Hi all,

This week saw two celebratory days in the week. The official 1st day of Spring on the 1st of September and Casual Day on the 4th. In keeping with the theme for Casual Day in my Dad’s office I also dressed up in sports kit to show my support. For those of you not familiar with this tradition, Absa, one of South Africa’s largest retail banks sponsors Casual Day, where you buy a sticker and then dress casually for the day. Casual Day is a FUNdraising project benefiting persons with disabilities.

Monday started with Dad looking after my cares as Mom and I had a fairly rough night keeping each other company. This was followed by my regular OT session, but Monday proved slightly different. I got to have my session in a new room, it was quite exciting to explore this new room, with new toys and the like. What was especially fun was swinging on a big barrel log from side to side with Lauren. Eventually after getting my balance (that’s the whole idea) I was laughing and begging for more. I also got to play with a robot that you touch and it moans. This was a little too much for me so I displayed my displeasure by howling. I did show my Mommy who is actually boss in the relationship, she wanted to show off my new skills of animal sounds but rather than show Lauren, I did a naughty grin with a glint in my eye. Mommy just laughed at the situation. She is so proud of me, she really can’t help herself.

As Granny and Tammy’s house is on the way home, we stopped by there to say Hello. They have been away at the coast for two weeks, so I’ve really missed them. As we drove up to the gate I started kicking around in my car seat. As I saw them, I just beamed and beamed, then started waving frantically in excitement. I immediately showed them how fast I was crawling; they were thrilled. We headed off to Sandton to drop off my library books (fortunately their system was off-line, as I felt sure I had to pay a fine for bringing them back so late). I decided not to take out any more books just now, as I’m still exploring some of my books at home at the moment. Tammy was eventually starving and this doesn’t happen often so and we sat at the Wimpy (Lamb chops for Tammy) for a while. The adults didn’t really need food so Tammy and I tucked in, then played and played. We played so hard that Tammy actually fell off her chair she was laughing so much. As we headed home, I passed out from exhaustion.

Mom had a business meeting on Tuesday morning, so I was left in Granny’s care. Also, as a result, I had to miss mom’s group. Personally, I was a little distressed at the meeting Mom was going to – it seemed that she was looking to start working again, which meant that I would have less of her time. Major downer. On the other hand, although I am very little, I do understand the economics of the world and have reconciled Mom working with the potential of my getting excellent medical care, a good education, lots of social activities and lots of cute toys. After Mom’s meeting, which seemed to go quite well, I was collected from Granny and we went to have some more of my shots at Dr Nicoletta’s offices – chicken pox (rosella) and hepatitis. Sister Bridget administered the shots expertly, and it hardly hurt. Needless to say I had to show off my crawling and standing skills to everyone at Enrico and Nicoletta’s offices, as everyone there has become a personal friend. Afterward Mom and I drove around for a while, during which time I had a really good snooze. I woke up once we were at home again.

On Wednesday morning Be Sharp Beetles was on the cards – yippee, music, music and more music! Back home afterward Mom baked up a storm as she was hosting three Mom’s later in the afternoon for Baby Gym – part of the case study she has to do to get her qualification. Early afternoon Claire, Joseph and Ryan arrived (with their Mommies, of course) and Mom got down to business with all of us babies. Unfortunately it was a little disastrous, as the builders, electricians, intercom and CCTV people kept coming in the house and going out again, and coming in again, and so on. What an annoyance, but I guess its all part of a means to an end, eventually. Although the session didn’t quite go as Mom wished, I was still exhausted, and barely managed to say good bye to my three friends.

Granny arrived early Thursday morning and the three of us went for a 5km walk through the suburbs. The weather is perfect at the moment, so we had to take advantage of the warm weather and sunny skies. Back home, we rested a short while and then headed off to the Lifestyle Garden Centre where we walked around looking at plants and décor for the house. The time really flew looking at all the rows and rows of pretty flowers, so we had to hurry back home so Granny could take her car to collect Tammy from school. We bid Granny farewell, and Mom and I chilled in each other’s company for the rest of the day.

Friday morning Dad dressed in his squash sports kit, to go to work! I was very confused, until I saw him adhere a Casual Day sticker to the lapel of his tracksuit top. After he left Mom also donned me in a sports outfit, put a sticker on me and one on herself, to show our support for people with disabilities. In the afternoon we attended Samuel’s birthday party. Dad was already home when we got back, supervising the installation of the intercoms. Later that afternoon Dad showed me how we could observe, via a camera, what was going on in front of our house, and how he could open and unlock doors through the touch of a button. It looked really awesome.

