Goodbye gate in the hallway

First his bed railings came off, suddenly it is the turn of the gates in the hallway because T can now climb up and down stairs confidently. The gate in the kitchen doorway remains firmly in place of course. Hot electrical appliances and sharp items aside, there is also the treats cupboard to worry about :)

Elmo shape and spin

Who better to teach him about shapes? His one and only favorite cuddly monster, Elmo! Now let the learning commence.

The power of words

Words of wisdom from one of my favourite models of all time, Iman. She said and I quote: "I have a 12-year old daughter and when she does something wrong, she says, 'I was very bad'. I say, 'no you did something bad. You are not bad'. The action is different from the person who is doing it".
I had to marinade on her comment for a brief moment and then it occurred to me. Words are like invisible projectiles and when we spew them, it is wise to choose carefully in case they cause harm. This visual by Emeli Sande sums up my point exactly. Beware the power of the words you utter!

Go away Daddy!

Still on the subject of  the power of words, T has been saying a few lately that makes me go wowzer what in the world; and the one I detest the most is when he tells us his parents to 'go away'! Something picked up from the playground I suppose because we never say that in the house. Anyway I have tried telling him to stop but he would not so lately I have been resorting to drastic action. This morning he told me to go away after I had told him it was time for breakfast. Thinking I was going to start preaching as I usually do, he was surprised when I simply got up, walked away and disappeared behind the fridge in the kitchen. Oh by the way I just saw a giant spider behind the sofa so do not call for me if you see it, I said loudly from my hiding place. He jumped up instantly, raced to the kitchen only to find the child safety gate was locked and he could not get in. He tugged and pulled while screaming at the same time, 'daddy ungoaway'! I cannot protect you, you told me go away, I answered. 'No come back, come baaaacccck nowwww... spiders try to get me', he screamed. 'I don't want you go away; I scared'. That was the answer I was waiting for. I stood up and told him to repeat what he had just said. Then I pointed out that that is exactly why he should never tell me to go away. He nodded in agreement. In time and with a few more repeats of the same scenario and he should finally get the message.

His Christmas list... so far!

The list of things T wants for Christmas are coming in thick and fast and when I say things, I say it carefully because he wants the real deal not the toy versions. Anyway here they are so far. A school. A playground. A car. An aeroplane. Spongebob & his friend Sandy (I suppose toys might do here since they are not in reality real). His cousin, Tilda for regular play sessions. A birthday party. And finally a Tiffany ring because Papa has one. Hmmm, it seems Santa has his work cut out for him this year.

Swimming lessons

T started swimming lessons two weeks ago and in time should feel very comfortable in water unlike a certain me <I cover my eyes in shame>. Hey it is not all bad, it means I now have another lifeguard at my disposal.

Change of season

It is that time of the year when T and I sadly have to start cutting back on our outdoor play and indulging in a lot more indoor fun activities. At some point this week I am going to have to do the rounds of children's centres and playgroups around the area to pick up their winter schedules. As much as I have lived through many winters in my lifetime I can never seem to get used to the cold or the limitations it places on our lifestyle especially when it comes to the outdoors. The snow that comes with it might be beautiful and offer its own range of activities to indulge in but personally I hate the cold and all the layering of clothing to keep warm!!! Still I cannot complain because after many years of disappointments we have had a nice summer indeed this year; one that was sizzling and perfect for the outdoors. With Halloween, Fireworks night, Thanksgiving and Christmas still on the way, the cold weather might not yet dampen my spirits yet. But once that is all over and January hits, it becomes a tough road until Easter.

His breakfast choice

I suppose T has not yet got the memo there is a recession & I am a zero earner currently being a stay home dad. Just take a look at his preferred breakfast food items. A slice of bread lightly toasted and cut into 4 squares with crust trimmed off topped with rain-forest honey, no butter. Yogurt; if it is in a tub it has to be Petits Filous chocolate or vanilla flavoured, however fruit flavored yogurt of any kind are fine as long as they are in a squeezable tube. A side of fruit; red grapes, strawberries or apple sliced wedges style. Chai tea or coffee favoured milk. A cup of cold water preferably with lemon or lime garnish. And finally they have to be served on his favorite place mat featuring a map of the entire world. Anything else and I am pushing my luck on the wastage front. Talk about being a real divo LOL! 

Another item bites the dust

I am really sad to see these Adidas sneakers go but T has outgrown them and every time he wears them now he moans that they are too small and his toes hurt. He has only had them about 5 months; they were presents to celebrate his 2nd birthday and just like that they no longer fit.
To show just how quick he is growing, in the last year alone he has been through five pairs of shoes; that's an average of one pair of shoes every 2 and a half months. Oh well, better he is growing than not. On to the next one.

To be young and carefree

Sitting at breakfast this morning, the following transpires between T and I
Me: Why do you keep playing when you should be eating? Are you not hungry?
He does not answer. He just carries on playing until he spills yogurt all over the new clothes he is wearing for the first time. He looks up at me and says nothing.
Me: Oh my word! Now look what you've done. You've got chocolate yogurt all over your new clothes.
He looks at his new clothes. "Choooocolate"!
Me: Yes chocolate! It's all over your clothes and I am not pleased.
He looks back at me and shrugs his shoulders. "You clean it"! Just like that he carries on playing.

Story of my life summed up in pictures!

His bed railings came off

T is showing signs he is a big enough boy now by waking up every morning for the past two weeks with a dry (or almost dry) overnight nappy. As a result his bed railing came off to prepare him for those days when he might need to wake up in the middle of the night to use the toilet. So far the transition is going awesome. He hasn't fallen out yet and has been really good settling in and getting out of it all by himself when needed.

'No way'!

T has been saying 'no way' a lot lately when I try to get him to do sometthing and I am slightly baffled by where he got it from considering that is not a phrase we use in our household. That was until yesterday when I saw him try to get past a young girl on the slide apparatus in the park and she screamed at him,'no way'! Good grief the things we come home with from the playground.