conor's not being signed up. He actively hates the camera at present and when asked if he'd like to have photos like Isla his face said it all. "Hells no!".

[Conor mentioned the imaginary bush creature, The Hakate, and scared Isla.]

I'm 14 weeks today and now have two tummies! Fabulous. Definitely moving out faster with this baby and I feel like chubbiness maximus. Can you blame my poor abdomen? Any muscle tone capable of holding back the bulge was obliterated with the previous two. This is what pregnancy does, people!

Please help yourselves to the eye bleach on exit. I recommend it.

Can we sell it, Mummy?

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:06:00 +0000

Bonnie update.

I've cancelled her appointment for the review of her photo shoot which was tomorrow. We are still not completely satisfied with the details of her contract. It's formulated for a person over 18 years, not so much a child as young as Isla and we are concerned about "locking her in" to anything. An oversimplification, maybe, but a few more weeks will give us enough time to make an informed decision plus save a little more for the physical portfolio payment which is phenomenal! But, industry standard we've found out.

I'm 10 weeks in a few days. Couldn't come soon enough. I've been back to the doctor for more Maxolon which is an anti-nausea drug. He's happy to prescribe another 3 weeks worth by which time this should all settle down. I hope. Although my feelings were mixed on the drug at first, it has provided much relief lately and some days I actually feel normal.

6 weeks:

Almost 10 weeks:

Well, that's what I feel like! I think it's super accurate.

Conor thinks we should sell Isaac/Isabelle (his new ideas) when he/she arrives. He says he has Bonnie and he'd rather keep things "the way they are".

This is your brain on cheese!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Gibberish talk, head shaking, spiral down. JUST SAY NO!

Aka my daughter is just bizarre and I love it. She really does love her cheese. There's been a few occasions where's she said no to candy and yes to a piece of colby.

Oh and I just found out that the talent agency accepted Isla and we have a second interview Saturday 19th to book her photoshoot and discuss other details. This should be fun.

Sorry, she looks creepy but I love it.

Conor missed his kindy photos because of his chest infection (well, doctor thinks it is) which sucks but the photographer did a lacklustre job last year so I'm not terribly annoyed. Joe Average down the street with a disposable camera could have done better. So many "photographers" out there who's only real talent seems to be eye editing. Changing the gleam and colour. I hate it when they muck with the eyes. It doesn't look natural, people! Photoshop, it's great.

So, we have Conor on amoxycillin and he's also been given a spacer/inhaler for his 'attacks'. It works a treat although we've only used in a few times. He's had some bad episodes. Without a doubt the worst coughing we have ever had and trips to a hot shower were required.

Father's day wasn't much of anything as Daddy had been boogerised by the kids. I seem to have avoided most of it.

We finally had a completely positive learning story (progress update) from kindy. Usually, there has to be a little niggle. "Conor's doing brilliantly but....

he's having trouble sharing" or "Conor's fits in very well with the other kids at present but... he uses language beyond his years and it goes over the other kids' heads which might cause socialisation problems later". This time we had one of the new additional teachers write it and it was lovely. She actually praised his assertiveness, manners and said he was a pleasure.

The only problem I see with my son at kindy is that he's one of those goody good tattle tales. The kind of kid that annoyed me as a youngster. He tells on everyone, even when it doesn't involve him. In a way it's rather good as there's a few bullies there and one strapping Samoan kid looks about 6 years old, seriously, and just creates havoc. He dwarves my son (who is actually on the tall end) and makes him look like Mini-Me. Conor has been known to tell the kid that he is a bully-boy and behaves the way he does because he has a smaller brain. Yeah, the brain part isn't the best but that's how Conor sees it. Conor needs to cut down on monitoring others behaviour and focus on his own.

Also, Conor likes things done a particular way when playing with other kids. Very fastidious and that doesn't always go over well.

"Try harder. You have to try harder"

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:51:00 +0000

The kids have yet another cold. They sound like emphysematic swamp things at night time. Armed with Vicks and cough syrup, I had to deal with Conor three times last night - 11pm, 2am and 3am. The morning previous he'd launched into a coughing episode upon waking up for breakfast that lasted a good hour. It was scary. I put him in the shower and he was joined by Bonnie a few minutes later who decided to wake up in the same fashion. Yay! They seem much better tonight. I long for the days where I got a cold perhaps twice a year and they were mild at best. Kids = contagion. Like with the last illnesses they're just fine during the day. Frustrating stuff.

