Hi all,

Apologies for not keeping to my (self imposed) blog schedule, but my Old Man feel asleep in front of the telly last night and didn’t bother booting up the laptop for me to blog before he started couch-potato’ting.

Well it’s been another busy busy week, and I’m loving it. The weather is superb at the moment – hot days followed by typical Highveld thunderstorms in the evenings. The garden, after the building, is loving the rain and is growing back to its former glory. The birds are also swiftly taking up residence in the trees around the garden, feeling safe that the builders have left.

My physio on Monday was done outdoors at Crawford Preparatory Primary taking advantage of the wonderful weather; I loved being treated outside. After physio I had a hectic OT workout, with plenty of new exercises for my feet. In the afternoon we met up with Dad and headed off to see Leigh at Avo Photographic Studios to do our “Christmas Shoot” to get some professional photos done for Christmas greetings for friends and family. We arrived home just in time to meet Opa at the door and we visited with him. I showed off playing on the patio, and once I tired of that, Opa, Dad and I settled down for some pizza (well, focaccia for me, to be precise).

On Tuesday Mom put one of my climbing blocks next to the desk and I stood on it drawing at the desk while Mom did some work on her laptop. During the course of the morning Mom also had a massage on her back, as she is suffering with some back pain. She found a great therapist, Lisa, near to where we live. While Mom was being treated I explored the therapy room. After shopping Mom learnt a valuable lesson – don’t let littlelies pack away apples in the fruit bowl, as I took a bite out of each one before placing it, bite mark down, in the fruit bowl!!!

Wednesday was my last music lesson of the year, and so the lesson was combined with our getting our certificates followed by a party. Being a special lesson, Dad came with Mom and I. Mom led the lesson with me, and Dad took photos. However I really wanted Dad involved so every so often I took him a shaker or small drum to where he was sitting taking photographs. Needless to say everyone thought this was the cutest Daddy/Son action ever, which just spurred me on to take him more instruments. After the lesson, during the tea party, Dad and I got on the trampoline where Dad bounced me all over the place. I giggled and giggled and although Dad was getting exhausted, I didn’t want him to stop.

On the way home from music we popped into Sportsman’s Warehouse for a valve and pump to inflate all my ‘gah’s’ (balls) that have either deflated or arrived without any sky inside of them. While there, Mom found some hats for me. I already have heaps of hats, but Mom is on the hunt for that one special hat that will stay on my head. I have a tendency to tear all hats from my head. Back home Dad got the task of inflating all my balls. I was really chuffed, as my new KFC and MTN balls arrived un-inflated – now I could finally play with them. While Dad had the pump and valve out, he simply got to the job of re-inflating all my balls – I was thrilled! During the afternoon Dad had to go to yet another dentist appointment (his second already this week). Arriving back home from the dentist, Dad announced to us that he had to go for some oral surgery, and was scheduled for next Tuesday. I felt sorry for my Daddy having to undergo surgery, as I had had so much already and knew how uncomfortable and painful it was, so I wished Dad didn’t have to undergo the same trauma, but I guess that’s how stuff works out sometimes. While Dad was at the dentist, I was putting an enormous effort into playing really hard at baby club where we played in the sand, in the water and in the garden.

Thursday was predominately spent at home. Many of Mom’s cards that were stolen the week before were delivered. Later in the day Mom and I spent some time in queues to get forms to replace her licence and other memberships replaced.

After Mom’s chiropractic appointment on Friday we collected Tamsin, as she was going to spend the day with Mom and I. I was so excited by this, as I really love spending time with her. When she jumped into the car I was beside myself with joy! From collecting Tamsin we headed to Hyde Park Corner for ice creams and then wondered around for a while. The Corner Café in Craighall was next on our agenda, for lunch and to wait for Dad – we were going to a viewing at Avo to see the results of our photo shoot. Dad arrived just as we were paying, and then we headed across the road to the Avo studios. There we were seated in a viewing room and we watched massive images of ourselves being splashed across the huge screen. We giggled at our various poses and quickly deleted those we didn’t like of ourselves! After some time we settled 14 lovely pics which would now be touched up and perfected professionally. One of these will be our Christmas card photo – so keep an eye out for it.