Dad took charge of my cares on Saturday morning, as is customary at Ledle Brooke Cottage. We played, had breakfast, played some more, and then I headed off for my morning snooze. Some time later, after waking up, Dad and I decided to also take advantage of the superb weather so we walked to the Post Office to check for mail. It was a great walk in the morning sun, and Dad and I chatted all the way, with Dad naming plants, birds and trees en route. The Post Office box was empty, possibly as a result of the postal worker’s strike, but the walk was great nevertheless. A short while after arriving back home, the three of us headed off to Aquatots in Fairlands where I was to have my first swimming lesson. Dad and I, together with some other Moms and Dads with their little ones, got into the heated pool water and did a whole bunch of exercises under the supervision of an instructor. It was really great fun. Time flies when you’re having fun, as the saying goes, so the lesson was over before it even felt like it had started. I loved it, and wished it could carry on. Dad and I did hang about the pool a while longer, but soon we too had to get out.

Once we were dry and dressed, we headed off to World Wear to have a late lunch at Seeman’s and buy some meat for a braai later in the evening. Some shopping was needed at Fourways, and shortly afterward we met some new tenants in Lonehill. On the way home we stopped off at McDonalds for ice creams – I had a whale of a time smearing the ice cream all over my self and the car on the short trip home. I finished off my ice cream at home, sitting on the kitchen floor, but not before I managed to smear most of it on the floor and a nearby cat. In the evening Barrett and Jackie arrived for a braai; I stayed up for a while to visit with them, but pretty soon I had to head off to bed. Mom, Dad, Barrett and Jackie partied on late into the night, playing games, singing songs and apparently Dad even going for a midnight swim.

Sunday morning Dad was very visibly absent for my cares, so Mom took charge of me. He did surface a little later, looking somewhat bedraggled. After midday we headed off to Michelle and Paul’s place for another braai (these seem to increase exponentially with the increase in temperature!). I could hardly contain myself to get there, as I was going to see Chloe again. Once we’d settled down after lots of hugs and greetings, Chloe and I got down to some serious playing. Some other friends joined in, and we all played and played in the wonderful warmth of the lazy Sunday afternoon. By late in the afternoon we had to leave, as Dad had an appointment in Lonehill. Afterward we headed home reminiscing about the great weekend we had had.

Well, that’s all for this week.

Lots of ice cream kisses,

Jay-Bee

Figure 1 On the barrel swing at OT with Lauren

Figure 2 And flying!

Figure 3 Munching at Wimpy

Figure 4 Monday afternoon snoozes

Figure 5 Exploring the shower

Figure 6 On Tammy’s quad bike

Figure 7 Playtime

Figure 8 My three friends take a break during Baby Gym, while Colleen looks on

Figure 9 Playing with my ‘ga’ (my name for balls and balloons)

Figure 10 Giggles while sipping on my bottle

Figure 11 Testing the physics of hydrodynamics

Figure 12 Scientific research is thirsty business

Figure 13 Swimming at Samuel’s birthday party

Figure 14 Having fun splashing about

Figure 15 Splashing about is thristy business


Figure 16 Getting the hang of drinking from a cup

Figure 17 Chilling with Roxy on the new patio

Figure 18 Casual Day!

Figure 19 Can my car come swimming too?

Figure 20 Ready, steady, swim!

Figure 21 Swim time!

Figure 22 Enjoying my swimming lesson (lens misted up)

Figure 23 Mickey-Dee’s Ice Cream!

Figure 24 Giggles with Barrett

Figure 25 Munching on a banana (at a braai)!

Figure 26 Even though it was a warm evening, Dad had a fire going for ambience

Figure 27 Look Di, standing on one foot

Figure 28 And now the other foot!

Figure 29 Roxy and I

Figure 30 Amy in her sun-hat

Figure 31 Chloe and I playing with water

Figure 32 Being cute

Figure 33 Big ‘ga’ in the sky (what a bonus, it’s a ball and a balloon in one)!

1 Comment on Casual Day 2009

  1. Lea White says:

    Jarrod you are oh so cute! Tell your mom to get her running shoes on, because soon you’ll be running really fast!

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