MILLIE'S REPORT!

Millie has brought home her first 'school report'. She's five!!!

Her 'Kindergarten to Prep Transition Report' ranked her all C's (for Consistently; the others - D = Developing, NA = Not Apparent)

Comments:

* Social Development: 'Millie has a quiet nature. She listens and participates well...'

* Emotional Development: Millie is quietly confident and relates well to both children and adults. She is very persistent and works hard to carefully complete tasks'

* Language/Communication Skills: 'Millie expresses herself in a clear manner initiating conversation with children and adults'

* Fine/Gross Motor Skills/Self Care: 'Millie has good fine/gross motor skills and enjoys these activities. Millie has a mature pencil grip and good control'

* Academic/Thinking Skills: 'Millie enjoys learning. She works well by herself, always completing tasks. She can write her own name'

* Child's Interests: 'Millie enjoys art/craft activities - drawing, painting, making things, dressing up, imaginative/dramatic play, cooking'

We are all very thankful to God and to these wonderful teachers/carers for their love and care for our beautiful grand-daughter!

Rowland Croucher

WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?

Millie and Bella have spent a few hours with us this morning.

I've just given Millie a drink of apple juice, and she said: 'This apple juice is good: it fixes your hiccups!' (Now why didn't I think of that?)

Millie had a special part to play yesterday at a Ringwood Salvation Army Special Kids' Day. She and others did the actions to songs about Nehemiah, Trouble etc.... very creative, and Millie has wonderful physical coordination...

Bella is her most charming self, with a smile which melts us!

They have both been playing with one of those little plastic whirly-things which fly away when you pull a string (my old brain has forgotten their name).

Shalom!

Rowland Croucher

BELLA'S ASSERTIVE & MILLIE'S PARTY

Bella was playing on the floor with Grandma and Millie came into the room. Immediately Bella said: ''No Miya... my game'. Bella's a tease - bumps into Millie and pushes her around for fun. Cheeky girl!

Yesterday was Millie's big 5th birthday party with about 15 of her friends (brought by their Mums... there were no Dads there for some reason). They all dressed up as princesses: beautiful! Millie had 'slept over' with a friend the night before and was a 'perfect little girl... good manners... slept well' according to the friend's Mum. When her Dad came to collect her Millie didn't want to go home!

Yesterday at the party Millie was the perfect hostess, carrying a plate of cupcakes around for her guests. All the girls had their faces painted by Millie's Mum as a special treat. And of course there was a chocolate hunt in the side yard. An unforgettable time for the 5-year old.

The other night when the girls slept over with us, Grandma talked softly to her to get her off to sleep. 'Millie, the birds are asleep, little children everywhere are asleep, the possums - which clatter on our roof every night - are asleep...' Millie interrupted: Grandma, the possums aren't asleep... they sleep in the daytime!'

DO I LOOK ANY BIGGER?

It's the 8th day of the 8th month, and today Millie is five.

We're having two parties - one with 'folks' as the Americans say, and another with her friends.

This morning she got up early (about 6 am as usual), and her Mum and Dad gave her some presents. Now she's with us until Kinder this morning.

'Do I look bigger?' she asked this morning. She showed me her foot as she was dressing and asked if it was big.

We don't give her many sweets, as it makes her go 'hyper' but this morning she requested a full chocolate biscuit after breakfast (porridge) 'cos now I've five... and I won't go crazy!'

Shalom!

Rowland.

MY TURN FOR BREAKFAST

It's the once-every-two-months breakfast my wife has with her 'girl-friends' (all Baptist women-pastors) so I get up early to mind the little ones. Millie and I watched Cinderella 2 and had a lovely time. Then her Mum took her to Kinder (where she cried again - happened a bit lately: perhaps she's wanting to hang out at home and be more unstructured).

Then Bella and I had breakfast together. After she'd eaten/drunk a bit she came over to my chair for a spontaneous cuddle. Nothing beats that experience!

Bella, her Mum says, has 'Global Developmental Delay'. Her motor movements are improving, but her speech still has some way to go. She says 'O' and we don't yet know whether she means 'off' or 'on'. We're all learning a bit of sign language to help clarify her requests.

Shalom!

Rowland Croucher

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HOW DID MILLIE LEARN TO DANCE?

Grandma's been away for ten days, and the two little girls are delighted she's back. Right now they're baking cup-cakes in our kitchen with her.

This morning I was watching Millie dance -very beautifully - in sync with the TV children. Jan told me she asked Millie where she learned to dance. Mummy taught you? No. Learned at Kinder? No. 'A fairy came in the night and taught me!'

