Sleep Training

J's training has begun.

At the end of Jan, I hope to have her sleeping in her own cot during the day.

We started at 3 pm today.

I lowered her into her cot and started on my ironing a few steps away.

She howled in protest.

I got through about 8 pieces and left.

She didn't quieten down till 3.45 pm, and then only for a few minutes.

I told Beth I was training J and warned her not to take J out of the cot. (Beth is very soft hearted and cannot bear it if her sister cries continuously. She will rescue her from the cot and bring her to me.)

Silence again.

At 5.45 pm, J woke and cried.

End of nap and Training Day One.

Conversations about Solomon

Had a conversation with Beth over tea today.

We talked about the problems facing youths in Aus, stuff the papers highlight everyday.

Drugs. Alcoholism. Drink driving. Gangs. Premarital sex.

I explained that alcohol can damage the brain and cause people to act in silly or harmful ways that can endanger someone else's life.

For instance, one person might think another is staring at him and provoke a fight, resulting in death or injury.

I told her that when she becomes a teenager, she is to stay away from drugs, drink and premarital sex.

We talked about why it is important to save your virtue for the man you marry, and the pressures teenage girls may face when they fall pregnant, especially if the man refuses to accept responsibility.

She asked how CA and I got together. How old we were.

"How do you know if a man is good?" asked Beth. "You could look at his face?"

I explained that some men may look like nice people, but they may just be acting. A good test, I suggested, might be to see how they treat animals, children and old folks.

"If you aren't sure about anything, ask God for wisdom."

"Ah, so that is why Solomon asked for wisdom!" said Beth excitedly.

Isn't it amazing when kids put 2+2 together themselves?

"But God didn't just give Solomon wisdom," continued Beth. "He also gave him gold and riches."

"That's right. God can choose to make you rich or not if you ask for wisdom. It doesn't mean if you ask for wisdom, you will also become rich."

The Almost One Year Old Baby

J is such a sociable creature.

She is happiest when she has company.

Like on Sat when we hosted our first Aussie BBQ and invited 2 families over.

J sat regally on her high chair at the head of the outdoor dining table, surveying her domain and all the people coming and going, especially the children who were excitedly rushing in and out of the house in between halfhearted bites of their food.

She didn't fuss, didn't need personal attention. She was happy just to bask in the company and the bustle.

But if you leave her alone and she's feeling grizzly, she will whine or put her head down and howl in a pitiful Woe-Is-Me manner.

February '08 would be a perfect time to take her to playgroup at church. She gets additional stimulation from being with other kids while Beth is at school, and I get to do what I love: getting to know other mums one-to-one and serving the community through my church.

Prof Barbie

CA started at aged 9.

I started at...umm....3.

So I suppose Beth, at nearly 5 ½, is ripe to join the specs-wearing club.

I'm so relieved that we finally found a pair that she was willing to wear (sturdy plastic Barbie frames with purple hearts on the handles – yes, this is one of those times I didn't complain about commercial kids' merchandise), that looked presentable (not nerdy), and that CA and I were happy to pay for.

Glasses can cost an astonishing amount.

Some of the kids' frames we saw at Budget Eyewear cost more than $300!

Granted, these were the Easy Twist ones, meant to withstand mistreatment from the average child who has not learnt to live with glasses.

Thank goodness for private health insurance coverage, which brought our gap cost down to just under $55.

We can live with that.

Beth is growing used to keeping her glasses on when she needs them, and putting up good humouredly with the inevitable comments from other people.

Getting her to remember where she's left them is another to-work-on, as is taking care to replace them in their hot pink Barbie case.

Things that concern me as a parent

• 8 y.o.s who are highly fashion conscious, who act up to get attention, love Bratz and pretty clothes, and are happy to consider braces for their crooked teeth only if braces are a fashion accessory
• The declining quality of education in VIC
• The high incidence of mental illness in youth, especially in the western suburbs where we live
• J's stubborn refusal to go to bed without screaming, unless she is nursed or rocked till she falls asleep

J's First Words

Go go go!

Dada

Mama

Mum mum

Ta ta + wave

And the latest: something that sounds like "lion", when pointing at her lion hand puppet

Bye Bye Kinder

Beth has just had her last day at kinder.

Parents were asked to come half an hour before pick-up time to receive presents that the kiddies had made, and to enjoy a buffet.

I was amazed, as usual, by how much of the spread was in the "sweets" category: doughnuts, lollies, slices, choc rice krispies "muffins".

J made a grab for the bowl of potato chips and fished out one. I said, "No!" and vainly tried to pry the chip off her, whereupon one of the mums went, "Oh, let her have chips."

Some of the mums got a bit "sooky" as the teachers made their Thank You/Goodbye speeches. There were hugs and tears and promises of play dates.

As is often the case with friendships formed in social settings, sometimes the loss of the setting means the loss of the friendship.

Beth and I are glad that at least we'll be seeing Joey and Carmel and the family, as Joey is going to the same school as Beth next year.

First Steps At 11 Months

One of the most rewarding things about being home all day is the gift of the unexpected.

J has been taking tentative steps, standing up very slowly from a squatting position and managing to keep upright without holding on to the furniture.

This afternoon, as Beth and I were watching a video, J suddenly took four or five steps towards the TV, holding Beth's water bottle in both hands.

Beth and I looked at each other.

"Did you see that?" I gasped. "Mei mei just walked!"

And we hugged each other in joy and wonder at the miraculous moment.

There is something about witnessing a baby's first anything that just makes the day seem suddenly alright, particularly if you've been muddling through with too much to do.

Thanks be to God.

The Mimic

J makes us laugh.

When we're enjoying a private joke, she laughs too, right down to mimicking Daddy's distinct "Ah Ah Ah!"

11 months and in top form

J has just hit 11 months and is in top form: lovely, irresistible and utterly adorable.

When I carry her, she wraps her arms around my neck and leans her head on my shoulder. She didn't use to do this.

She's also mimicking facial expressions.

When someone laughs, she too laughs, as if she's in on the joke, even though she may not have a clue what's going on. She looks so cute and comical, with her mouth wide open in guileless mirth and her three-and-a-half teeth showing, that you can't help but laugh with her.

I love how she claps when I clap, waves goodbye and says "ta ta" and "dog" and "Dad" and calls me Mama.

When asked, "Where's Elephant?" she points correctly at her favourite toy.

I love her healthy appetite and her impatient thump-thump on the tabletop and grumbles of "mum ma mum!" when the next spoonful is slow to arrive.

I delight in watching her gleefully cram her mouth with fistfuls of bread or biscuit.

I marvel that she is able to pick up her sippy cup and drink without my help.

As I jested to CA last night, how to go back to work like that?