Knocks, no scratches

As weekends go it was not the best. I have obviously realized that having a child means your time is not your own, but my darling wife does not always help the situation. I was busy for my birthday so we were going to do something on the weekend. Last weekend was virtually non-existent so it did not need to be anything special, just something more than the ordinary. Last weekend Kelly was in China until late Saturday night and I had to be at school on Sunday. So first thing Friday night Kelly called and said we were going to her mum's house. I had enough time to take Joshua and the dogs for a walk. He is getting more used to his grandma, at first he cried whenever she came near. I think she tries to hard and wants too much. Joshua had a great time. I didn't have time to feed him before we went, but grandma had apples and melon for him. Up until now we have puréed most things for him, but now he wants finger food. Like Maxine said, it's a double whammy. Not only does he get to touch the food and play with it, but he also gets to put it in his mouth, and it taste good. I, on the other hand, was tired, hungry and thirsty, and didn't have nearly as good a time. Getting food and drink at Kelly's mum's is not always easy. I can't just go and get what I want. Kelly and her mum think that I should have what's in the house rather than go get something, and if I do want to get something, her mum can go get it. It's a battle. Saturday night we had to go and help Monica pick out her wedding dresses. Monica lives with us and is our unpaid babysitter. Before you start thinking I have no morals, she wants to look after Joshua and calls herself his aunty. Kelly has great interpersonal skills, which is why she is in sales, and gets people what they want in situations like this. So it was a long night looking at a gazzillion dresses. Joshua was happy and playful as every and spent a lot of time crawling around. He is not interested in his toys and wants to play with things around him. Invariably they end up in his mouth. We went to one room that had a glass wall. Joshua was fascinated by this glass wall and spent a long time checking it out. I was with him the whole time, not surprising when the alternative was looking at dresses. He was checking out the wall by kneeling by the wall and touching it. Every now and again he would check it out using his mouth and his tongue, I guess he just wonders if it tastes as good as it looks. At one point I could tell he wasn't as energetic in his exploration as before and I could tell that he was unsteady. I put my hand on the corner of the wall, but he move his leg and his head hit the wall much lower, and picked up a little bruise on his forehead. Well, he let out a cry and everyone, all five of them looked at him and me with horror on their faces as if his injuries were far worse. That doesn't make me a bad dad. It's a statement, not a question. I think that all that he learned by playing with the glass and bumping his head was worth a little bruise. I have your best interests at heart Joshua.

Cherish the Days

Had a busy day yesterday, not exactly the way I would like to have spent my birthday but I have less and less control over the content of my life. The bus was late so I had to race to get Joshua. Got home and took him and the dogs for a walk. I had forgotten to bring a change of clothes downstairs, so I went out in my work clothes. The walk was nothing unusual, but as we were walking I started singing to Joshua. The songs I like to sing are not the ones he reacts to, so I sang some children's song. He especially likes the ones were I need to jump up and down, so "Roll Over" is a good one. I love the way he laughs out loud when I jump with him. I got home and I only had enough time for a shower before I had to leave to teach my private. Kelly was very late coming home, so I was waiting with Joshua downstairs. When I got home Joshua was already asleep. I only teach my private for two evenings a week, but when I read this entry I think about how it eats my time with him. The sad thing is that the boy I teach came to the open house of our school last Sunday and wants to come. His family had originally come to the open house because of his older brother. ISIS, my school, is one of the best schools in Taiwan, and certainly the best primary school. But the boy I teach will be going into grade six. The other students in his class have had five years experience learning the IB way. It is virtually impossible for him to succeed in our school without assistance. I will probably need to teach him next year as well. I have had people comment about the fact that Kelly and I work so much and he spends his weekdays with a nanny. We cannot afford the luxury of one of us giving up work so a nanny is the best alternative. The thing is that because we do not spend all day with him, we really cherish the time we do spend with him. As he is the only child I do understand that he may become spoilt, but it is such a joy to be with him, and he does love his mum and dad, or at least I think so. He woke up at 2.30 which is unusual for him. Even though I was very tired, it was fun to see him do his routine before he went back to sleep. This morning I tired, as I always do, to leave as quietly as I can to avoid waking them up. However today I had to go back upstairs as Kelly had taken both sets of car keys to the room. With me coming back in a second time and Kelly getting the keys, he woke up. The smile he gives when he sees us is just priceless. 6.30 is a late enough sleep in Kelly.

Moving with Purpose

It was another wonderful night. Nanny Lee took Joshua out for dinner, which was a good thing because the bus was late again. I was home when she brought him around and as I was coming to greet them Joshua started jumping up and down and started squealing he was so happy. Moments like that are special. He did a very similar thing when his mum came home. We often spend time in bed with him before he goes to sleep and he spends that time moving, he doesn't sit still. The scary thing last night was the way he was moving, he was propelling himself with quite a lot of force. Lots of strength and lots of energy. He would try to stand and could balance for increasingly longer periods, he also took a step. He loves moving and this is his play. The nanny said he will probably be walking by the end of the month. SCARY.

One post for 3 Months?

Has it been that long since I first started writing this? It is truly amazing how fast Joshua is growing. He is not quite 7 months now and he has developed so much. Physically he is much stronger. He sits without support, can stand up with support, can grab and rattle things that are quite heavy and he rolled all the way over yesterday. He often turns onto his tummy and tries to lift himself up. He is very aware of what is happening around him. He's nine months old now and he is developing fast. A few weeks ago I was holding him and he was standing, not so unusual. But then he took a step. "Wow!" I thought. I told Kelly. We held him as he took more steps. We went to Kelly's grandmother's where Kelly showed everyone. Joshua got a lot of walking practice. When we got home we thought he would be tired from all the exercise, but no. He seemed to be fascinated by the idea of walking and wouldn't stop. He supported himself with anything tall and started to 'walk', cruising I'm told it is called. He has always been very active, but he seems to be even more active now. He won't go to sleep without lots of crawling and standing. He tries to balance himself and can stand unsupported for over 5 seconds before gravity takes its toll. That is while he is standing on the bed, I wonder if he can stand for longer on a firmer floor. Kelly has been away often due to work, and I wonder how that affects him. He seems to be ok, and when his mum first gets back he is very excited to see her. I guess he will deal with it. He loves to babble, but that's all it is right now. He says, 'Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma' and 'Da, Da, Da, Da' but it doesn't seem to be referring to anything, just sounds he is making. When he does that I think of the Police song, 'De, Do, Do, Do, De, Da, Da, Da' and will sing that to him. I sing to him often and I hope he doesn't become as bad at singing as I am. I'm excited by what will happen next, but scared, very scared that he will be walking soon. 'Honeymoon is over baby, it's never gonna be the same again!'