Conor's bed is high up isn't it?

I wanted to get an accurate shot of how long Isla's hair really is but it's instant curl as soon as the water is poured on.

Bonnie decided to wear her "butterfly" dress today. And yes, the windows need an outside clean and the room is a pigsty and still cluttered.

Conor has a new arsenal of condescending phrases. Well, he doesn't intend them that way, he's very genuine actually. We now have "You can do it, Mummy, you just have to believe in yourself". Also, "Try harder. You have to try harder" and "Practice makes you better, Mummy". And today something alone the lines of, "You have to see it in your mind and then work it out and that's how you do it". I blame the dudes pictured. They've assimilated my son with their effervescent 'can do' attitude. I suppose it's better than having him spout Dora The [obnoxiously loud simpleton] Explorer.

Conor's also taken to having a 'deep and meaningful' with Isla if she's annoyed him. Sure he will get moody, ignore her or tell her to go away sometimes but there's been ample occasions over the last month where's he's got ultra parental on her. It's hilarious. Gets on her eye level, holds her hands gently, puts on his serious face and says "I love you but I'm not happy with you right now. You have to listen to me when I say things. Listen to what I say. Okay? It's what you have to do. ". Usually, he repeats the "listen" part ad nauseam. It's freaking funny to see Isla just go along with it with the occasional nod.

My favourite quote of the last few months remains one quoted in the side bar: "Isla is the most beautiful girl in the world. No, on Animal Planet."

It seems Isla has almost gotten her Ls downpat too so we should be able to avoid the embarrassing "clock" minus it's L situation out in public now

And for Mneme, Isla's new mutant swan potty. It's ugly whatever it is but she seems to like it. I also made sure to hide the pink version in the store. I'm mean. Conor's modelling for you since there was no way in hell Isla was going to. Typical when I want a photo.

Meh

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:24:00 +0000

* Conor passed his "Before School" check with flying colours. Weight, height, speech, colour recognition, number recognition and pencil grip all good. The nurse asked Conor to draw her a shape. He refused and said he'd rather write his name and middle initials.

* Conor also learnt to write and recognise "no" (it's in Conor so he remembers it), "Jon" (for his uncle) and the letters Z, S and Q.

* Today he and Bonnie both had dental nurse checks and both have lovely teeth. No caries or any sign of them. Bonnie wasn't booked in either so it was a bonus. Conor was a bit angsty in the chair. It took a good two minutes to get him to lie down and put his safety glasses on. He then asked the nurse: "Do you have any sharp things on your tray?". His MMR booster was two weeks ago and he's still a bit 'sore' over it. When asked what he'd like following, a sticker or butterfly (made from cotton wool) he asked if she had candy for him. Nice try.

* We caught up with the kids' maternal great grandparents which was lovely. We don't see them often enough at all. Grilly (Graham) with Isla on the swing.

* We had a little interview with a talent scout company for Isla and it went rather well considering the long wait we had. Isla was very well behaved. She's very "marketable" apparently but that means very little. We will see in a few weeks if she's been accepted and then it's portfolio time. I think I scored bonus points for her by remembering the company owner's kid's name and complimenting it ;) Suck up!

* Finally got the bunk beds, well, bunked up. Conor is up very high but he's very confident with the ladder and the safety rail extends all the way down. I remember my earliest bunk bed. It had a tiny little safety rail. I always felt if I shuffled down the bed slightly in my sleep, I'd go overboard and land on my sister given our beds were in an L formation.

Hey, this little girl likes Thomas!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:05:00 +0000

What one sales lady exclaimed to another when Isla picked a Thomas The Tank Engine bedspread over Barbie and other sparklier duvets. The woman was seriously perplexed and amused given her look. She had previously thought Isla had carried it up to the counter for her brother. I'm surprised she was surprised. Really. It's hardly uncommon for girls to show interest in such things. I'm a girl who grew up with Strawberry Shortcakes, Care Bears, Barbies and GI Joes, Transformers and die cast model cars. Girls don't compromise their 'femininity' by associating with planes, trains and auto mobiles. It's ridiculous. Which leads me to the issue of pink. I hate the pink plague. It's traditionally a masculine colour which is hilarious although there's good evidence to suggest girls are innately drawn to red shades any way. Still, provide some variety in the girls' sections of clothing and toy stores, I implore you! Only recently has it blossomed into this ideal colour representation of girl-hood. Soft, frilly, princessy girlhood. It's nauseating.

