Sayonara Oh-Oh-Seven!

Well, once again we find ourselves staring back over the previous 365 days and attempting to summarise them as best we can.

I am no different in this respect but will spare you the torture of reliving it all with me. If I am honest, generally speaking it was much the same as all the other years and this is one of the many reasons having children is so terrific – they add an interesting dimension to life, allowing you to see the world through their young eyes.

A football mad friend bought Joseph a digital money box in the shape of a football (naturally) and the money total display goes up as you push each coin through the slot. I love that a child would rather take two 5p coins over a single £1 coin because obviously “that’s worth more”. He has managed to accrue £5 and 16 pence already and his eyes light up when discussing what he could go and buy in a few weeks of saving.

Annabel was given a baby Annabel which is startlingly lifelike; crying, belching after being fed real water and closing her eyes to go to sleep. Watching her take care of her “baby” seems to blow the sociological argument of nature versus nurture right out of the water.

M’s year involved a lengthy and worrying operation but she took it in her stride (as with most things) and is mending very nicely.

Me?

I’m just the proud Dad I was this time last year.

Prouder, in fact.

Joseph moved up to reception and is doing brilliantly, with his reading ability amazing everyone. The pact made by Joseph and myself seems to be working very well. Whenever he thinks I am going to moan about something, he pre-empts me by saying, “oh, don’t be grumpy Dad” and amazingly it acts like a slap in the face, snapping me out of my “moan phase”. Until the next moan anyway.

Annabel moved up a class also and we wait to see if she can move again, following her friends into the “big” room. Heartbreakingly, she kept commenting that her bestest chums weren’t in day after day, when in fact they were just in the next room. Stupidly, children are moved dependant on their age rather than where they are developmentally. Hopefully, the manager will see fit to move her sooner rather than later. Either that or I will ask for her to be moved repeatedly until he does move her. I can be very persistent.

I am doing my best to appreciate that Annabel's yelling is actually her wanting my attention rather than her seeing how far she can get me to push my fingers down my ear canals in a bid to block out the noise. I put this into practice yesterday and it does seem to be doing the trick although I know Day 1 is rather early days to be commenting on progress.

Remember that it will be a day longer than this year with February benefiting from an extra Friday on the 29th so be sure to enjoy that extra day at work won’t you???

Whatever it holds, whatever you have planned and wherever it takes you, I hope the year of 2008 will be a happy, peaceful and above all else, a healthy one for you and yours.

Take care
xx