Does anyone remember the word "SNAG"? Sensitive New Age Guy? I don't hear it much these days but it was used a little in the early 90s.
I have no comparison so I have no idea what other little kids are like. Aaron just seems extremely sensitive. I'm not that way and am definitely not an overly emotional person.
Some time ago, my mother bought him a book. She didn't read it before buying and I didn't read it before sitting down with Aaron. So, nobody knew it was about a little mouse whose mother died because he didn't listen to her when she asked him to get her some hard wood. The mother mouse needed the wood to keep her teeth filed down. Without it, her teeth grew so long that she couldn't close her mouth, therefore couldn't chew and subsequently died.
Aaron was very quiet throughout the whole story. He just stared at the book and at me. I thought he was being attentive and attempted to carry on a little bit about how little children should always listen to their parents. This brought him to the brink of tears!
OK. So that was some time ago but he still gets sad whenever we talk about that mouse (or any mouse).
Today, my mother read him another book. It wasn't a sad book at all but it was about a baby wombat who lost his mother. Aaron didn't wait long enough to find out the two were reunited because he was so worried that he would lose me that he came running to find me and wouldn't leave me.
Other times, he would stare intently at my face when I'm not visibly happy. He has to make sure that I'm smiling and laughing and HAPPY before he's satisfied.
I spend all my time with him and we have fun days everyday. He's basically a good boy so there haven't been any time-outs for quite a few weeks. I really wonder why he's so sensitive and worried about losing me. He's never had any reason to feel insecure or abandoned. Or is it because we spend so much time together that he's become super attached?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Photostory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
This is the view from where I was sitting as I rode home from the city. You can see Aaron and my mother a short distance ahead of me. We live about 2.5km from Brisbane's CBD and there is a beautiful bike path along the river. I couldn't help thinking how old the bike looked. Its rusty all over, the bell doesn't work, and the stand is gone but it is being used more now than when I had it 15 years ago. My university is in the city and occasionally, I did ride my bike in but that didn't happen often once I got my driver's license and a permanent parking space at an uncle's apartment block.
Now, with fuel prices they way they are and parking spaces unaffordable, my parents ride into the city each week for their clogging lessons at the Senior Citizen's center. My father rides my brother's bike and my mother rides mine. It doesn't matter that both bikes are more than 15 years old or that their helmets are also a few years too old to be fashionable. Nobody cares. All that matters is that they really enjoy the ride and the bikes are finally being used as they were meant to be.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thursday Thirteen - Catch Up
WOW! I've been here a week already. Here are 13 things that have happened arriving.
#1 Aaron and I are officially addicted to Special K. This is something I look forward to every time I'm here and now I've introduced it to Aaron as well. We're also enjoying a lot of other food that we don't get in Palembang. He had his first taste of strawberries yesterday.
#2 We took Aaron to the Southbank Parklands on Saturday. He loved all the grassy areas of course but there was a surprise there for him too - the beach! This is a man made beach and lagoon in the middle of Brisbane city.
#3 Toilet training is going well here. The weather isn't too cold and the change in environment seems to be working positively towards his awareness of needing to 'go'.
#4 I finally got to try my hand at the Wii and Wii Fit. This was a my mother's friends house. All those seniors have been getting together on weekends and having a lot of fun. I WANT ONE!!
#5 We walked the 2.5kms to the city to watch my parents at their Senior Citizen's clogging lesson. On the way back, I traded places with my mother and rode my old bike while she pushed Aaron.
#6 There is a new park in our area with a train, miniature petrol station and mini coffee shop.
#7 We've been to the local library for a story telling session.
#8 At times, Aaron seems confused about how he should communicate with the Australian kids and I've heard him trying to speak Indonesian to them.
#9 Another time, I heard him say "You don't say" with an extremely broad Australian accent when he overheard some Australians talking. The Aussie accent must have been distinct enough in the Wiggles DVDs that he's recognized it around him here and thought "Aha! I can't speak this language!".
#10 Aaron has broken my red pair of glasses. I'm now stuck with the white pair that has a scratch right in my line of vision. Thankfully, the red pair will be fixed by this Friday.
#11 The change in weather and the lingering cold that I had from last week has resulted in me losing my voice. Its definitely not effective just mouthing the words "Aaron, don't do that"
#12 We haven't watched a single minute of TV and haven't missed it either.
#13 On the downside, internet in this house has been slow. Problems with the service provider. I find this a little amusing because Palembang, a place where you'd expect slow internet and lots of problems, actually has very few hiccups with their service. Who knew Brisbane would be the place that I would get frustrated with internet?!
#1 Aaron and I are officially addicted to Special K. This is something I look forward to every time I'm here and now I've introduced it to Aaron as well. We're also enjoying a lot of other food that we don't get in Palembang. He had his first taste of strawberries yesterday.
#2 We took Aaron to the Southbank Parklands on Saturday. He loved all the grassy areas of course but there was a surprise there for him too - the beach! This is a man made beach and lagoon in the middle of Brisbane city.
#3 Toilet training is going well here. The weather isn't too cold and the change in environment seems to be working positively towards his awareness of needing to 'go'.