Anyway, here's a look at her duvet. Bonnie loves it. Also, pink or mauve wouldn't have looked good with her bed frame. In the above photo, she's wearing her Thomas slipper boots. Again a must wear. I'm not sure why she's so hooked on this particular annoying train. We only have the one original Ringo Starr narrated series DVD (I made sure of that) and it hasn't screened on TV here for a long time. Of course all trains are now Thomas/Tommit.

I apologise for all Isla's sooky faces. She really does go from beaming to sulk in 0 seconds.

Conor is far too cool to pose for any photos normally and too fast to photograph
spontaneously. We are all getting over our repeat colds I believe, Rachel (don't worry) it's about time because I have Conor's 4 year immunisations on Monday and he has to be generally healthy for them. All this measles epidemic talk spurred me into action. I'd forgotten about them.

Goldilocks (and her new kitchen)

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:30:00 +0000

We just got a nice ultra cheap play kitchen. It's cute and the gas, bubbling and sizzling sounds and lights are a nice touch. I think Conor is far more enamoured with it despite the pink bits. He did call it "girlish" but it stopped him from playing with it for all of five seconds. Why is it that practically every play kitchen on offer in NZ (bar the half price Tefal red one we missed out on, damn you!) is bright pink? I don't understand it. The boys at kindy spend just as much time with the wooden kitchenette and baby nursery as the girls. Please excuse their bedroom. Too many toys, not enough room although that will change when the beds are in bunk mode.

I really want a big sturdy Little Tikes model but we just don't have the range here and most would have to be ordered from overseas which is beyond costly.

And thanks for the bits and pieces, Rachel :) Bonnie loves the clips and the gloves couldn't have come at a better time with Kindy starting back on Monday. You'd think being the height of winter in NZ, they'd be in all the stores. They're not. I've seen none recently so you got luckier than me. And Conor is hoarding all the play money.

About to knock her hips out of joint via "couch launching"

Conor and his new little remote car. Apparently Batman and Spiderman aren't good enough to drive it whereas kooky In The Night Garden characters are.

Also, a small clip of Bonnie kicking her footballs. She decided she wasn't going to do it properly. She really does have an awesome kick normally. Blame obnoxious Dora The Explorer for her fascination with soccer.

Bonnie's Hips Are Perfect!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:54:00 +0000

Well, pretty damn close to. Or so said her x-ray and dishy South African doctor. He's not our regular orthopaedic paediatrician but he was lovely. So, no more zaps for 18 months. Yay. Bonnie's had more x-rays in her 2 years than both her parents in their entire lives. Almost a year ago I was thinking the worst for Bonnie but it appears the snip, spica and splint seem to have done the trick.

The doctor did say that she's in that annoying 'grey' area where things could change at a later date. I guess puberty is a biggie.

Also, she seems to be coping better being in the hospital. While we had screams on the x-ray table, she did stop for a bit to listen to the technician try to explain that it was just a special photo. She also quit crying immediately upon leaving the table. Previous visits had her going ballistic post x-ray too.

*big satisfied sigh*

Checking to make sure the consultation room is safe.

Giving Olive the special treatment. No way in hell that Isla was waiting on the table at this stage.

Success.

Random photos:

Frustrated because she can't walk in her little toy plastic shoes. Although she has no problem with my heels.

Enforced head hugs.

Big Boy Kindy + Books

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:17:00 +0000

Conor starts the morning sessions next week. Basically prep for primary school. The week consists of two four hour and three three hour sessions. Less 'free play', more structured learning, plus 'show and tell' and so forth and trips out on the bus to museums and other places of interest.

Grandma visited last week. The kids adore their grandma and it was nice to see Isla get the 'grandma' right and not default to 'nanny' all the time although any lady past the age of 50 could be a 'nanny' or 'grandma' now. We were on the bus a few weeks ago and white haired short lady departed the bus and Isla yelled "Nanny, come back!".

