Motherhood 2.1 years on!!!

Marley has done so much travel in the past month, he’s become accustomed to airports, suitcases and motels.  Captain Featherswords ‘magic buttons’ have captured his imagination and has become one of his favourite games.  He pushes eagerly at his own and in fact anyone’s chest in the hope that they’ll break into an operatic episode of rhyme and song.  He makes a funny nasally spitty kind of sound each time he presses a ‘button’ and waits with anticipation to see what magical feat might occur.  Of course most people don’t quite ‘get it’ and most children think he’s being a little pushy, but he knows what he means and that’s all that matters.  Throughout this month he has become toilet trained, even going without a nappy on the airplane.  He’s quite proud of this achievement and has managed to do it mostly without actually verbalising his need to go to the toilet, but rather, holding on for an opportunity.  I had been giving him star stickers on a chart and that combined with his love of Captain Feathersword’s magic buttons has meant that after each and every wee he pushes his chest and says ‘sta sta sta.............. STAHHHHHHHAR’ in the same sing song tone every time.  This has been a handy adaptation that’s allowed me to give him imaginary star stickers as a toileting reward.  Another toilet habit is for him when he has nothing to deliver is to say ‘NO? .....OKAY’ as though anticipating my very own words.  His use of imaginary play has really kicked in too.  He loves to have ‘tea’ and enjoys imaginary sips from tiny cups.  One of the gifts he received for his 2nd birthday was a small Wiggles car with each of the Wiggles figurines.  He has carried around those little men and that car everywhere and has them involved in all sorts of activities.  Another big achievement is Marley’s ability to stand on one leg and shake his hands.  He can’t seem to walk in a straight line without stopping momentarily to balance on one leg while the other sticks out to the side.

Mostly Marley’s a very healthy little boy but lately he’s been sicker than ever.  Add a horrible case of conjunctivitis to a very bad cold.  Coughing and blocked up, his sleep has been far from routine.  A bout of antibiotics seems to have helped.  Despite being as sick as he’s been he’s remained a pretty easy going little man.  He has travelled between Melbourne, Canberra and home mostly without complaint.  He barely eats but seems to have grown 2cm in the past month!  In between trips away Marley enjoyed a belated 2nd birthday party here at home with his friends.  It was a Wiggly party.  Before the day of that party he really showed little to no interest in his Captain Feathersword hat and sword but once he’d seen his friends use it he truly BECAME Captain Feathersword!  The other new addition to our family is his little drumset.  He LOVES it, he uses it earnestly playing along to the Wiggles. 

Most months I see massive changes in him, but this month with the illnesses and the distraction of travel and buying a home in Melbourne I’ve found it hard to think of any obvious change in him.  I will say though that even though he’s a very adaptable little boy and is so easy to travel with, we’re pleased to know we’ll finally be settling down into our own home for the first time since we left Australia in 2002 and we won’t be travelling so much.  Incidentally, the day after we hit a Kangaroo in our car, our Jack Russell found a snake in the back yard (red-belly black) and was bitten by it twice, but only after pulling it from it’s hiding place 10ft from our back door and causing it to head in Marley’s direction before wrenching it into the air.  All the while with my screaming in sheer terror.  Just a couple of signs that it’s time for us to go home to a nice concrete city.