What do you mean no bunnies?

I discovered something the other day.

Mum was getting the spare room ready for Aunty Lyndall to stay over Easter.

And she accidentally left the cupboard door open - revealing a stash of Easter bunnies and eggs.

"They're for when Aunty Lyndall gets here," said Mum.

This immediately sparked a vigil for Aunty Lyndall* that's been going on for three days.

My first words after each sleep are to do with Aunty Lyndall and bunnies.

I watch out for her car. I ask Dad if we can visit the bunnies. I make casual suggestions such as "Want to eat my 'funnies, Mummy?" and "It's time for 'funnies now!"

But to no avail.

It might be a long week for us all.

* I do really love my Aunty Lyndall and not because there's a link between her visit and the prospect of chocolate 'funnies.

Master and apprentice

Mum and I were cleaning out my cupboard today when we found my industrial ear muffs.

"Can you remember what these are for?" asked Mum.

"That's for mo-mo!" I said.

Mum realised that I probably don't remember the last time I wore my ear muffs at a loud concert. And that the only ear muffs I see are the ones Dad wears when he's mowing.

I was pretty keen to put on my ear muffs and join Dad, who was mowing the lawn.

So I grabbed my little blue lawn mower and Dad and I mowed the lawn together.

Dad said it might have taken twice as long but mowing with me was a special father-son time.

Good times!

Quote of the day from mum; "Noah will need a change of clothes because he's covered in paint and jelly"

Good times!

Doctor Noah

Mum and Dad have noticed that I have a very caring personality. And that I like to practice being a doctor when I think someone might be hurt.

Here are some examples:

When Dad was getting frustrated trying to fix his bike. I said, 'Need a hug, Daddy?' He said yes, please. So I went and put my arms around his neck and said, 'It's okay, Daddy, don't worry'.

When Mum stood on one of my wooden blocks and cut her foot, I was very concerned and kept asking if she was okay. 'Want me to check the bud pessa, Mummy?' I asked. Mum, not quite knowing what I was on about, said yes anyway. So I ran off and came back with the blood pressure monitor from my doctor set.

Today Grandma stood on something a bit sharp while we were hanging out the washing. 'You need ice, Amah,' I said. She got me an ice pack and I put it on her foot. I didn't have my 'bud pessa' monitor with me so I just pretended to take her blood pressure. When I'd finished my work-up I told her, "You say 'ta Doctor Noah'".

If I come across someone who looks a bit worried or upset I always say 'Don't worry' or 'Want a hug?' And I'm very liberal with my hugs and kisses.

Undies

I wore undies to kindy for the first time today.

I wear undies all the time at home, and when we're out for short trips.

But today I wore them all day and didn't have a single accident.

Mum thinks I'm just about toilet trained.

Miniature Trains

Today we went to a park where you can ride on miniature steam trains.

I'd been looking forward to it all weekend.

We ate our lunch first and I kept talking about how I'd be going on the train soon.

It was very exciting.

So Mum took me to have a look at the trains coming into the station.

And then I wasn't quite so excited. I was a bit scared.

'It's okay, Noah', said my friend, who is five.

'The trains aren't really scary, they're fun'.

I was willing to trust the word of a five year old to the point of sitting on the train, even while I clung on very tightly to Mum.

And it turns out I had a great time!

Later on, I had just as much fun standing near the tracks with Dad, watching the trains go past.

Party!

I went to a birthday party today. At a park.

It was for my friend Nat who is five.

Mum thinks it might have been the first real, big boy party I've ever been to.

I was very impressed with the whole affair.

In the car on the way home, I had a bit of a chat with Mum.

'I want a party, Mummy', I said.

'I want a cake...

'...and I want some presents!'

I think I've grasped the concept nicely.

Old friends and cousins

Today might just have been one of my favourite days.

Mum and I hit the road to do some visiting.

First stop was my friend Olive who lives in a new town now. We haven't seen each other for a few months. Mum thought we might be a bit shy with each other. But we weren't. And every now and then Mum caught us giving each other little hugs. We're good friends, we are.

Next stop was Mum's cousin and her two kids Joash and Ezra. Joash is two years older than me but Ezra is my age. I wasn't shy around them but I did take a while to warm up to the family pets. As we arrived, I gave Mum a worried look and pointed with each hand at the dog on the balcony and the cat in the lounge and said, 'A hat and a dog, Mummy'.

Mum then left me for an hour to do some visiting of her own. Her friend Michelle has just had a new baby. I wasn't told about the new baby because otherwise I'd have insisted on coming along to give it a hug. But I didn't need an explaination; I was just happy to play.

When Mum came to collect me I was with the kids in the backyard and was busy going up and down the slide. It was my first foray back on a slide since I decided a few months ago I was scared of them.

Then it was time to go home. Mum tried to keep me awake for the trip by pointing out bridges and tunnels and roadworks. But eventually I fell fast asleep.

Nude Thursday

I plan to be nude all day today.

It's often my preference on the rare occasions that Mum and I stay home all day.

I have my bath or shower and then while Mum is hanging up my towel, I streak off.

'Should we get you dressed?' Mum asks.

'No, I be dude (nude) a-day (today),' I reply.

But I don't end up staying in the nude all day.

Because at some point, the activity I want to do (go outside, sit on the couch) requires me to be adequately dressed.

Still, there's nothing like running around 'in da dude'.

More yoghurt

Mum was being very unreasonable tonight.

She wouldn't let me have a yoghurt for dinner.

