"Acting like a toddler"

I took Max to the doctor this week: he seems more irritable and prone to tears lately. He's also running a slight temperature. Her explanation after looking in his ears and throat was that he was acting like a toddler. He now gets frustrated by what he can't do or what I won't allow him to do. Lots of tears. Although it felt like a waste of money taking him to the doctor, it was nice to get the reassurance that he is not sick and that he is acting like a typical child of his age.

I hosted my Mom's Group this week. It's easy for me to do now that the weather is warmer because we spend a bit of time snacking and visiting then head into the pool. I made banoffee pie--I have this really easy recipe that seems to be a hit everytime I make it.

Max's new accomplishments are: pretending to talk on the phone (he uses his mobile phone, telephone or the remote control for the TV--says "hi"), says "ay-toe" for Rachel (I think he has heard my friend's son say my name frequently--I hear "ay-toe" more than "mommy" this week), he tries to put together a wooden puzzle. I continue to be amazed at how often he understands what I tell him.

Today Malia (a friend we met in Oxford who lives in Brisbane and works with Tim) came over for lunch. Max was strutting around for his audience, checking frequently to make sure Malia was watching him. Very cute. She took us to the Mt Cootha lookout where we could see all of Brisbane, the ocean (I was surprised at how close the ocean really is), the mtns inland from the Gold Coast. There are a restaurant and a cafe there so it'll be a great place to take visitors when they come (hint, hint).

No pics again this week b/c the camera is out of commission.

The Two T's

Teething and tantrums...those two words guided my week. Yes, our little boy has entered that phase. He's a little drool machine: he's wearing bibs again and still needs his shirt changed 4-5 times per day. I've heard mixed opinions on whether or not the teething is painful, but all I know is that little Max is very clingy and whingey these days. I think it's the teeth.

As for "tanties," he threw a really good one this week. He didn't like that I wouldn't allow him to push the keys on the telephone while I was talking on it. So he threw his little bottom onto the floor and leaned forward to place his head on the floor too. Then, after I hung up the phone and was attempting to comfort him, he spotted my mobile phone (another "no touch" item). Now he was very upset. A friend of mine told me part of a toddler's tantrum behavior has to do with their attempt to reconcile the fact that they desperately love their mommies but sometimes they hate them too. They don't know what to do with those conflicting emotions. Whether or not you believe that, it seems to support Max's behavior during his tantrum. He'd crawl into my arms for comfort but, once there, he'd through himself away from me (he wanted Mommy's comfort but then he'd realize that I was the one causing him anguish in the first place). I started to wonder how long this internal struggle could go on within Max...he must have eventually forgot WHY he was so mad. He just kept running with his anger. Anyway, after what seemed like ages but was probably less than twenty minutes, I put him into the pram for a bit of walking and shopping. That seemed to do it.

On a brighter note, Max learned to enjoy swimming underwater (the enjoyment came from not inhaling the water anymore). He kept trying to swim to me from the pool steps. He'd step off the ledge then kick his legs and generally wiggle around in the water until I retrieved him (which was probably no more than a second). It was really cute to see how much he enjoyed the water. He also decided that he wanted to jump to me from the edge of the pool. He only did that twice in a row today, but I think he liked the splash he made as he entered the water. And as I was helping him float in the pool today, I kept repeating "kick, kick, kick." Eventually, Max started saying it too (although his version sounded more like "ki, ki, ki").

We accompanied Esther and Janosch to the Brisbane Museum this week. It appeared to be an interesting museum, especially if you have a desire to see the creepy and scary things that live in this part of the world. I say "appeared" because I spent the whole time chasing a little boy who mostly wanted to ride the elevators and escalators, push buttons, walk through doors, and generally expend energy. We visited all three floors of the museum in 15-20 minutes just so Max could get his elevator fix. We spent most of the afternoon at the State Library in the Kid's Corner where there are computers, puzzles, books (of course), and other toys. Max spends at least 25 minutes of the time just pressing the keys on the computer's keyboard. It amazes me how much pleasure he gets from pushing buttons! No wonder he throws a tantie when I don't allow him to touch the phones.

The following two paragraphs of this week's entry will include our usual schedule. Skip them if you're not interested. They are tedious...but I know people like grandparents enjoy knowing a bit of the routine.

Max and I did our regular activities this week. Monday we got together with Esther and Janosch for swimming. Tuesday was Mom's group at our local park. Wednesday we went to Toddler's books and rhymes at the local library. Thursday was something new: we went to Tiny Tots in a nearby suburb. I think it is a bit like gymboree in that there is a great indoor play area and time to play and sing together too. Friday we went to Baby books and rhymes at the library (I think that is the last time we will go to that--he mostly wandered around the library plus next week he starts swimming on Friday mornings). Most evenings just before dinner, we go to the park. Some afternoons we go swimming. Tim leaves for work around 8am and returns 6:30-7pm. Max rises at 6:30ish and goes to bed around 8pm so Tim and Max have some time together before and after work. That's the extent of our weekday routine.

Saturday I play soccer while Tim and Max have some time alone together. Sunday is usually a family day, but this week, Tim is helping Eman plant some trees. After his nap, Max and I will take the citycat to New Farm Park where he can play. Malia and Eman live nearby so we will bbq at their place sometime this afternoon.

Max decided to become a pro walker this week. He doesn't crawl at all anymore. It's so fun to see him toddling around with his arms in the air for balance. Tim posted a video of Max on his facebook site: in the video, Max is wearing a kiddie towel with a hood (see photos) while he carries a book to me. The first time I saw him wearing that towel, I thougth he looked like a Jawa from the original Star Wars movie, especially when he was walking. Pretty funny.

Max is also trying to imitate some of the sounds that we make (and some words). I think he prefers the sounds like uh-oh, ei ei o, and panting ("dogs pant when they are warm") because vowels are easier. It's great to hear him trying to say things after I say them.

Things he loves this week: taking laundry off the drying rack and putting it into the wash basket, splashing in any water he can find, playing peekaboo, running with Dad. Things he dislikes: diaper changes, that he is not allowed to touch the computer.

Hervey Bay

We just returned from a weekend with our friends, Malia and Emmanuel, at Noosa and Hervey Bay. Hervey Bay is about 5 hours north of Brisbane and is famous for whale watching. We saw many mamas and calves. These humpback whales were on their way to Antarctica for a summer feeding frenzy. For some reason, they stop in Hervey Bay for a few days enroute.

Max really enjoyed playing in the waves at Noosa. A bit different than our trips to the beach last summer when he didn't want me to wade into the water if I was holding him. We had a great weekend.