27th and 28th of January

 27th of January

So guess what?  Ted went to his preschool orientation today!  Why?  Because he's nearly three.  Seriously. THREE! How on earth did that happen, I ask you?  Of course we can talk planets revolving around suns and how many sleeps until the cows come home but truly, it seems as if one minute you're saying to your partner "err...there's this thing we need to talk about..." and then the next moment you're at preschool orientation meeting the new parents you're about to know for the next 14yrs. 

Because let's be frank - preschool orientation is only minimally about the children.  Mostly it's about parents checking out other parents, trying to find potential friends and working out (with your first child for the most part) how the whole school thing works.

Ted was asleep in the car just before we arrived at the carpark.  So he was still feeling sleepy and coquettish when we barged in on the madness that is preschool orientation.  Luckily he already knows Akemi, the Japanese teacher in his class.   Each classroom has 25 children in the class, with two language teachers who are also full-time classroom teaching assistants, the main teacher, as well as music teachers who come in to the class.  Teddy went up and hugged Akemi for a long time.  A LONG time, snuggling back in again and again for more hugs.  Akemi is adorable but she is a little enthusiastic with her love for the more shy children.

Ted played with playdough for  a lot of his time there, making me feel guilty for not complying with his constant requests for me to make it at home.  He then proceeded to use all the purple he could see - paper for craft, paint for painting creation, markers for writing and drawing.  You name it, if it's purple he will love it.  A LOT!  I should also mention that he has his blue baby in his shirt because he was 'pregmint' with her.  He loves blue baby recently (she was a present from Harriet two Christmases ago) and we discussed how blue baby could go to preschool with him and stick her head out of the bag to watch the goings on, in a similar fashion to how Bear did when Harriet went to preschool.

After the orientation we had a meeting with someone about Harriet and then it was goodbye Papa and hello crazy child Ted who zipped up and down the street.  I think he was pretty excited about being there for him rather than Harriet (who was being looked after at Priya's house, where she had walked down to on her own that morning which she was very proud about).

So what do you do with a crazy child?  Well give him a babycino, obviously, because of course a little more sugar is what he needs.  He was thrilled at the idea of having his little stop at the cafe just "like Harriet and Papa dooz" (he pronounces does as 'dooz' which is just so adorable I don't want to correct him).

And then...then we arrive home and find the fabric fairies have floated past our house and dropped off the most delicious parcel of purple that a purple party child could ever have hoped for.  Oh thank you Jay, they are perfect and wonderful!  You are too kind!

After picking up Harriet from Priya's (where she ate four of the eight muffins I made for her to take with her!) and having a quick chat with Zoe, it was time to have some lunch and then head up to Regan's for the meet.  I then didn't see Harriet for about three hours as she played with her friends outside.  Oh miracle of miracles!  Ted was fascinated with a baby doll that Sol has- it is all curled up and wrinkled, similar to a real newborn,  and Ted was fascinated.  He cradled it gently from one spot tp another, made a bed for it, cuddled up with it on the lounge and generally loved it.  He is so maternal!


28th of January

Party time.  This is the weekend of parties for us.  We had meant to drive by and purchase the present for Matilda the other day but never got around to it, so we dropped in and bought it on the way to the party.  Such bad form!  It was a Mary Poppins party and Ted enjoyed the experience as much as Harriet did .  It was held in a community centre with air hockey and foosball tables.  If we had a games room (you know, as one does) then I just know we'd have air hockey, foosball and a pinball machine without blinking an eye. 


It was held in The Rocks, which gave us the opportunity afterwards to consider having a pint at the Lord Nelson.  As you do.  Because my goodness if they don't make a fantastic beer and after a children's party where Harriet has had a lot of refined sugar, hey, if you don't need a cleansing ale to handle the emotional rollercoaster then you're more of a saint than I. 




When we came home after the party and Lord Nelson experiences, it's safe to say we were all exhausted,  So exhausted in fact that I laid on the bed reading Ted some books.  Next thing I know, Harriet comes walking in to the bedroom asking where Papa is.  Turns out Ted and I had crashed, falling deep into sleep together on the bed.  Can anyone spell hyperglycaemic?



Of course I was immediately filled with the dread that the late sleep invokes in a parent, but I needn't have worried.  Ted worked up a little game about a birthday party for Blue Baby.  Turns out that was a good idea and Harriet decided to join in (read: completely take over and monopolise).  Since they were having a great time and not at all interested in stopping the game, I suggested to James that the dinner he was making should be served out to them like party food. 

I knocked on the door of the playroom with a plate full of homemade pizza pieces and a little jug of soda water.  It was *devoured*.  I think it wold have been an uphill fight to ask them to sit at the table to eat it and for what purpose?  They loved it as part of their game and they even asked for more, so I made a quick fruit platter for them.


On the platter I placed a pomegranate cut in half.  Oh my - did Harriet like it?  Well I asked her that at the start of her pomegranate journey and the emphatic affirmative was then followed by a two hour epic immersion within the pomegranate.  There was a moment there where I think she was a little Stanislavsky and was at one with the pomegranate.  The effect of looking as though she had been involved in performance art involving a dead animal, or had just finished recreating the Carrie denouement, was barely captured with my camera due to Harriet's refusal to engage with the lens.  Apologies for the lack of visual on that one but you can trust me, it was pretty cute.


Just before bed the older Greek woman from a couple of doors up walked past and played with Ted.  She loves him!  He loves her too (mind you he does tend to be a very chilled out, loving sort of person) and they had running games up and down our footpath, whilst she also berated us for having our front bush grow too high.  Apparently her son had mentioned he would come and cut it down because it is too high.  Ha!  Hilarious. 


Harriet, after a day like that and with another big party day tomorrow, stayed up until 10pm the lounge room listening to Harry Potter.  *sigh*  Tomorrow may be a difficult day.  Stay tuned.