It has been aaaages since I posted photos and whilst I keep on waiting for a moment when I have a gap … there’s always something seemingly more important to do … like getting some sleep … for 13 months … sleep has been on the top of my priority list … I am left panic stricken when I venture to think so far as the next 3 years … is it humanly possible to survive on 2-3 hours of sleep per night for four years ??? I have (with the help of Constance … Daniel’s absolutely wonderful night nanny … survived 13 months …) but Constance leaves at the end of May and if something miraculous doesn’t happen before then – I’m leaving with her!
Last week Friday I very gingerly scouted the local b&b’s in our area – the cheapest rate for a bed from 9am-3pm was R150.00 … what a bargain … a bed with a door and the absence of a toddler banging on the other side shouting Marmeeeeeeeeeeee … or Meggie (the dog) … apparently these are synonymous! Oh and the guilt …
Menachem Begin, the Prime Minister of Israel from 1977-83, described his experience of sleep deprivation as a prisoner of the KGB in Russia as follows: In the head a haze begins to form. His spirit is wearied to death, his legs are unsteady, and he has one sole desire: to sleep...Anyone who has experienced this desire knows that not even hunger and thirst are comparable with it.
A haze begins to form in the head … REALLY … you’d never say!
Last night Daniel only woke up 3 times…this is by no means short of a miracle! 3 times a night I can and will do – with absolute pleasure!
Sleep deprivation and its many effects aside (Menachem failed to mention the potential impact on your marriage … the resultant need for counselling and the adverse effect of the “shift scare”). In the midst of the chaos … Daniel still delights us!
A very good friend of mine suggested I start him on Omega 3 now already in attempt to circumvent the terrible two’s tantrum throwing … I still haven’t had the heart to tell her that on a really good day – Daniel only throws 5 or 6 tantrums … mostly every time I try to put him down or lure him away from head butting the dog … I am mesmerised by his incredibly strong will!
James Dobson in his very insightful book : “Bringing up boys” refers to these little beings as "all afterburner and no rudder." Here’s an excerpt:
“One of the scariest aspects of raising boys is their tendency to risk life and limb for no good reason. It begins very early. If a toddler can climb on it, he will jump off it. He careens out of control toward tables, tubs, pools, steps, trees and streets. He will eat anything but food and loves to play in the toilet. He makes "guns" out of cucumbers or toothbrushes, and likes digging around in drawers, pill bottles and Mom's purse. And just hope he doesn't get his grubby little hands on a tube of lipstick. He harasses grumpy dogs and picks up kitties by their ears. His mom has to watch him every minute to keep him from killing himself. He loves to throw rocks, play with fire and shatter glass. He also gets great pleasure out of irritating his brothers and sisters, his mother, his teachers and other children. As he gets older, he is drawn to everything dangerous—skateboards, rock climbing, hang-gliding, motorcycles, and mountain bikes. At about 16, he and his buddies begin driving around town like Kamikaze pilots on Sake. It's a wonder any of them survive. Not every boy is like this, of course, but the majority of them are.”
I read the book whilst Daniel was an angelic little bundle who weighed 10 kilos less than he does now … and of course I was naively idealistic and optimistic about that that last sentence … “Not every boy is like this” …
Oh well … the very evident testosterone tainted writing is on the wall … Daniel uses the coffee table as a jungle gym … when his gums are itchy (which it seems is A LOT of the time) – he uses the edges of the table as a teether … and when the cat dares to make her presence known, he hides under the table and stalks her … there are some other very interesting uses for the dog bowls, the toilet brush, and any/all kitchen appliances.
And then of course …the skateboard … I still haven’t made friends with this obstructive piece of very expensive metal and leather. On the TWO occasions that we let Daniel sleep without his skateboard – he actually slept … RIGHT THROUGH!!! My conclusions were relatively obvious!
Daniel still wears the brace 14 hours a night and barring an over-correction to his feet we have another 2 years and 11 months to go … As desperately as I tried to make sense of his prenatal diagnosis and the thought of losing him so soon after he arrived … so too – do I try to make sense of this abnormality … this apparent deformity that the eyes no longer see … his feet are perfect and yet this unseen gene lurks somewhere in his tiny feet – threatening to twist and turn them back to abnormality …
Daniel still wears the brace 14 hours a night and barring an over-correction to his feet we have another 2 years and 11 months to go … As desperately as I tried to make sense of his prenatal diagnosis and the thought of losing him so soon after he arrived … so too – do I try to make sense of this abnormality … this apparent deformity that the eyes no longer see … his feet are perfect and yet this unseen gene lurks somewhere in his tiny feet – threatening to twist and turn them back to abnormality …
Right … that was my moment of dramatics … so moving right along …
Daniel turned one on the 13th March … we had a small (mostly) family get together for him and had the house turned upside down by toddlers and teens … I understand why party venues are such a big hit … the photos speak volumes so I’ll leave it at that …
Lastly – for those interested in the developmental milestones … Daniel’s still not walking … we were coached on the various developmental delays and were therefore SO SO excited when he started crawling at 9 months … but I have to say – my heart was just a little sad that we couldn’t take birthday photos of him toddling around on two’s … he has however, mastered crawling and standing with the brace and if he maneuvers himself really carefully – he can give you a mean bruiser with one fell rollover swoop …
Lastly – for those interested in the developmental milestones … Daniel’s still not walking … we were coached on the various developmental delays and were therefore SO SO excited when he started crawling at 9 months … but I have to say – my heart was just a little sad that we couldn’t take birthday photos of him toddling around on two’s … he has however, mastered crawling and standing with the brace and if he maneuvers himself really carefully – he can give you a mean bruiser with one fell rollover swoop …
Next blogg no doubt … the first BABY STEPS ...