#4 I finally got to try my hand at the Wii and Wii Fit. This was a my mother's friends house. All those seniors have been getting together on weekends and having a lot of fun. I WANT ONE!!
#5 We walked the 2.5kms to the city to watch my parents at their Senior Citizen's clogging lesson. On the way back, I traded places with my mother and rode my old bike while she pushed Aaron.
#6 There is a new park in our area with a train, miniature petrol station and mini coffee shop.
#7 We've been to the local library for a story telling session.
#8 At times, Aaron seems confused about how he should communicate with the Australian kids and I've heard him trying to speak Indonesian to them.
#9 Another time, I heard him say "You don't say" with an extremely broad Australian accent when he overheard some Australians talking. The Aussie accent must have been distinct enough in the Wiggles DVDs that he's recognized it around him here and thought "Aha! I can't speak this language!".
#10 Aaron has broken my red pair of glasses. I'm now stuck with the white pair that has a scratch right in my line of vision. Thankfully, the red pair will be fixed by this Friday.
#11 The change in weather and the lingering cold that I had from last week has resulted in me losing my voice. Its definitely not effective just mouthing the words "Aaron, don't do that"
#12 We haven't watched a single minute of TV and haven't missed it either.
#13 On the downside, internet in this house has been slow. Problems with the service provider. I find this a little amusing because Palembang, a place where you'd expect slow internet and lots of problems, actually has very few hiccups with their service. Who knew Brisbane would be the place that I would get frustrated with internet?!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
We're off again
It feels like we've only just returned from Malaysia and now we're off again. Its time for the annual trip to Australia. People wonder why I 'holiday' at the same place every year but I don't really see it as a holiday. Its just somewhere I live for a couple of months each year.
I'm grateful that Richard is so understanding about these trips. I'm also thankful that we are able to afford it. I know I'm lucky to have the life that I have and I don't take it for granted.
So tomorrow, Aaron and I will first fly to Singapore, wait around Changi Airport for about 5 hours, then get on the 7 hr flight to Brisbane. It will be my first time traveling so far with Aaron alone. I've stuffed my hand luggage with snacks, toys, books, extra clothes, a sling, extra diapers.....I think I'd better find a 'surprise' and stuff it in there too.
This is also the first time that I feel I haven't spent enough time in Palembang before leaving again. Like I said before, I finally feel at home here. The trip was booked long ago so, nothing I can do now except look forward to all the things that I can't get in Palembang.
He's old enough now for the story telling and sing-a-longs in the libraries. And of course, there will be all the wonderful parks we can visit. This time I think I'll take him for a walk through the museum too. I'm getting excited!
See you all in a few days!
I'm grateful that Richard is so understanding about these trips. I'm also thankful that we are able to afford it. I know I'm lucky to have the life that I have and I don't take it for granted.
So tomorrow, Aaron and I will first fly to Singapore, wait around Changi Airport for about 5 hours, then get on the 7 hr flight to Brisbane. It will be my first time traveling so far with Aaron alone. I've stuffed my hand luggage with snacks, toys, books, extra clothes, a sling, extra diapers.....I think I'd better find a 'surprise' and stuff it in there too.
This is also the first time that I feel I haven't spent enough time in Palembang before leaving again. Like I said before, I finally feel at home here. The trip was booked long ago so, nothing I can do now except look forward to all the things that I can't get in Palembang.
He's old enough now for the story telling and sing-a-longs in the libraries. And of course, there will be all the wonderful parks we can visit. This time I think I'll take him for a walk through the museum too. I'm getting excited!
See you all in a few days!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
When my back was turned....
Usually, when my back is turned, Aaron gets up to all sorts of mischief. He does that even when my back isn't turned so you can imagine what happens when I do have to turn around.
I've blogged before about our morning ritual of checking on my plants and just pottering around the garden. Sometimes, I run into the house to get stuff and when I return, he's usually digging too near my plants or drowning them with too much water. Or worse (remember the rock licking?).
What I normally do is yell out random instructions to him for the few seconds that I can't see him.
"Go look out the gate. There's a dog there."
"Stop digging."
"Don't pour too much water."
"Wear your shoes."
We had a couple of ripe guava this morning and I took them into the house after plucking them off the tree. Imagine my surprise when I came back out again to see this:
He was there muttering to himself and "reading" with his index finger following all the words. He was really concentrating and seemed lost in the paper. I immediately had one of those magical motherhood moments. All at once, I felt surprised, proud and amused. Its funny how something so trivial, and inconsequential to everybody else, brought so much joy to me.
And then he saw me and the moment vanished. At least I managed to get one photo :)
I've blogged before about our morning ritual of checking on my plants and just pottering around the garden. Sometimes, I run into the house to get stuff and when I return, he's usually digging too near my plants or drowning them with too much water. Or worse (remember the rock licking?).
What I normally do is yell out random instructions to him for the few seconds that I can't see him.
"Go look out the gate. There's a dog there."
"Stop digging."
"Don't pour too much water."
"Wear your shoes."
