My baby's FOUR now

As of 13 minutes ago (1334) my baby became a four year old. We had "Acdonals"( Mc Donalds) for lunch as his birthday lunch *gags and dry retches* . We shopped for his birthday cake. He got a present from his sister ( travel MagnaDoodle) and his brother ( Lightning Mc Queen car with removable wheels) and Granpas present, he picked himself ,which is a hobby horse..You know a horse head on a stick thing, he loves it and granpa will be happy as he will think his youngest grandchild is following him into equine breeding. He has told any one who we crossed paths with today that it is his birthday and are they getting him a present, including the lady from Energy and Water Ombudsman, the parcel delivery guy, the lady at Acdonals, Mr 5's teacher, the school secretary, two mums whom I don't know, three mums who I do know and the guy at my favourite fruit stall a the Vic Market today. He's tries, I'll give him that.
Tonight he'll get his big pressies, a Tonka helicopter and a wooden garage for the umpteen hundred Matchbox and HotWheels cars they have, courtesy of Mattel Toy Club membership. NAH NAH NAH.
Childrens birthdays are unique at this age ,as the concept of it all is lost to them apart from presents, cake and some special treats ( he ate 3 Vic Market donuts) For the other children, you might score a pressie from a grandparent who cannot bear not to give a present to everyone or if you get to pick a present for your siblings, you might be able to con your parent that "yeah, he really wants the Buzz Lightyear outfit" or "Yes, she told me she wanted a skateboard complete with kick plate". For relatives and friends it's and time for indulgence and spoiling. As a mum, it's a time of wonder as to where it all has gone to, awe that they learn so fast, joy that small things still make them happy( sometimes) and sadness that it has all happened so fast.

Happy Birthday my bubby boy

Watches and Birthdays

Bit of a mismatch of stuff really. Those ,who know me, know I am not really into jewellery, in fact, if I got robbed they'd send the stuff back COD. I wear two sleeper earrings and two diamond studs in my ears, my wedding band, my claddagh ring, my mums wedding band and my grandmothers wedding band and an apraxia kids support bracelet. That's it. I wear a watch on weekdays so I know what time lunch is and what time I have to pick up the kids. But I have found something I like a lot. I was searching to see if the cheapo character kids watches 2IC brings back from OS are of any resale value on eBay and spotted this Krug Bauman Principle.
There is an UK eBay store selling them for about $112 in daily auctions, they have a big turnover and lots of feedback but some of the feedback is BAD. I have never liked a piece of jewellery so much and have been watching the auctions of these timepieces with interest. Over three months I haven't found anything close in any retail outlet..I love this watch, did I say that already? Anyway, I like these watches and if any one knows where they sell them retail, let me know.
Mr 3 becomes Mr 4 on a few days and he received a letter yesterday from the local council immunisation group, complete with generic birthday card and immunisation schedule for the area. Point of note, if sending info about N-E-E-D-L-E-S to parents via cutesey kiddy birthday cards don't include the info with the card complete with piccies of caracticture needles or simply don't address the letter to the child. Mr 3 thinks he's getting a needle for his birthday and doesn't want a birthday now. Thanks for listening.

