Life's Good and We Have Sweat Pants

So life is very good and pleasant at the moment. Melt downs are few and far between. I feel calm, cool, collected and productive, a very rare combination.

Since going failsafe Samantha has begun going potty by herself, washing her hands by herself, dressing herself and brushing her own teeth. Is it a coincidence?
Maybe, but I don't think so. It isn't that she was previously unable to do these things it is that she would not do them unless I was there prompting/threatening each step.
She is still waking up once a night most nights, though she has increased from sleeping through once every other week to once or twice a week.

Samantha and Greg flying a paper airplane at morning tea out in service.

Peas Please

The pea challenge: eating two serves of green peas everyday for 7-10 days.

We ate 3kg of frozen peas in 9 days. Now there are those who might think that alone would be enough to put a person in a bad mood, but we like peas.

Results: Stuart-it takes more than a few peas to stir up Stuart

           Amber-felt stressed, frazzled, found my self shouting at Samantha and generally struggling.

Samantha- at first no affect but by the end she was grumbly and most noticeably refusing/ or reluctantly interacting with her friends and crying if people touched her. And Chinese people like to touching. You can't tell in this picture but it took a lot of conniving to get a picture of Samantha and her friends this day.

Samantha and friends. Not the best picture,
but you try getting four kids looking the same way at the same time.

 

Or Maybe Not
Less than 48 hours after stopping peas we had this congregation picnic and I have never seen Samantha have so much fun. She was assertive and confident, not clinging to my knees asking me to take her somewhere else and play one-on-one with her. It was wonderful!

I would classify her reaction to peas in the mild category. After we have completed all the challenges we will work out our tolerance.

Can you see the ball Mao Mao?
Nope. Oh you mean the big pink ball? I was keeping it warm.

Starsia was offering some of her home made chocolates and I was so proud to hear Samantha say,
"我不可以吃。" Never mind Starsia doesn't speak Mandarin.

I was so excited to over hear Samantha voluntarily speak Chinese to her little friend, she was saying she can't eat the chocolates. (also proud of how well she sticks to her diet)