Keep safe works (kind of)

Kaydin came down with a cold on tuesday and i have come to the conclusion that when Kaydin gets a cold he likes it all to be over and done with in 2 days which means tues and weds were coughing, high temps, vomiting (in my bed weds night gross!) andthen thurs morning he was fine just a lingering cough. Weds morning though he spent 5 mins just bawling his eyes out and when i finally calmed him down i asked why he was crying he replied "i was sad" i asked "why were you sad?" He replied "i had a 'no' feeling." I'm thinking this is good he's remembering what he was taught, i then asked what made you feel like that to which he murmed "(something) your mum" "sorry what was that" i asked only to hear "(something) your mum" so i gently said "sorry bub im not sure what your saying, he then looks at me and yells "TELL YOUR MUM!" which is of course the next step the keep safe teaches them but didn't really answer my question so i simply said "that's right you do tell your mum" and changed the subject

Keep Safe Programme for Kids

Today was the last dy in a 5 week course Kaydin has been doing at playcentre called a keep safe programme.Every wednesday for 5 weeks the kids come to listen to a lady talk to them about keeping safe. This was such a good course for both kaydin and i. They sung songs, the lady running it dressed up as different characters and the puppet toby was a regular. The kids learnt about differences between boys and girls, parts of their bodies, ok touching and not ok, yes and no feelings, telling safe adults. Kaydin took a cple of visits before he felt comfortable enuf to get involved in the questions, dancing, singing aspects. Kaydin now knows to say "Stop it! i don't like it!" and to tell his mum and other safe adults if they don't stop. it was also good for parents because it gives us a base to build upon, it gives language and ideas on how to bring these subjects up and the confidence to talk about them with our children.
So hopefully this was a great start to introducing not only safety to kaydin but also to the both of us being comfortable talking about things in years to come!

Recent trip to Geneticist at Starship

Last week Kaydin had an apointment with a Geneticist at Starship hospital. His cardiologist (he has annual check ups) referred him as she suspected that he may have something called 'Noonan Syndrome'
We arrived at the Geneticist who was very friendly and even remembered us from when Kaydin was 3 months old (he was the one who caught Kaydins heart murmur and droopy eyelid). After examining Kaydin he told us that there are 2 similar conditions which he may have, 1 is 'Noonan Syndrome' which doesn't have any major prognosis other than his heart condition (pulminary stenosis), infertility (due to undescended testicles), hearing problems and learning difficulties. The 2nd one is 'Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1)'which in most cases is still fairly benign but things like his heart condition, cafe-au-lait (coffee spots), Lisch nodes on eyes, tumors (mainly on the spinal nerves, speech and learningDisabilities, ADHD plus a whole lot more. The best website i found while researching was www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/neurofibromatosis/detail_neurofibromatosis.htm
Kaydin is being referred to an audiologist at Starship to test his hearing. He is also being referred to an opthomologist at Greenlane to look at his eyes especially for the Lisch nodes and possible tumors. Until those tests are done there won't be a confirmed diagnosis of either one and still possibly not til after he is six. The Geneticist is going to see him anually until then either way. Will update again after hes had his apointments.

Birthday Party

Recently Kaydin celebrated his birthday.Because he is really into 'Ben10' (an animated series about a boy that can turn into aliens) we had a Space themed birthday. It went really well, Kaydin dressed all in green and then had his face painted green as well. we had fire alien, many 3 aliens with masks, 2 aliens with tinfoil head bits and a princess alien. Kaydin had great fun that day. The kids all glowing bracelets (like glowsticks but able to be put in a circle,a pack of 15 for $2) and they won spiders and lollipops in the pass the parcel. Kaydins cake was a spaceship which didn't work out aswell as i would have liked but the kids liked it, and they loved the green jelly!
Next year however i think Kaydin's dad can have a turn organising his birthday, although i have said that the past 2 yrs so imnot sure how likely that will happen :)