News, Views and Appointments

Amidst it all, the year is drawing to a close and Mr 3 is soon to be Mr 4, Mr 6 has decreased pencil grip skills and Miss 9 ...Well, girls become bitches so much younger today, I think.
Mr 3 has been coughing for a week or two and has been back and forward to the Drs.. It was a toss up if it was croup or asthma (Please, not asthma) So he was treated with Redipred for three days and with a follow up appointment on Friday, coughing is still there and "noises" in the chest; so we were on a three day trial of Ventolin four times a day. Today ,we were prescribed Seretide( which is a preventer rather than inhibitor) and tomorrow we go for a peak flow test and some other investigative measures. Fun, fun, fun. But he is miserable,grumpy and tired, I wish he'd sleep in the day time ,but alas and alack, he gave that up for Lent a year ago and failed to resume it. LOL.
Mr 6 has decreased pencil skills over the past few month and despite the best efforts of his teacher and myself, he is writing in a worse manner than he was at the commencement of the year. We decided to find a pediatric occupational therapist ( P O/T) to help, scarce as the provebial hens teeth and school visits..What's that? What is the use of not being able to assess a child's problems if you are unable to observe the entire enchilada? The desk, chair, paper, everything..I'm not a O/T but even I know you need to see the environment. Anyway, SCHC has a P O/T who does school visits and as Mr 6 was a member of the EIP group there, we are able to access the service.
PROBLEM: School has to be invoiced, not me.
PROBLEM: Mr 6's funding is committed to the aide time for the remainder of 2006
SOLUTION: Ask the school to split the bill 50/50
Ain't life grand when a plan comes together?
His speech pathologist is doing a school visit this week and this was co ordinated by his classroom teacher and the S/P, unbeknownst to them the DP organised the P O/T visit for the same day and yes, folks 15 minutes into his S/P session time. So despite the best laid plans of mice and women, some men do stuff it up. Right now, we are anxiously waiting the return call from the P/O/T to see if she can switch her time as the S/P was booked first and she coming from Gisbourne.
Miss 9 has been in the intricate world of little girl Bitchland. You know the "I'm not playing with you if you're friends with her" the "let's not play with her" gang mentality. I stay right out of it as it has a tendency to be :
a) overrated
b) you only have one bias side of the story
c) has embellishments
d) is over before you can do anything anyway
However, there is one child whom three other parents requested that their children not be in a class with this year( NO, NOT ME AND NOT MINE) They discreetly wrote letters requesting this of the school and it was complied with. This child's( Child A) parent is happily unaware of this and is a bit sad that the girls were separated this year for the first time since kindergarten. Miss 9 has been happily playing with two of these children, on and off, for most of the year. During the last week of Term 3 there was an incident where one of these children told Child A that she could not play with herself and Miss 9 as Miss 9 had a note in her diary stating she was not to play with Child A. A dispute arose and a teacher decreed that they were NOT to play with Child A. No such note exists and we have always told Miss 9 that she plays with whom she wishes and if she wishes not to play with someone, she does not have to. Child A's mother took it upon herself to get my mobile number and text me all weekend about everything but what was said by the other child, saying that Miss 9 and Child A had a falling out and perhaps we should get together over coffee and allow them to sort it out. I advised her that Miss 9 played with whom she wished and we did not interfere. 2IC was ropable over the texts and eventually the child's mother raised the matter of the alledged diary note. I told her there was not such thing, offered her the opportunity to view Miss9's diary and that it was not Miss 9 who passed on the information but another child and that was the last I heard of it.
This term we have the children attempting to follow the instruction given to them by the teacher, not to play with Child A ( strange instruction ,I thought) and Child A goes crying to teacher and hey, bingo...Miss 9 and two others are told off in front of the class by the same teacher who instructed them NOT to play with Child A but now for NOT playing with her. I understand that this teacher as Child A's class teacher is under considerable ( almost daily visits from the parent of Child A)pressure but she needs to be aware of the whole situation and another parent has made her aware of the letters now. However, Miss 9 was in tears all Thursday afternoon, her class teacher tells me. The class teacher has the same philosophy as me, let them sort it out. She tells her class that she is grown up and doesn't like some people so she doesn't play with them. I like the woman!!!!
I really think the mums who don't want this child in the class with their children need to be up front about it with the parent because, as it stands, she is blaming all the resulting skirmishes on any other child.
So, enter the world of tweens Bitchland Central. I am so over it all.

On a brighter note, my childrens god mother aka THE GODMOTHER is PREGNANT!!!!!! 10 weeks to go and we all just found out, she found out three weeks ago...BIIIIG SHOCK, totally unexpected. More at a later date, complete with explanation. I am still getting over the that my" little" cousin and godchild is having S-E-X...She's 32 after all but still....