Beautiful imagination!

Rowland (proud grandpa)

TOILET MATTERS

(In both senses)

Millie and Grandma came home from Kinder.

Grandma: 'I have to go to the toilet.'

Millie: 'Can't you hold on?'

(If only she knew!!!!)

(Millie, a couple of hours later, discovering Grandma on the loo again): 'Not again!'

Another time recently she smelled the deodorant spray in our bathroom and said 'That smells like vanilla!' (It was vanilla flavoured!)

And a couple of days ago there were enthusiastic celebrations of Bella's first success in this general area!

Now it's my turn to look after Bella. It's a beautiful Autumn day in Melbourne, so we'll go for a walk.

Rowland Croucher (Grandpa)

MILLIE'S A BEAUTIFUL CONVERSATIONALIST!

Millie now puts complex sentences together, and makes interesting connections between things...

For example: she was drinking vanilla-flavoured milk and said 'Grandma, this tastes like the smell in your bathroom when you use the spray' (which at that time was vanilla-scented!).

Last night she showed Grandma her sore knee. 'Does it hurt?' Grandma asked. 'Yes, a lot,' Millie said. 'Oh, I'm so sorry,' said Grandma. 'Oh but it's not your fault!' Millie reassured her!

Today Millie went to the Doctor. She's been waking with urinary tract soreness.
During that time Jan and I looked after Bella, who was just a delight. We went for a walk with the dog, and she helped find sticks for the dog to chase. Bella's mum was reassured by the specialist yesterday that Bella is capable of catching up developmentally, and we've been encouraged to help talk to her in story-form, and encourage her imagination.

Rowland Croucher

RABBITS

The little girls have a rabbit each... quite an education. One of them is frisky - and bits if he/she is fed up with being manhandled. So there's a beautiful mix of excitement, tears, and curiosity about them the last few days! (And our border collie Lockie of course is very interested, too.

Bella has been seen wandering around 'singing' into an improvised microphone. So cute. She's becoming more confident by the week.

This morning, Grandma asked: 'Would you like me to take you for a walk, Bella?' Bella: 'No, grandpa!' (Much to Jan's amusement). So I took her for a walk down by the creek, and as soon as we started, as usual she said 'e ow' (her way of saying 'big house'!). We pass a large house under construction, and talk about it each time...

Millie is very athletic, climbing up on everything (bit of a worry, with us living on the second floor of our home)...

Shalom!

Grandpa/Rowland

BELLA'S BEAUTIFUL AND MILLIE'S GORGEOUS!

Bella is very bright. Sometimes we've only told her something once, and days later she's remembered. I sometimes take her on a walk by the creek. We look for ducks, and listen to the kookaburras. We turn a corner and leave the bush-track and the other day she said 'Bei How'. I couldn't work it out, until 50 metres further on she said it more plainly. It was 'Big House' - a new house being built: I'd used those words once or twice a week earlier. She's very bright, but still has a somewhat ungainly walk and has some difficulty with pronunciation. She's also practising her jumps, and is very proud of herself doing that!

Millie as every four-year-old does has picked up phrases here and there. When the little ones come to sleep upstairs, their grandmother sings a lullaby softly to them. The other night Millie was very tired and said 'I just want some peace and quiet Grandma'!!!'

BELLA IS 3 TODAY!

Doesn't time fly? Bella turns 3 on St. Valentine's Day, so that's easy to remember. Her Grandma stayed up late finishing the little doll and crib (and a small box for spare doll's gear). She took a quick look at it, and went to play with her lego.

This morning Bella and Millie go with their grandma to 'Mainly Music' at their (Salvation Army) church: their mum is sick with a pain in her tummy (gall-bladder?), so both Jan and I are minding the kids quite a bit this week. (Their Dad is away all week on a school camp). This afternoon I take Millie to her swimming class: I'm looking forward to that.

Meanwhile, back to my sermon for our church next Sunday - on Nicodemus, as Heroic Risk-Taker for God.

Shalom!

Rowland Croucher

INTERVIEW WITH MILLIE

(At her Playgroup, December 2007):

What do you want to be when you've grown up?

Dressed up like Ariel

What will you need to learn at school?

Do painting and make a picture of Mummy

Are you going to get married?

Yep, to Samuel

Are you going to have babies?

Yep! I girl

Are you going to be a grandparent one day when you get old?

Yep, when I'm 12 years old!

What do you want Santa to bring you?

Ariel dress-up.

