Return to Regular Programming

Well, it would seem that the Monkey has been learning some new things while on holiday. The least of which is how to stay up late and squeal like he's been stabbed when he's put to bed. The main thing he's learned over his holiday and in the few days since his return, however, are as follows:

• Oh, really!
• Alright
• Socks
• Shoes
• Shirt (though, the last three all kind of sound like 'shit')
  

Apparently while he was on the plane coming back, he got his own seat. Patrick tells me that the passenger on the other side of Bas noticed that he'd managed to work out how to do up and tighten his seat belt all by himself, which is impressive considering how annoying those airplane seat belts are! Patrick was astounded by it.

I met the boys at the airport on Wednesday when the returned, and Bas looked at me as though he didn't know who I was, and has thusly been treating me like a stranger since. Whenever I've picked him up for a cuddle or even just wanted to play with him, he's gone running back to Patrick as if I was trying to kidnap him or something. Thankfully, since last night things appear to be returning to near regular programming. He's voluntarily coming to me and offering me cuddles and asking for me to pick him up. This morning we were sitting on my fitball (Bas on my knee) and he was being all cuddly wuddly and resting his forehead on my chin and being a real sook. At least until Patrick got out of the shower anyway.

All that's left to do now is to retrain him to go to bed and sleep when we tell him to, instead of having to go through the nightly theatrics of hysterical screaming and balling til he simply passes out from exhaustion. He got away with being allowed to go to bed at midnight virtually every night while in Victoria, and seems to think that he can get away with it here. He's slowly falling asleep earlier and earlier each night, but only by ten or so minutes each timel. At this rate, he'll be going to sleep at his regular time by Christmas! Mind you, he does seem to find the fact that we read him bed time stories absolutely hilarious. He giggles and laughs (almost manically) at the sound of us reading to him in different voices. I think he might like the Scottish Fairy Tales book though, more so than the Andersons Fairy Tales.

One last thing: Bas has been teaching himself how to use a fork. He fed himself his dinner last night using his little fork (given to him by Grammi and one that I used when I was his age). He's been paying close attention to the way we use the utensils and has decided it's time he started doing it himself, so I sat him in his highchair, gave him his plate of fish pie and the fork and away he went! And with next to no spillage as well!

Next step is to start teaching him how to cook! (^_^)