Of course, I'd already had two for breakfast and two for afternoon tea but still...

So while she mashed potatoes, I gave her a stern talking to.

'I SAID you do it, Mummy!'

'You be VERY VERY NAUGHTY!'

'I will give you BIG 'MACK Mummy!'

'You go to yours room!'

And then I started to count to three on my fingers.

'One...five...six!'

Mum's response to all of this was to ignore me.

It's a parenting technique I find particularly frustrating.

But she stopped ignoring me when she noticed me trying to roll up her tracksuit pants and realised I was about to administer a big 'mack.

That was the end of my tirade.

And I never did get my yoghurt.

Yoghurt

I love yoghurt.

It's my favourite food.

I love it so much that I rarely forget my manners when asking for it.

"More yoghurt please, Mum!" I called out when I'd finished my breakfast yoghurt.

"Little bit more yoghurt please, Mum", I said as I finished the after-breakfast yoghurt.

Uh-oh! No more yoghurt! Mum had to show me the empty tub before I'd be convinced.

We drove past the shops on the way to Playgroup and I suggested we pop in for new supplies.

But Mum said we didn't have time.

Then I tried again on the way home from Playgroup.

But Mum said we didn't have time.

After my sleep I tried yet again, "Go to shops and get more yoghurt, pleeaassee Mummy!"

Mum has promised we will get more yoghurt later this afternoon.

I will try to be patient until then.

Showers

I like to have a shower.

But I try to avoid getting too clean.

This morning when Mum told me it was time for a shower, I agreed.

But under certain conditions.

"No wash hair Mummy', I said, shaking my head solemnly.

Since I'd washed my hair the day before and since neither of us had the time or energy for the protests that I mount when it comes to hair washing, Mum agreed.

'And no wash tummy' I added.

'Or bottom'

'Or face'.

But I do love showers. Really.

I'm cool

We arrived home from the coast this afternoon and all collapsed on the couch.

'Ahh', said Mum, giving me a big hug, 'You're a very sweet boy'.

'No I'm not', I corrected, 'I'm Noah'.

'And I'm a cool boy'.

That's what Dad keeps telling me.

Staying power

Do you remember how I stayed up until midnight on New Years Eve?

Tonight, I managed to beat my already impressive record.

We drove to the coast this afternoon to have dinner at Anita and Jim's place with Trevor, Lauryn, Tom and Derek.

Trevor and Lauryn's two kids are a little bit older than me. It took me a few minutes to overcome my shyness but soon I was running around and playing happily.

It helped that Byron is the one who originally steered me towards my love of Star Wars. It helped even more that he'd brought his Star Wars Lego. I was very impressed.

While the grown-ups ate fancy food, we kids munched on chips and watched Kung-fu Panda. And then it was past nine and it was decided that kids should go to bed.

Byron and Darcy went downstairs to the room where they were staying. And Mum took me to our room. But I was too excited to sleep. After several failed attempts by both Mum and Dad, I was declared the winner in the battle of wills.

So I wandered about the deck, sitting on laps and showing various people my spaceship book. When I noticed a box of chocolates had turned up, I strategically avoided asking Mum and Dad and instead asked Derek on the far side of the table if he could give me one. He did.

Mum and Dad were a bit embarrassed that I was up so late. But everyone kept telling me how cute I was and what a good boy I was. And I'm not one to miss out on that sort of attention.

By 12:30 everyone was tired and I finally joined the grown-ups in going to bed, still insisting that I wasn't really tired yet.

Busy Day

You might not think that two-year-old's have such busy lives.

But you'd be wrong.

Take today, for example.

5:45 Wake up. Demand that Mum get me up despite the early hour.

6:00 Discover Aunty Lyndall had stayed the night. Played with her.

7:00 Watch Finding Nemo while eating two yoghurts. One is never enough.

8:30 Bake brownies with Mum. My job is to stir and sprinkle on the m&m's at the end.

9:30 Kindergym with my friend Josiah. Lots of running, bouncing and rolling.

11:00 Play with my friend Anna-Lucia at her house.

13:00 Go home to sleep. Refuse to sleep. Play instead.

15:00 Entertain Mum's friend Bec at my house. She's got a baby in her tummy too! I tried to rest my feet on it. Mum got cross.

17:00 Go out for dinner with my friends Aanika, Zara, Amy and Sam. Play outside. Play inside. Run around table while meant to be eating. Watch Madagascar.

21:00 Go home. Suggest to Mum that I might like to watch some telly. Settle for warm milk and bed instead.

Footy Chips

I am a footy tipper from way back. I've even tried my hand at the Melbourne Cup and an election or two.

You might have seen my work on Youtube.

Well, footy season starts again this week and Dad has been reminding me that we'd be starting to shoot our weekly footy tips again.

'Yes', I said. 'We will have footy tips'

This morning, I kept reminding mum about the footy tips. 'No-no do footy tips today!'

But Mum wasn't expecting my next comment.

'Yes', I said 'I will eat those footy tips'

Hmm, wondered Mum. Was that footy tips? Or footy chips?

We did shoot the footy tips. And then Dad gave me some footy chips.

Just in case there were any misunderstandings.

A better hug

I was a bit out of sorts at one stage today.

"Do you want a yoghurt?" mum asked

"No"

"Do you want a juice?"

"No"

"Do you want to watch TV?"

"No"

Do you want a hug?

"Yes"

Mum bent down to give me a hug and I said;

"No, want a 'poopa up' hug!"

So she picked me up for a lovely hug.