there's been lots going on in xavier's life...
it's party season, and he enjoyed parties with his new kindy mates, plus two old stagers from daycare... the big players are coming up soon, including his own and we are alooking forward to that...
xavier seems to be slotting in ok at kindy - we really don't know as he refuses to tell us anything and gets defensive if we probe too deeply... we can work out from various stickers, that he seems to be doing ok - i don't think they are terribly challenged at kindy, but i'm sure he's learning some good social skills and had/eye stuff etc...
i took him in one morning -they do this weird (but probably quite sane and common) thing where the parent comes in an plays with child prior to class - xavier and i looked at each other rather perplexed - we're used to daycre, where i dump him and he can't wait for me to leave - however at kindy i'm not allowed to, so after our book, we both wandered aimlessly around the classroom until the parents could leave... odd
meanwhile xavier is his normal self at home, using his vivid imagination with star wars figures, trains and lego.. he seems to like the idea of dressing up, so i guess we'll see how that goes. it may mean some visits to the shops in a spiderman outfit i guess...
xavier's eating habits have improved immensely, and he will try anything and mostly finish his meals without fussing... better still, the sleeping thing is magic - in the daytime, when he's ready he just puts himself to sleep, and at night, following routine, one of us lies in bed with him for a bit while he gets set up - and then he reads in bed until he falls asleep - it's like he's 9 ...
xavier's non-stop talking has continued, except now he inserts bits of overheard conversation into the mix - he's constantly telling us how to do things, where to go and how to get places - cheaper than a gps
last week was xavier's last day at daycare - it was emotional (mainly for us) but also for the carers, who have been like a second family for him over the past 3 years.
they did a great job, and xavier seemed so happy there - he also made lots of really good friends, and hopefuly he will still be able to catch up with some now and again.
next week is xavier's first week of kindy - in the leadup it's like he's transformed into the world's best kid - he is so polite, and is constantly telling us how much he loves us all.. very sincerly!... it's amazing to observe... he got a letter from his kindy teacher this week as well, saying she's looking forward to seeing him!
xavier is really into star wars these days, even though he has never seen any of the movies, he makes up stories with figures and insists i read him star wars books - all he knows is there are battles, and destruction and killing... nice
xavier has enjoyed another great christmas, but possibly he's not as excited as some may have hoped...
he was great in the build-up - he loved singing and dancing to carols, playing them every morning - he loved turning the christmas tree lights on and helped decorate the tree.
we convinced him to write a letter asking for things, which he eventually agreed to, but we had to prompt him about what he wanted!! in the end he got some thomas coaches, a remote control car, a torch, some cd-books and a dvd - from others he got hseet sets, games, clothes, books, toys and lots of attention...
his behaviour of late has been quite erratic, from unbelievably bad, to saintly - not that bad really, but as bad as he gets... he's really starting to test his boundaries, and the parents are being tested!
we are trying 1-2-3 magic on him and it has a positive effect... overall 2009 was a year of significant social and cognitive development for xavier and i think he'll be in good shape for kindy next year...
xavier has been accepted into Ursula Frayne college - on monday i went to the parent evening, and tomorrow, xavier has his orientation!
and so we enter a new phase of xavier's life - i think he is quite keen to get into it... he already refers to the 'kindy room' at his daycare as kindy, and he gets that school is where big kids go (including almost all his cousins)
meanwhile, he's having a great old time at daycare and his very best friends daniel and kael - he's doing really well at his swimming and although his behaviour and eating habits vary from day to day, he's generally developing well
xavier is really looking forward to christmas and is very aware of santa and various other christmas elements...
xavier has adapted really well to his new sister - he's a bit obsessed with her eyes, but he is caring and interested...
it's been really frustrating for xavier when he's at home, because our time is so focused on olivia.. but xavier has done well to learn to play by himself more, take care of himself and help out - he loves helping us whether its cooking, gardening or just picking up something for his mum.
xavier still goes to daycare 3 days a week, and this has provided continuity and more importantly, playmates... sadly, one of his best friends, jacob, has moved away...
xavier's diction continues to advance, and he just reels off things picked up from who-knows-where... at the moment it's all very funny, but just waiting for him to drop a lovely swearword into the mix
today, xaver showed me that he can somersault, and he is a great dancer - any sort of music, he can move and groove like the best of them....
this is the best toy ever - it's a drag racing toy with two cars - in our house with the long hall it's awesome - xavier loves it - thanks to dush, dev + akkis for this one - gold...
