Two firsts today:
1 – First time Jesse broke down our bedroom door.
2 – First time Matty cried at the end of a movie.
RodeoClown:it was The Land Before Time. So it’s understandable.
Two Firsts
2 Replies
Category Archives: Family
Literacy
I’m a little conflicted as to whether I should be worried or proud that the first word Matty learnt to recognise was “Loading”…
RodeoClown: no longer loading.
Glorious
It’s been raining a lot lately, and Jen discovered today that we have a child who is afraid of the resulting mud. Fortunately for him, he has a caring younger brother who decided to help him fight his phobia.
By throwing mud at his face.
This is one of those tricky parenting moments, where an immediate judgement is required, and may shape the life, and future patterns of behaviour of both children. So, with that in mind, what is the correct course of action?
RodeoClown: thought it was pretty funny.
The End of Birthday Season
Today marks the end of the 2009 birthday season for the kids.
Matthias has just turned five, Jesse was three in March and Aravis one in February.
Several months ago I was blessed to see Matthias’ face as he finally got reading – it was an incredible moment, seeing him realise that those letters on the page actually held a deeper meaning. Quite probably the most amazing thing I have seen, in the space of several seconds he went from being a ‘looker’ to a ‘reader’. I hope I’m there to see the other two grasp this fundamental concept too.
Jesse has started telling us of his ‘dreams’, fantasies mixing the mundane and fantastic with improbable results. He is so much a people person, always talking, wanting cuddles and kisses and informing everyone of how much he loves them. I’ve never seen a child so good at sharing either.
Aravis has finally entered the world of walking and talking, with a record of three steps and a vocabulary of three words (dad-ad, mum-um, (ba)nana). She is the cutest kid I’ve ever seen. I am, of course, completely free from bias.
It used to feel strange lugging a single small human creature around; now I feel something missing when a single one is gone.
RodeoClown: loves his kids more than ever.
Happy Birthday Jen
Happy birthday Jen.
I love you so very much.
Go read this old poem. It still applies.
God has blessed me greatly with you for a wife.
I love you.
RodeoClown: still older.
Photos
You’ve been asking for them…
so here they are.
RodeoClown: has a great family
Late-Night Hospital Run
I got woken up at 10:45 last night by the sound of someone screaming my name from the other end of the house. Matty could hardly breathe and so we ended up rushing down to the hospital to get him sorted out.
By the time we were 5 minutes down the road, his breathing was much better, but still a bit wheezy. We debated turning around, but figured we may as well take him to the hospital and just make sure everything was OK.
Turns out he has croup, and the doctor said it was a good thing we brought him in. After a quick dose of steroids, we brought him back home. Tucked into bed at 2:30am. And back out at 6:15… ah well, he seems happy enough now.
It’s a bit awe-inspiring how a disease considered a killer not so long ago is now just a minor irritation, that can be sorted out with a quick swig of a clear liquid.
Many thanks to God for letting our kids have access to such healthcare.
RodeoClown: tired.
Four
I’m not really sure where the time has gone, but the little dude I caught at 5:32am on one fine Tuesday morning, has turned four.
He’s doin’ fine!
One of my wife’s traditions is to ask the kids what cake they want from the Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake book.
Matty chose the rocket cake. Jen’s not planning on making one again – it was quite tricky. But also awesome and tasty.
Clinkers, freckles and fruit sticks – how can you go wrong?
RodeoClown: loves his biggest boy to the moon. And back.
Happy Birthday Little Dude!
Baby #2 is no longer a baby. But he is still 2.
2 awesome that is!
Happy birthday Jester!
RodeoClown: also fighting the man. But not too much.
Schrödinger’s Baby
For the last nine months, Jennifer has been harbouring a growing child of indeterminate sex.
Quantum mechanics seems to suggest that as long as we did not check the gender of this small person, he or she would actually have both, or neither, gender-specific equipment sets. At the moment of birth however, the quantum wave function would collapse, causing one of the states to become apparent.
Suffice it to say, at 7:36pm last night (the 15th of February 2008), it collapsed well and truly, leaving me the ecstatic father of a new baby girl!
Aravis Rose Tyrrell, whether as a result of wave function collapse, quantum decoherence, or just God deciding it was well and truly time, arrived safe and sound at Nepean Private Hospital, and readily attached herself to the nearest source of colostorum, which just happened to belong to my aforementioned wife. Both of them are doing well.
See how good she looks!
You can see more photos and stats here.
RodeoClown: father of the heisenbub!