Hi all

This is once again a really short month which has focused on the terrible teething blues (mine) and Emma’s move from nappies to the favourite panties and the variable potty.

My news is that I have finally made a move back to doing Callentics. This is a cross between yoga and torture but it really is worth all the pain. Having stopped (due to the arrival of Emma and that work thing) I have realised that it made my headaches a lot better and me just generally better. I am once again aiming for my six pack that I was the proud owner of before becoming pregnant – once again this should take about 2 and a half years to achieve. (How is that for a long term goal?).

The second bit of news is that I finally got my wisdom’s taken out. Boy what pain and torture. 2 just had to be pulled out, the bottom two had to be removed from the jawbone incasing them. Naturally I opted for the hospital option which as always is the long waiting progess but luckily Vaughn took time off to hold my hand and keep me smiling. These days they give you physio on your face after you operation, a nice session of sonar followed by electric current running through pads into you face. This was better than it sounds and meant that I did not swell hugely and only had one small bruise. Had the op done on Friday, by Tuesday morning I had run out of pain pills – this was not good as by Tuesday night I was in tears with a rampant Emma trying to very carefully kiss my face better and then rushing off to break something or smear her food into the floor. By Wednesday I was dying and was off to the doctor again (complicated by the fact that Vaughn and I are still sharing a car) – verdict, an infection/dry socket that need to be cleaned out. Just as well they do not go into details before attacking you as he popped all my stitches and scraped my wound open again, nothing like metal on jaw bone with no painkillers. He then packed the hole full of blood red cotton fibers, shoved gauze in my mouth and sent me home (with lots of pain pills). I think that it was really close to labour pain sore – Youch. Wednesday Emma spent the day at school so I could rest after all the fun at the doctor. A week and a half later and I am still quite sore and have swollen lumps on one side of my jaw but am feeling better (down to 1 pain thing at night now, sometimes one in the day). Glad that this something that does not need to be repeated!

Our outing for the month was local, a day trip to the Pretoria zoo. Having gone when I was about 6 it was just as cool as I remembered. We spent a marvellous day wondering around looking at all the animals and took a ride in the cable car. Vaughn got to manouver the pram up the stone steps and down from the cable car as we only opted for the going up option. Emma loved this and was soon howling with laughter and shouting for more. She is now old enough to put it all together and shouted with delight when she recognised the animals. Cervals are kittys for those who did not know. She was so excited that she kept going until just before leaving the zoo at 4pm (a long day considering her day starts at 5/6 am), this pass out was aided by the fact that she insisted on running along next to the pram. She was very impressed with the monkeys that put on a great chase spectacle for her, starting up each time she reappeared.

The new all encompassing topic in the Cleminson house is the potty and the things that happen in and around it. Emma has finally won, after much fighting about the nappy (taped it on in the end) we decided that maybe it was time to give this potty thing a try. This is a reall trying time for us as parents, Emma is loving the panty thing. The books say that you should not make a huge issue about the potty or else you land up with children that poo in your … “bed” (place they get the best reaction) to show that they are in charge. It is fine to take them to the potty but with girls you do not have the added extra of seeing a reaction before they wee. So the potty scene goes as follows:
Mom: “lets go weee, quick, quick, panties off … right”
Emma on potty: “go away, go away”
Mom lurks around the corner
Emma: “teddy potty”
Mom arrives and puts teddy on the twin potty so Emma and him can ablute together Play a game of stacking for read for ten minutes NOTHING Get up, put panties on wee

In the week and a half we have been playing this game, we have only got the timing right twice. They say it takes about 7 weeks to get all the things co-ordinated, what fun. She is however enjoying all the time playing “nakie” in the garden. Doing this in the hope of encouraging the correct motions in the correct places before winter. The rest of parenting is easy compared to this!

We are planning a jungle gym for the 2nd birthday party. Have drawn up plans that involve a dolls house on stilts, a swinging bridge onto a platform (from the dolls house), slide (thanks osborne), ladder and hanging rope as a start. We will be building this ourselves so those interested in jungle gym duty e-mail so we can set dates and get this going before or after the birthday (end April). Our idea was that people who are gonna buy Emma birthday pressie can put their money into the Jungle Gym Kitty instead of buying a gift. No idea what you all think so feed back people! We will then buy the bits for the jungle gym and then build it ourselves, maybe making a party/day of it like we did for the lily painting? Still a while to think about it.

We have been doing a little bit of work on our website, scanning in photos from previous holidays and of Emma so check it out in the next few weeks.

Have a great month and hope you are all keeping well.

Love
Carrie, Vaughn and Emma