I just bought the kids a bunch of picture books I enjoyed as a child. I just prefer reading stuff I know I'll enjoy because there's lots of drivel out there. Selfish isn't it? While I adored the classics by Dr Seuss, Eric Carle and Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, my favourite of all and the book that perhaps 'disturbed' me the most was I'll Take You To Mrs Cole! by Nigel Gray. Like the blurb says in the link, it was fun but just a wee bit sad too.

A newer one I bought that I never got the pleasure of reading as kid was No Matter What by Debra Gliori. It's about unconditional love and while it gets a bit gooey at the end, I love the illustrations and this portion:

"Does love wear out," said Small, "does it break or bend? Can you fix it, stick it, does it mend?".

"Oh help," said Large, "I'm not that clever, I just know I'll love you for ever."

Two others, Kiwi oldies Who Sank The Boat by Pamela Allen and My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes by Eve Sutton.

And a new Kiwi favourite, Barnaby Bennett. Reminds me of Conor last year.

And the kids' favourite show, I'd be meaning to share for a while, The Numberjacks. Making numbers fun. It's wholesome but as with many British kids' shows, a wee bit strange. Check out the scary dude in white who likes to muck with number patterns. Bonnie loves him. "Taker! Taker!".

Photo Dump

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:51:00 +0000

A photo dump. Sorry about all the labelling and black/white, Rachel, but it gives me just a wee bit of peace of mind in light of recent events.

Ick. I think Conor is investigating his nose in the first vid. Charming. They're going to kill themselves on Isla's bed (which matches with Conor's) also.

Their hand puppets have been dubbed Froggington and Lionton. Conor's very into a British cartoon about trains called Chuggington so that is obviously the inspiration there. He believes a frog could take on a lion. Some frogs secrete poison through their skin and such things fascinate him. I don't know how many times I've read the same reptiles and amphibians book. It's getting a bit monotonous. Time to break out Seuss again. The kid could spend ages talking about chameleons, Komodo dragons (and their "filfy mouths") and basilisks. Dinosaurs are another big interest right now. The Tyrannosaurus Rex and pea brained Stegosaurus reign supreme although I've tried explaining to him that there were far more terrifying and larger carnosaurs than old T-Rex. Everyone defaults to the damn T-Rex. Oops, showing my dino-obsession.

In other news, Bonnie has decided she doesn't want to eat 98% of all foods. Yoghurt, cheese, crackers, tomato pasta, marmite toast and apple are the only nourishing things on her okay list. My once great eater is now being coerced into eating little bits of meat and a few vegetables by drizzling them in BBQ sauce. I know, it's a cop out. It's the only thing that works. She's so temperamental, I'd rather not engage in huge battles. The "No, no, no - don't want" is tiresome and there's no way in hell I'm trying the old force feeding method my mother and step father sometimes used on my brothers and sisters. What a way to get kids to appreciate their food! Shovel it in by force, massage throat and watch out for any regurgitation. No wonder I have issues with peas. Horrible.

4 Year Old Goblin & A Fugly Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:33:00 +0000

Conor is now the ripe old age of four. It's scary. Initially he wasn't too impressed either and said he'd prefer to stay 3 for a long time.

I fashioned a cake. I use the word cake liberally. Although, I give myself credit for not buying cake mix and doing it all myself. While it tasted divine (lots of white chocolate) it wasn't pretty, but as Mneme said, if Conor was impressed then that is what's important. It was a disaster zone at one stage as my icing consistency was overly running and the four I'd tried to create ran like something Salvador Dali would have painted. Lots of clean up required.

Needing touch ups and just knocked by Bonnie.

Besides his neat little castle and knight Lego set ( I think he's well past Duplo), Conor treasures his doctor set the most. Rachel, we bought our own one just before you sent yours. So, he has lots of instruments now. Two syringes to inject up noses and two stethescopes to check gut sounds, plus all the other bits and pieces. It seems our gut activity is more important than heart and lungs to him.

Isla's poached his new football. That girl can kick up a storm. She's amazing. Unfortunately, I'm not happy about the "Chelsea Football Club" stamped all across the ball. If anything, it should be Man U or Liverpool.

