Month: January 2013

In which I shamelessly brag about my kid

I get it. Every parent thinks the sun shines out of that poorly wiped bum. And every non parent rolls their eyes at the beginning of every anecdote.

Believe me, I know I am boring. And your problems are bigger than mine. I know. And I care.

But I have no self control.

I wish I had three kids to brag about. I wish I could mix it up a bit. But I can’t. I only have the one kid to dote on, and I am going to keep doting on him.

I do try to tag all of my doting posts under “Spawn” so if you want to opt out it’s easy not to read those posts and stick to my political rants and cooking. You’ll probably think I am a much nicer and more interesting person, that is fine with me.

And in person, I’ll try to keep my adoration of the firstborn down to a dull roar. But here, on my blog, there will probably be a lot of Squishyness.

So. Best Start.

Inigo spent an hour with Mrs D. I waited outside the classroom. Usually the parent goes in for a while until the kid feels comfortable, but Inigo and Mrs D go way back, they met in school transition, and it was pretty much love at first sight for him. He wandered off without a backward glance, and I was happy that Mrs D was the teacher with him, I trust her too.

I spent an hour with Wolf Hall, and then he popped out, Mrs D said, “He did really well. Really well”.

He had a little snack while I talked to another mama outside the class, and on the way home I asked him what had happened in the class. As usual he got cross. He finds it hard to tell stories about his day because he can’t remember every detail, and gets frustrated when I ask.

So I let it lie.

Then he piped up with, “Mrs D asked me what would happen if we took the M away from the word MEAT. I said ‘eat”, and she did a little dance”. “She said it was her happy dance and that she had never had a kindy kid get that before”.

And I was happy.

Not because my kid is extraordinary (I am sure there are loads of other clever kids about to start school this year!), but because my kid has a teacher that takes real joy in teaching, in learning, in achievement. This anecdote illustrates that she cares about her job, and that she cares about the outcomes, and that she cares about my child.

Starting school is a big step for me. But I know he will be ok.

Thank you Mrs D, and also to all of the other teachers who care enough to do such a tough job. Public schools rock!

Fun Day

Friends of mine who lost a baby too soon celebrate his due date as “Family Fun Day”. I’ve struggled with how to manage all the different dates/anniversaries that crop up year after year after losing Archimedes and Aubrey.

The date I found out I was pregnant, when I found out I was having twins, when my waters broke, when I was told both of my babies were dead, then alive (on the same day), when I was told Aubrey had died, when they were born, and when Archie died.

And the 29th of January, the date they were due to make their appearance, healthy and beloved, the final two members of our little family. The day our family should have been complete.

Two years on, the joy is easier to access. And Family Fun Day seems like an awesome idea.

But maybe we’ll do that next year. Yesterday, leaving Pearl Beach, I slipped and fell down the stairs, and hurt my knee. It’s most likely a sprained ligament and/or torn muscle with possible disc involvement. I’d need a scan to see exactly what is damaged, but it’s still too swollen for a scan. Hopefully with rest and ice packs, I’ll be walking better on Friday when I see the osteo again.

The very last week of mama and Squishy time is going to involve a lot more home based crafts and screen time than I had planned 🙂

He’s off to school tomorrow for his “Best Start” assessment, ready to start school on Monday.

School shoes

Inigo and I went to buy the last bits of school uniform today. For shoes, we went to the shop I went to every year when I was a kid. They have a train that kids sit on when they get fitted, and the staff take all the time in the world to make sure you get exactly the right shoes.

It feels right to do this big milestone with some ceremony.