We had a couple of ripe guava this morning and I took them into the house after plucking them off the tree. Imagine my surprise when I came back out again to see this:
He was there muttering to himself and "reading" with his index finger following all the words. He was really concentrating and seemed lost in the paper. I immediately had one of those magical motherhood moments. All at once, I felt surprised, proud and amused. Its funny how something so trivial, and inconsequential to everybody else, brought so much joy to me.
And then he saw me and the moment vanished. At least I managed to get one photo :)
Monday, September 1, 2008
Do men have fat days?
Its been a very mediocre day. It's been raining since 9am and we haven't been out to play. On the upside, I'm having a very rare, skinny day but the fact that I feel skinny today makes me think of fat days.
A friend and I were chatting today about how reaching a target weight brings happiness and how any increase from that number has an inverse relationship with that very happiness. Its stupid and we both know it. Thankfully, neither of us obsesses too much about it.
What I've been wondering about today is not women and their fat days. Its the men. Do men have fat days? Do they try to check reflections in windows to see if their behinds are in proportion to the rest of their bodies? Are they upset if they have to leave the fitting rooms to grab a bigger size?
I have no idea! I never hear my husband mention any of those things. I've never heard my father. I think my brother is working on his physique but thats just because all the women in his life have been commenting (not the only reason though...he knew it wasn't healthy). Maybe men have those thoughts too but they don't gather to discuss this sort of thing with their friends so the thoughts just leave their brains.
In any case, no matter how much of a cliche this is, the important thing is for us all to be healthy. I like to ignore my fat days and just work harder at the gym with the objective of becoming stronger and having more stamina. Everything else should fall into place. Hopefully.
A friend and I were chatting today about how reaching a target weight brings happiness and how any increase from that number has an inverse relationship with that very happiness. Its stupid and we both know it. Thankfully, neither of us obsesses too much about it.
What I've been wondering about today is not women and their fat days. Its the men. Do men have fat days? Do they try to check reflections in windows to see if their behinds are in proportion to the rest of their bodies? Are they upset if they have to leave the fitting rooms to grab a bigger size?
I have no idea! I never hear my husband mention any of those things. I've never heard my father. I think my brother is working on his physique but thats just because all the women in his life have been commenting (not the only reason though...he knew it wasn't healthy). Maybe men have those thoughts too but they don't gather to discuss this sort of thing with their friends so the thoughts just leave their brains.
In any case, no matter how much of a cliche this is, the important thing is for us all to be healthy. I like to ignore my fat days and just work harder at the gym with the objective of becoming stronger and having more stamina. Everything else should fall into place. Hopefully.
What school does he go to?
None. He's only two.
Over the past few weeks, several people have asked me this question. And this is after they ask me how old he is. So, they already know that he's two so why bother asking me what school he's in?
I know that in Malaysia, there are kids that start going to what I can only call pre-pre-kindergarten when they are about two. And, it looks like for those who can afford it over here in Indonesia, its also something thats very common.
In the west, many children go to daycare and I think one of the main reasons is because both parents have to go to work. Over here, many mothers are the stay at home variety and, a household that can afford to send a two year old to school definitely has a maid (or two). So, the only conclusion I can draw is that these parents want to give their children a head start on the academic ladder. Or maybe, they feel that since all the other toddlers are in class, their child is going to be left behind if they don't start at the same time.
It just seems like a vicious cycle to me. I hope those classes are more learn-through-play rather than sit-and-study but it really wouldn't surprise me to find a very structured class with lots of study packed into the day.
I know I'll be keeping Aaron by my side for a few more years. He has a little group of friends now that he meets daily in the concrete park. Maybe I can set up a play group in our area. It would be fun to organize some weekly activities for those little kids. There are at least 3 other little ones around Aaron's age and a couple that are a little older.
So, no school for now. We'll just stay at home and play all day. Learning is a 24hr a day activity for two year olds anyway so I don't think he'll be missing out on too much if I'm diligent.
Over the past few weeks, several people have asked me this question. And this is after they ask me how old he is. So, they already know that he's two so why bother asking me what school he's in?
I know that in Malaysia, there are kids that start going to what I can only call pre-pre-kindergarten when they are about two. And, it looks like for those who can afford it over here in Indonesia, its also something thats very common.
In the west, many children go to daycare and I think one of the main reasons is because both parents have to go to work. Over here, many mothers are the stay at home variety and, a household that can afford to send a two year old to school definitely has a maid (or two). So, the only conclusion I can draw is that these parents want to give their children a head start on the academic ladder. Or maybe, they feel that since all the other toddlers are in class, their child is going to be left behind if they don't start at the same time.
It just seems like a vicious cycle to me. I hope those classes are more learn-through-play rather than sit-and-study but it really wouldn't surprise me to find a very structured class with lots of study packed into the day.
I know I'll be keeping Aaron by my side for a few more years. He has a little group of friends now that he meets daily in the concrete park. Maybe I can set up a play group in our area. It would be fun to organize some weekly activities for those little kids. There are at least 3 other little ones around Aaron's age and a couple that are a little older.
So, no school for now. We'll just stay at home and play all day. Learning is a 24hr a day activity for two year olds anyway so I don't think he'll be missing out on too much if I'm diligent.
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