One of his presents he's not so fond of is the classic Buckaroo game. It scares him when Roo kicks. Come to think of it, I'm not fond of that either. It's why I was terrible at Operation. Must get that one for him too.

And it's so nice to see a little kid so excited about new clothes. I doubt I was at his age.

And what have I learned recently about my little man? He hates the Happy Birthday song. Woe betide anyone who tries to sing it to him. He told Nanny over the phone to please stop, he didn't want it in his ears as it freaked him out. Strange child.

Baf & Bunches!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:35:00 +0000

Threw in a pic of her big hair. Because she's inherited her Cousin Itt gene from me, I find the only way to tame the mane is a ridiculously vertical ponytail/top knot or piggies like the above. Keeps everything off her face and when she has a cold and is brimming with boogers, this is a very good thing.

And Conor's very keen to sing in front of mummy now. His new favourite, One Two Three Four Five, hence the extended pinky in the photo. Previously, he'd only sing when he thought no one was looking or if he did, he'd whisper. He loves Itsy Bitsy Spider too. I tried our regular Incy Wincy Spider but he doesn't like it.

Nanny, what happened to your FACE!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:35:00 +0000

Thank you, Conor aka Mr Flippant. This was regarding a picture of his great Nan as young woman. He also pointed to Nan's loose-ish skin on the underside of her forearm and proclaimed it "soft and fluffy" like "touching flowers". Could he get any weirder?

One of the photos of Nan he took umbrage to. I was more interested in her dark vampy shade of lipstick. "We all wore dark red" she tells me. Oh and her giant man-bear gloves. What the heck are those? This is her in Wythenshawe park, one of her favourites places.

Healthy kids!

To top it off Conor saw a pic of me at about 8 with a mullety hair cut, plastic jelly shoes, a small white cardigan over a Disney t-shirt and sweat pants with stirrups. It was also prior to my orthodontic work. "Mummy, you have an ugly face here". 'Tis very true though. The photo is a fashion train wreck and I will not post it. I'm also clutching a hot pink diary. I forgot I carried a diary around like a best friend. I though it was exceptionally cool.

This House Is Clear

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Sun, 10 May 2009 04:04:00 +0000

From a nasty gastrointestinal virus and about time too because someone is making me a lovely "Mother's Day" dinner complete with red wine Had it been two days ago, I'd have not taken a bite.

This virus was unusual. I just had a upset stomach. Basically on/off again nausea for a week plus or/minus some terrible cramps. However, Conor, starting Sunday morning, had five episodes of night vomiting (once or twice) with one night's break in between. Isla started later. Both kids were perfectly well during the day. Symptom free. In fact directly following an episode, Conor went hunting in the pantry for food or asked for icecream. Huge appetites, well hydrated, playing, running, being, well, normal. Very unlike a typical gastro bug. There was also zero diarrhoea which was strange. GI bugs tend to have me holed up on the couch, barely able to take a sip of water, let alone eat, with the energy someone on their death bed. With the kids, bed time would hit and they'd change. It was bizarre and why I refrained from visiting the doctor until Friday. With the one night's reprieve, I thought we'd beaten it. No. I had consulted our free child health line earlier but they told me what I already knew, that the kids sound "fine". No dehydration (capillary refill is a great indicator), no diarrhoea, no pain, eating/drinking well, the whole shebang. Dehydration with these viruses is the biggest concern in the young but like that was going to happen with the kids going through bottles of ginger ale and boiled water daily.

The doctor had no answers and with both kids in perfect condition, he said we'd best wait it out another few days and gets bloods following if it continued any further. It stopped yesterday. Yay! Viruses present themselves very differently within families sometimes, that much I already knew but the fact it only hit at night or the early morning hours was bewildering. It's never happened to me, that I know of and I've had my fair share of GI bugs as a child.

So, we did a bit of baking yesterday and my triple chocolate muffins with chocolate buttons on top made me feel better about my the last unerving week. Those and my Mother's Day dinner still can't improve my mood over missing out on one of my favourite comedian's live acts tonight.