Moving House

I moved house recently and finally Kaydin and i have a house we can call OUR house. Kaydin is still calling it new house and probably will for a long time i think. We movedin with my grandma, Kaydin's great-grandma and so far it has ben just fantastic. We both get along so well and she has great patience with Kaydin which is a god send because sometimes he can be just too much. They bake bread together and have gardening plans,i even brought him his own little set of garden spade, fork etc. We both take turns at housework and cooking (although grandma does majority of cooking) but neither of us is at all worried if nothing gets done or takes a while. It is such a relaxing place to be (both of us are finacial better off being able to share costs) and i hope we are both here for the next 20-30 years even :)

The Other Ark

I read this quote today

"Plan ahead, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark." -Unknown

and it reminded me of the book "The Other Ark" by Lynley Dodd in which Noah didn't really plan ahead and when he asks his friend Sam Bambaloo to help things don't go according to his plan either.
It's a terrific book Kaydin loved it i had to read it every day for two weeks. With rhyming words, awesome pictures and creative creatures it really is wonderful. I would definately recommend it to anyone

My handsome tiger

I just found this photo of my son at his cousin Ollie's first birthday last year that i couldn't amke it to. Doesn't he make a gorgeous Tiger????

Healthy Lunchbox Ideas

Starting back at playcentre this year i found it very hard to figure out what to put in his lunchbox that would taste gud, be healthy, and would last until it was time to eat. Luckily that very first session i found an article that had a very extensive guide to wat sort of food to pack YAY!! Things like protein foods, cold meats ie mini meatballs, salami etc, yogurts and custard, cheese cubes, eggs, hummus dip. And then a list of foods that could be frozen so they defrost by lunchtime and stay fresh to eat like breads and bagels, cooked meats, fritters, hummus, yoghurt with fruit blended together and a whole list of other lunchbox filler ideas fantstic! I can't wait to try out new things i hadn't thought of (and to see if Kaydin will actually eat them) There are some great health food websites with ideas as well as some food magazines. Around this time of the year lots of magazines are doing school lunch box ideas so if you get a chance go out and have a look at some.

Smile today!!

Ever noticed how many people smile or even chat to your children while your out and about? Today in the space of an hour we visited 4 shops and the beach and had 6 shop ladies talk to Kaydin about his 'ben 10 watch' and his curly hair (he gets that one just about everytime we go out) older ladies always want to stop and chat to him, people walking past often smile indulgently at him, shop assistants think it soo cute when he says please, thank you and bye. Even men both younger and older often at least smile and maybe say hi when they see him or as we walk past. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could be that friendly to everyone else regardless of wether they're children or another adult or wether their hair is curly or straight.
A simple smile from another person while your out can make a bad day seem better and a gud day even brighter, i know from experience. i always try to smile at people when im out (almost habit after working as a waitress and receptionist) and most of the time they do smile back. Even if just one person feels better after i give them a smile it makes it worth it. So the next time you go out just try and smile at anyone you can and you will be contributing to national happiness :)

Back from holiday

What an awesome 5 days!! I had a better time then i thought I was going to have and i was planning on having a good time. I just couldn't believe how stressfree it really was. We walked down to the beach everyday and went swimming. I would go in with Kaydin and we practised his kicking and then I would hop out and sit on the bank while he carried on playing in and out of the shallow water. He had fun jumping and splashing. He learned that BIG rocks make BIG splashes and sink to the sandy bottom and little rocks make little splashes but still sink to the bottom the same, while sticks make smaller splashes and float on the water. We went for a walk to the wharf to look for fishes but couldn't see any, (i think next time i may have to have a go at fishing with him cos no1 else will and he would love it). He loved being with Grandma and was her little helper, he helped make bread rolls and got to knead his own dough and roll his own rolls and he loved it!!! He also loved just following her around and being her shadow and she was quite happy for him to do that. It made me realise how much more stressede i am living at my mothers place though, here i'm condtantly jumping upi and telling him not to touch this or get into that and i always feel horribly guilty if he does get into something while at grandmas everytime i thought i should be telling him to leave something or come away from somewhere she was saying no he's fine leave him and my stress levels totally platoed at low point, even putting him to bed when he didn't want to sleep was not a worry i had so much more patience. Now i definately can't wait to get my own place and am looking harder than ever.
I just can't wait to go back again and now know for sure that holidays with a nearly 3yr old aren't even half as stressful as i had thought they would be :)

Coming up soon...a holiday!

