Entertaining an *almost* well toddler

We took him to see the doctor this morning - just to confirm he is on the mend. Daycare has been ancy all week about him being there. Admittedly he isn't 100 percent, but there isn't much we can do except to ride it out - and guess where he got it from in the first place? So just to be on the safe side the doctor prescribed a(nother) dose of antibiotics, and suggested he has a day off from daycare to appease them. I galloped off to work, and Jef trotted home with Kien. I got a phone call not long after I was at my desk from Jef to say he really needed to go in to work, so after I tidied up some bits and pieces I came home, and Jef zoomed off.

Kien goes through stages of being deliriously happy to absurdly upset within a matter of minutes - all day long. When he is giggling and laughing the world is such a lovely place to be in, and when the whining and whinging sets in I can't even think straight because the incessant noise is at a pitch that makes one feel rather disturbed. Just as you think you can't take it anymore there is an interlude of pleasantry as the child gleefully amuses himself with whatever it is that snapped him out of his previous 3 minutes of torment. Just as you settle back in the comfy armchair to have a relaxing cuppa the toddler becomes frustrated that whatever is not doing what he wants it to do, which in turn sets him off on another 3 minutes of wailing...etc, etc, etc. One whole year of this to go. Oh joy.

We've been through a bit of a rough patch with his sleeping as of late, but I kind of feel we are coming out the other side now. Today at nap time I gave him a cuddle and told him a story as per usual, but he didn't want me to finish the story. He pointed at his cot and said "sleep time" and did the sign. I put him in there, he hugged his koala and said "kitchen" as he turned over. Cracked me up - I usually put him down and tell him I have to go into the kitchen to do something. At bedtime tonight it was pretty easy as well. I give him a cuddle in the dark as I recite "Counting Rhymes" (it's the best bedtime story!), and he knows it so well (I've read the book to him from day 1) that by the last line of the last verse he is leaning toward his cot getting ready to be put down. I give him his koala, tell him I'm going into the kitchen, tell him how much we love him and to have a good sleep, then leave. Thank goodness we are back to this place - where we were a couple of months ago. Long may it last!

East Coast Bays

We just had to get out of the house this afternoon. When Kien woke up from his 1 hour nap he was cranky, and the only thing that finally got him out of his spin was the promise of going outside to do something. I had a vague idea that I wanted to be at a beach that had a park, so we got in the car and headed over the bridge. Mairangi Bay was where we stopped.

We frolicked in the sand for some time before making our way back up to the grassy area.

He found himself some rocks and insisted on sitting at the picnic table to play with him. He then had a brief swinging session.

We then went to the next bay around, Murrays Bay.

It is a really neat little beach. The council has built a walkway that takes you around the cove and connects to Mairangi Bay. I unfortunately did not have the energy to walk around with Kien.

Kien had a great time finding rocks to throw. He absolutely loves throwing things.

Time had escaped us, and I knew if we didn't get back to the other side of the bridge before rush hour we were stuck over on the shore. I headed home, but not before stopping at Salisbury Reserve.

The afternoon was still young, and the bumble bees were out.

He was extremely possessive over this "car". He was rather upset when another little person was playing on it and he made such a fuss. He didn't want anyone sitting on the seat with him. The other child (who was there first) was shy and got off for him.

Kien is definitely a determined little guy.

Needless to say there were tears and screaming all the way home from the park - not because he didn't want to leave the park, but because he had decided he wanted to ride his bike on the road. When I did not allow this he threw an absolute wobbly. I wasn't having a bar of it, so I packed all our stuff calmly into the vehicle, and I wrestled him into the carseat. Our 5 minute journey home was ear piercing! Getting into the house was not attractive either. But guess what? We got inside and all of a sudden he found something that pleased him (don't ask me what) and all was good in the world again.

Yesterday evening

It was dusk, and Kien was fidgety. He kept asking to go outside. So what was supposed to be a quick zoom around the carpark on his bike turned into a playground visit to Western Park.

Kien and his dad held hands while doing the double slide together.

They both went down the tunnel slide too. The tunnel slide is Kien's favourite. He went down this slide all by himself before he could even walk.

Being at the park in the dark is a lot of fun. I remember us doing this all of last summer. Yay, summer is coming. No more illnesses! I'm still trying to get over this horrible flu.