No, Conor is not being sick horizontally into a bowl, he's licking out the Betty Crocker muffin mix. I prefer to make muffins from scratch, it's almost as quick but Bonnie stole this mixture at our visit to the supermarket and hid it in the shopping trolley. I must watch out more in the baking needs aisle. I just added an excessive amount of chocolate pieces to the mixture. Result: decadent.

Flashing Shoes and Bonnie Says NO!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:40:00 +0000

I shouldn't goad my daughter but she gets so shirty. It's really cute. Just don't offer her food when she's in this mood because it will go flying. She can slap, hard.

Thanks Grandma. Conor loves his "fancy" shoes. He made sure to show everyone at kindy.

Mummy, I am getting frustrated with you!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:08:00 +0000

A conversation we had this morning about clothing choices. It's not exactly warm now and he wants to wander around in a t-shirt. Not happening. Like the majority of Kiwi homes, we have no central heating.

Me: Why not this top?

Con: It's like a jacket. I don't want a jacket.

Me: It's cold, Conor, you have to wear a jumper or long sleeved top.

Con: I'm NOT cold!

Me: I'm not arguing with you. You need a long sleeved top. Put this skivvy on then and a t-shirt over.

Con: A skivvy? Is it normal? It's not a jacket. Okay.

Me: What about these trousers?

Con: NO! They're short. I want long trousers. Stop frustrating me. I'm getting frustrated!

Me: These ones?

Con: They're not right. No. I wear those at Nanny's house they are not for this day.

Me: Fine. Wear whatever.

Con: Okay, if you say so.

Me: I'm still putting a jersey on you though.

Con: A blue one? I need blue for my adventure. I'm not cold though!! I don't want it.

Aaarrrgh!

And he's on a cooking/baking fix. It's what prompted me to make muffins and biscuits the other day. It's been a while. He likes to fill pots and muffin pans with a mixture of water, vinegar, curry powder, sauce, salt and occasionally flour. If I dispose of one of his creations I get:

"I'm chef and you RUINED it. I'm trying to cook this day".

or

"You need to sit down and not make loud noises. You are being naughty. It's rude to do that to my cake".

A few times I've preheated the oven only to find a muffin tray of mystery ick boiling away when I've gone to bake something.

Conor monopolising one of Isla's birthday presents. I feel a little bit like a Dorothy Downer buying her something "sensible" and "wooden" over girly little pony or pet sets that will last all of five minutes. In saying that, she still got another two dolls. She does love her cars though.

Mneme, the garish pink Dora jumper Daddy thought she just had to have. I don't want her wearing the bottoms at the same time. There's a matching bag too.

And the 2 year old meltdowns have kicked in! She makes Conor look like an angel.

Bon Bon Fleur is 24 months!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:54:00 +0000

So a huge photo whore down memory lane. Hopefully a few newbies I've not yet posted before.

Conor and Isla got a treat this afternoon. My cousin Bennett arrived back from his eco-tourism stint down south late last night. He's in Eastbourne until November and understandably Conor is over the moon.

6 months I believe.

^ One or two days old. My boobage is bigger than her!

Packages!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:35:00 +0000

One all the way from the US and one more local - thanks Mneme and Rachel.

The kids love the "Little Uglys", Mneme. Although I've just noticed I've not removed the plastic tags yet. Oops.

We got lots of candy (I have dibs on the Reeses), a Fish card game for Conor, a Damian artwork original and a naughty magnetic poetry set for moi! I will put my first offering on the other blog ;)

And you were right about the Peeps candy. Very cute. Isla shoved two in her mouth before I could stop her.

See, Rachel, you can just see in the above picture, she's wearing her new slippers now. She got to her own parcel before I did. Also, the patent black shoes are just perfect. Superior to the pair I bought when you were down. While there's plenty of room for her to grow, they don't slip off! Finally! Conor was very excited about his new socks and underwear ;)

Hooked on chocolate shots from the other day. You can tell the kids are sick of the sight of it now when they start refusing chocolate eggs although their colds haven't helped. We have lots to finish.

I would have grabbed a vid of Conor saying thank you but he's spluttering everywhere now. All his colds end up in his chest - never just a case of the simple sniffles. If it keeps up, he's going to the doctor as he's having trouble "expectorating". It's probably not going to be a good idea to have friends around for dinner tomorrow either with them both sick. Shame, it's Bonnie's 2nd birthday.