In a couple of days Kaydin and I are going up to my grandmother's old house near a beach for 5 days and I can't wait! The family got together to buy the house off my grandmother to use as a holiday home of sorts but I haven't been up there since Kaydin was less than a year so i'm really looking foward to taking him up there again and also to spend some time with just my grandma and me and kaydin. I had to ask Kaydins dad if we could swap weekends though as it would run into his weekend but he was ok with that which worked out well. That's just one of the issues surrounding shared parenting, when something falls on the other parents time and you really want to have your child with you and you can't reschedule (or in this case HAVE to have your child with you because we will be gone longer than just the weekend dad would have had him.)
I'm looking foward to taking Kaydin in the water at the beach, last time he wasn't that keen on standing or sitting in that cold, wet stuff, but now he really likes water. We will go for walks and collect shells, we shall swing on the rope swing on the water's edge. We will play games and cuddle up and watch dvds (Smurfs are his favourite). And we will go for a walk up the hill to visit Grandads grave to say hi. I just can't wait to spend quality time with Kaydin when we are so far removed from anything that quality time ( and quantity) is all we have. Soooo very excited!!!

Butterflies

Kaydin loves butterflies. He loves the way they have bright colours and the way they fly. They also have emotional significance to his family on his father's side. So the other weekend I took him out to a butterfly place with my mum and his godparents. He loved it! We went through the house twice with him running back and forth "look mum! look mum!" & "Butterfly! Butterfly!" pointing at all the different butterflies. Hw also enjoyed seeing the turtles in the pond as well (even more so then the butterflies i think), especially when one started sunning itself on the rocks. After the butterflies he got a snapping tiger at the gift store which he thoroughly enjoyed snapping at people and then he got to go on the train ride. He loves trains and had a grin that stretched across his face everytime the driver blew the whistle. Of course he did fall asleep on the drive home but who wouldn't after an exciting day :)

Playcentre

Kaydins being going to playcentre since he was a couple weeks old with me and my grandma (his great-grandma). Playcentre is an early childhood centre with a difference. it is rum by the parents and they attend with their children. It has been so great for me and Kaydin both. I have loved being able to watch him grow and learn and experience new things that he may not have been able to do at home and i get to share it all with him!
The last school term has been especially fantastic. his interaction with other children and adults has gotten so much better its amazing to watch.
A the start of term i would follow around with him to help him play and keep an eye on him to make sure he wasn't getting into things he probably shouldn't. i also followed him because being a single parent im so used to being the only one their to really watch out for him, but by the end of term the other playcentre mums and dads have reassured me and made me feel so much more relaxed knowing that yes someone else will stop him from jumping off the top of the fort, or tell him that climbing into the water trough is not really the best of ideas. infact the last couple weeks of term he didn't even want to play with me for the majority of the sessions preferring instead to follow other children and do activities with other mums.
but thats ok, while i did miss being the favourite it meant i got to play with the babies (while their busy mums were busy with older siblings) so win win situation for everyone

Happy New Years!

this was my first new years eve without Kaydin, for the past three years i've always been with him and gone in to sit with him while he sleeps at midnight. Last night however he was at his daddys and i was invited to the cock & bull NYE party with a group of friends because one of them works there. i had a great night but i certainly felt a little sad to not be with Kaydin for the first time. and when i jokingly said that i hadn't seen my son all year or since last year it took me a bit by surprise how upsetting that was.
but i picked him up this afternoon and he was so happy to see me and i, him. kisses and big cuddles!! he fell asleep in the car on the way home but i just wanted to wake him up so i could keep talking to him and giving him kisses.
being without your child makes you realise how much they mean to you, i've heard people say that parents who make their child their whole life are a little sad or desperate but i don't agree at all. its such a wonderful feeling knmowing that here is someone who you can always love and who will always love you (even if when they get older they don't know it)
i hope you all had a great NYE and may all your new years resolutions come true!!