Dad had been painting rooms at The Village Safe Haven during the morning as part of his department’s corporate social investment initiative, so he was keen to get home and shower after the Avo viewing. He looked really funny with streaks of paint in his hair. We bid Dad farewell and Mom, Tamsin and I headed off to Polka Dot where we painted. Well, to be precise, Tammy painted – I slapped paint and glitter all over the place, including myself. I then got into some animal shapes which ended up sticking to my arms and legs. Back home, Dad was all clean of paint, but I, on the other hand, was covered in paint and glitter now. Well, as they say, like father like son!

In the early evening we treated Tamsin to dinner at The Piatto, where the serve the best bread, in Tammy’s opinion. In fact, the only reason that was the restaurant of choice, was for Tammy’s benefit to let her have her fix of her favourite bread. While we waited for our meal, Mom and Tammy popped into a nearby shop for a brand new, and bigger, Christmas tree. I was most impressed when Mom arrived with a box taller than her – I couldn’t wait to see the tree and then its decorations.

Back home after dinner Dad started to bath me as Mom took Tammy home. After my bath Dad hummed me to sleep to Verdi’s slave march from Aida.

There was lots of early morning activity on Saturday morning – I then remembered that Mom and Dad had a baby CPR course on for the day. Granny arrived with Tammy and Mom and Dad left. So the day was spent playing, signing and giggling in Granny’s care with Tammy’s undivided attention. Mom and Dad arrived home late in the afternoon, looking exhausted. Clearly learning CPR and baby first aid is hard work. After we bid Granny and Tammy farewell the three of us had an afternoon snooze. In the evening, before my bunzy run, we started setting up our new Christmas tree and started attaching the lights.

On Sunday morning Dad had an appointment in Lonehill, so I was in Mom’s care for much of the morning, which is unusual for a Sunday, as Dad normally does all my cares, etc. on Sundays. After Dad arrived back from his appointment we headed off to the zoo to meet my other little friends and their parents for a lunch on the zoo lawns. It was a really wonderful lazy afternoon, and before the dark clouds started to threaten rain in the mid-afternoon we were on our way home. An afternoon snooze was in order, and pretty soon we were getting ready for a new week ahead of us.

My standing is getting so much better. Now, if you let me go, I stand for a longer count and when I can’t stand anymore, instead of falling over, I gently sink to the ground bending my knees. My vocabulary is also improving, with this past week seeing (or hearing, if you prefer) my going through a whole new range of sounds and regularly practicing the words I know. To increase my vocabulary, I’ve also taken to point to items to have Mom or Dad tell me what it is – in this way I’m building up a knowledge of household items. One of these days I will surprise the old folk by just starting to rattle off the names of things I see!

That’s it for now.

Lotsa love,

Jay-Bee

Figure 1 Is it Christmas again already?

Figure 2 Peek-a-boo

Figure 3 Throwing ‘gah’s’ in the basket

Figure 4 After a hard day’s playing I fell asleep in Daddy’s lap

Figure 5 Last music lesson of 2009

Figure 6 Tasting the shaker makes it sound better

Figure 7 Drumming like crazy

Figure 8 Mommy gets involved

Figure 9 Liezl – my music teacher

Figure 10 Mom helps me drum

Figure 11 Liezl and Mom watch me with my music Xmas toy

Figure 12 In the bin

Figure 13 I’m done with this bath – let me out

Figure 14 Just kidding – bath giggles rule

Figure 15 Loving to roll

Figure 16 Time to do some work

Figure 17 Crawling at the zoo (feeling at home on all fours)

Figure 18 One of the locals at the zoo (Mr Egret) comes to inspect our picnic

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