Suffer Thy Monsters

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Okay. I'm being obnoxiously proud of my son. Well, I can't help it. Until 3-4 months he ago wasn't interested in anything remotely arty. Wouldn't even pick up a crayon or a paint brush unless you bribed him (that's how you got your artwork, Mneme ;)

So last night he was colouring and writing his name over and over and over again. He did a particularly big circle so I asked him if he could turn it into a monster. He thought about it for a bit and drew two vertical dashes for legs, then eyes and hair. I prompted him with the mouth. He also put on ears. Suffice to say I was nearly wetting myself. OMG he's finally in the preschematic drawing stage. He got it in all of two minutes and then started changing expressions. Good/happy to mean/angry to what he calls the "problem face" where it's just a horizontal line. It's a great start and that's why I'm so happy. He's behind a few other kids at kindy with regards to drawing objects so I'm really happy more so that he's enjoying it so much.

^^ The one he calls 'problem face'. I had to write it down before I forgot. He may also have a nose ring, not sure. I assume the purple lines above the eyes are eyebrows.

^^ Happyish

^ This one has a nose, arms, irises and a "locker".

^^ Just added little "shoes".

^^ Monkey

For those yet to have children, it's one of the most exhilarating things to watch them grasp concepts. It really is. It's a buzz and a half.

Conor of Rohan Is Cleverer Still

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:11:00 +0000

He's been writing Conor quite legibly for almost two weeks which delights me to no end but we've just got his Ns sorted out. He was writing them like upside down Vs and they were twice as big as the vowels. Rs were also huge. While doing it his own way is cool, it means he can't fit his name on much hence the prompting from me to make everything the same size. Now he can write on very small areas. I didn't think he yet had the motor skills for fine lettering but he's proved me wrong although the best example I had has been rubbed away.

We've made progression with Js but he's still far more into his first name. Taking it easy is best. We've had a few more graffiti episodes with crayon on the wall. It's hard to temper your response when you are dually pissed off and over the moon that he's written so beautifully. You can tell he knows I'm struggling to reprimand him. Little bugger.

He thinks he's ready for school now. Not quite, Con, there's a lot more to school than just writing your name over everything. Additionally, saying things like "There's wizards in my brain. I don't want them in my face though" is going to make the teacher and other kids think you're a loony. A lovely loony though.

Ah and now he's giving me lessons on rhyming words. Damn you Word World. "Key rhymes with tree. Did you know that, mummy? It does."

So I might say, "It also rhymes with bee".

I get a hand clap and a "Good job, mummy. You rhyme things great!". It's so condescending!

Isla doing her Twinkle Twinkle song. The "How I wonder what you are" part requires fingers at cheeks or head. That's just the way she and Conor do it. Incidentally, "tinkle" covers both twinkle and tickle.

Butchia McJocks aka Sparkly Fairy Princess (on a skateboard)

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:03:00 +0000

I didn't buy it. Don't look at me. Bonnie appears to be a big fan of pink which is somewhat annoying but I'm going to have to deal with it as she becomes more assertive with her dress sense. Right now, she doesn't care what I put her in although she found her fairy dress and glitzy crown this morning in her spare clothes chest. I was so close to buying a buzzy bee (black/yellow striped) version of this dress last year but was outbid. They don't do black/white unfortunately ;)

This finger in the air thing is usually her attempting to count to three although she does do it when she's needs to add flair to her funny, not really serious outbursts of e.g "Get out!" or "Stop!"

I am so very clever!

noreply@blogger.com (Bewildertrix) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:42:00 +0000

Conor wrote, well, Conor today and it was rather legible. Success! I'll have to get him to do it again and scan it as this morning's attempt is now pinned on his favourite kindy teacher's note board. He also makes sure to take two flowers to both teachers at every session. Usually, dandelions but today C. got a something different. A pretty pink dianthus nicked from a neighbour's garden. I don't think any other kids bother to do this "apple for teacher" lark and I think C. at least finds it sweet whereas the other older one is less, erm, amiable.

He also politely says "You're welcome" when they say thank you. I love that and he didn't get that from me either ;)

Bonnie did not get these legs from me! Chub's away.