There Were Three in the Bed and the Little One Said!!!

Had to travel to Wellington to choose materials and be fitted for my bridesmaid outfit this weekend. DH and I had it all planned - Narny going to a friends birthday, Zak going whereever it is 18 year olds go, The Wahs and Neeky staying with Grandma - and then - Grandma had to go to Hamilton, so we had a rethunk (because we had already had a rethink a few days prior). The Wahs went to Aunty BJ's Friday night and Neeky we took to Wellington.

Here's a few things you need to know about Neeky -
1. She has never slept in a room by herself before!
2. She is a sleeper like me (kicks everything off the bed and thrashes around), she slept with Narny once and poor old Narny woke up to a pair of feet in her face!!!
3. Neeky fluffs things, ever since she could, she pulls the fluff off the back of mink blankets (and similar) and carries it around in her hand - she also sleeps with it in her hand (and lately has been known to poke it up her nose at night, so she doesn't lose it) and keeps her blanket nearby in case she needs to freshen the fluff!!!

So, before we even got out the door Neeky announced she would be sleeping with us (I saw that one coming 5 minutes after we told her she would be on her own with us).

Friday night we settled into bed, I stuck my earplugs in (DH snores) and settled into my third (after destroying the nicely made bed to make it more melike (messy and space for feet to stick out bottom).
Every time I moved, Neeky snuggled closer. DH was oblivious on his half (by now) and Neeky and I were sharing a little space (because every time I moved she moved closer).

At 4am I was awoken by a pair of knees up Mr Brown's right in my butt. Next thing I have a hand on my boob trying to fluff the living daylights out of my PJ's. Then I was poked and asked if I was awake. The blankets tumbled off the side of the bed and I realised I was only HALF in the bed!!! Neeky turned sideways, turned back and poked her scrawny arm under my neck, then threw the other over my face...I decided that this was the worst nights sleep ever and promptly got up...realised my glasses had fallen off the bedside stand - without my glasses, I have no hope whatsoever of being able to find my glasses, because I can't see which is why I have the glasses!!!
Neeky came to my rescue and fossicked around on the floor, found my glasses and got up with me leaving DH to continue his peacuful. uninterrupted sleep (MEN).

Speech Therapy Success (and blackmail)

Neeky and DH headed off on Thursday for the second Speech Therapy session. Had a good talking to Neeky before she left about how important it was that if she knew the word to say, also how important she attempt a word if she wasn't sure.
To make sure that she did behave I added a little teensy weensy bit of blackmail. It went like this "if you are really good at trying with the Speech Lady today, you know that Hannah Montana T Shirt, you spotted in my wardrobe? you can have it AND Daddy will take you to Mcdonalds on the way home".
Now I normally do not use blackmail and will never allow my kids to bribe me or be bribed by good behavior equals lolly rewards at the supermarkets, but this speech therapy is really important and once she settles in, I think she will be fine (or have a VERY large collection of Hannah Montana t shirts that she won't fit because of all the visits to Mcdonalds!!!). So for the next week DH and I will be doing our part and playing word games with her.

Neekyism about Death

So poor old Cookie is on her way to mouse heaven, where food lies in abundance on the ground, there are mouse wheels everywhere you turn and cats and mouse traps do not exist.

What upset Neeky you may ask. During the screaming, I told Neeky that I had chosen her box because it was the most beautifulest one ever and Cookie would look so good in it. Her response:

"No ones gonna see it, it's gonna be covered in dirt"

Some things a mother just doesn't have an answer for which is where the 5 bucks came in (it got to that amount due to a bidding war between me and a screaming child with great logic).

Life Ohhhhh Life...

The kids have had a bereavement this morning...Cookie our little black and white fluffy mouse has died at the grand age of two years. Neeky didn't want to believe it and carefully stuck a pellet in her paws before heading off to school, the Wahs announced that Cookie was "just sleeping this morning". So while they were gone I prepared the "coffin" which as I am a avid scrapbooker and a trying really hard cardmaker was a little box that had been made awhile go (there is a whole story about the box which you can read about in my latest Neekyism). I conned Zak into digging the hole and waited until the girls got home. Neeky and the Wahs arrived home, I told them the news and Neeky screamed and screamed - poor child so upset you may be forgiven for thinking WRONG!!! Turns out the box I carefully placed Cookie into was one that she had made and she wanted it back, cost me $5 to buy it off her so the burial could go ahead.

Neekyism's

I suppose you are wondering what a Neekyism is - Neeky Miss 7, has a great sense of fairness and righteousness and unjustness, which makes her a mission to live with at times, but she also has great awe inspring words of wisdom come out of her mouth, so as I remember them I have decided to blog them. This first Neekism came from Neeky last year.
The Wahs is supposed to go to Neeky's class after school to pick her up, and this day Neeky wasn't there, when The Wahs caught sight of her on the playground she called and called but Neeky did not respond, so The Wahs marched over and growled at her from not hearing her name called out even though she had shouted it loudly. The Neekyism: Grabbing hold of her ears Neeky replied "Are these ears on your head? no, they are on mine so you don't know what these ears can hear". Can't argue with that!!!

Speech and Speed Bumps

Took Neeky (7) to New Plymouth to see a Speech Therapist on Wednesday, what a mission, got myself a wheelchair so I could get around easier and avoid breaking my other leg by falling off my crutches...that was the theory, but with the skills of the pushing team crutches may have been safer. Neeky was allowed to push me into the lift at Centre City (shopping mall for non Taranaki Ites) - thanks for that hon! but she pushed just my leg in (which was stickin out in front on some random looking contraption) and then the door started to shut, I saved myself from that one!!!
After hitting just about every bump going back to the van (thanks again hon) we drove to the zoo. I wanted to see the rats that are currently living the the monkey cage (yes, I love that odd sort of thing), they were worth the visit, not at all concerned about being watched and just huge (DH got a tad freaked as furry things aren't his thing...clarification furry animal things aren't his thing). Neeky ran me off the track and into the grass (no surprise there really) and we headed to the Speech Therapist.
My Neeky is a stubborn child (no idea at all where that comes from...alright it's all me), and upon arrival she decided that today was not the day for a Speech Test, she mispronounced words that she knew, pretended she didn't understand words and basically made it impossible for the assessment to be accurate. However, we did (we meaning the Speech Therapist) hear enough to decided she would benefit from further weekly therapy which was what we expected anyway.
We have had Speech Therapy through the school system but visits were inconsistent and as usual with anything Government funded she was deemed to have improved enough at the end of school last year to be released from School Speech Therapy... even though WE her parents still can't understand her when she gets excited or is in a hurry to get it all out!!! And if we can't understand you can imagine how many other people or kids can understand her.