IT'S APPROACHING CHRISTMAS

What a special time Christmas is for kids.

And birthdays! I turned 70 last week: and at a little party, Millie was sitting on my knee when the Happy Birthday song was sung. She had those candles blown out before I could draw a breath!

Bella's Grandma built a new bed for her, to replace the portable cot we used when she had weekly sleep-overs with us. Bella slept for 13 hours straight in it! They are very good girls (except when Bella loses her dummy in the middle of the night!)

Millie's in the habit of asking two interesting questions these days. When she's leaving us to go downstairs: 'Will you miss me?' And when she comes upstairs again: 'How can I help?'

My two brothers and their wives from Sydney - Graham and Melodie, and David and Jan - visited us last week. Jan gave Bella ten finger puppets: and she wore them with dancing joy! Bella's Grandma found a little carry-case for them, and they and Bella have been inseparable since!

Here's something I just posted onto our Humour blog:



Rowland Croucher

MILLIE WAS GOING OUT WITH HER MUM

...for a couple of hours, and called back to Grandma:

'Will you miss me?'

(Remember she's four: and still very cute :-)

BELLA'S FRIGHT

Last Saturday the little family went to their church - Ringwood Salvation Army - for a Market Day (proceeds for Mainly Music, an outreach program which Amanda leads each week: terrific ministry).

Bella's Dad, John, was helping with barbecuing sausages, and had Bella in a carry-pack on his back. She eventually needed to run around, of course, so John let her down. Soon she approached the barbecue and was about to touch it, when John and another guy lunged and grabbed her - which of course gave her a terrible fright. She was only slightly burned.

We arrived home at the same time as John and Bella, and she went to Grandma and clung on to her for a full five minutes, very tightly. Poor little one!

This afternoon I came home from a few days away (in Sydney), and Millie's first question was 'Did you miss me?' 'Of course I did, Millie!'

TALK ABOUT MARRIAGE

Millie's preoccupied with weddings and marriage lately.

I buy my wife Jan (Millie's grandma) flowers regularly - mostly lilies.

But in the heat they droop, and eventually die...

Grandma was talking to Millie about flowers - and other creatures - dying, and later the little one went to the sad flowers and said: 'When I marry Samuel he's going to give me different flowers, and they will never die.'

About marriage, she talks about a sheep marrying a dog, and various toys being married to each other...

Bella is also getting more gorgeous... She understands most of what we say to her, and her speech and motor movements are gradually improving, though she still suffers a developmental delay. She's very good with her glasses, and obviously enjoys the better vision they give her... I have a beautiful hour each week with Bella: we go shopping together when Millie's in Kinder-Gym. I'm hoping next year to spend a precious hour each week with Millie as well...

Rowland

MILLIE DROPS IN

Little Millie now 'takes charge'. If Jay (her cousin, who lives with us and is 15) wants a toasted ham and cheese sandwich Millie jumps up and gets the ingredients from the 'fridge for grandma.

She now has a habit of knocking on my study door when I'm working inside. Today, as usual, she came to my desk, climbed up on my knee, and we had this conversation:

Millie: what are you doing tomorrow?

Going swimming with Auntie Judy.

Do you like swimming or KinderGym better?

Swimming.

OK what's best - swimming, KinderGym, or your trampoline in the backyard?

Swimming.

Ah, hah, what about swimming, KinderGym, trampolining or playing with Sarah next door?

Oh (and her face lights up) playing with Sarah!

Sarah's about 8 or 9 and is teaching Millie how to skip; they draw with chalk on the pavement or road (it stays there until the next rain) and they play a lot of hide-and-seek. We have wonderful neighbours.

Hope it's not so long before I visit here again!

Bye

Rowland Croucher

CHALLENGES!

Last night we saw the full moon eclipse: beautiful!

Millie's having a hard time at Kinder right now: a little boy hit her once, and each kinder-day she doesn't want to go. The staff have been terrific, helping her face this challenge - including encouraging the boy to play with Millie. Please pray for her - and the little guy too.

Bella's got a flu-like wog, and was in Jan's arms for a lot of today. Please pray for her healing. Bella has her glasses, and there's been little trouble getting her to wear them. I took her on our Tuesday shopping expedition yesterday, and she looked so cute with her glasses: lots of people smiled at her. Her mum and grandma always ask 'How was she?' and every shopping-day there's the same response: 'Perfect!' (Helped of course, by some healthy nibbles occasionally of a cheese-stick, or a couple of grapes or beans!)

Here's another shot of the moon from last night:

BELLA'S BRIGHT & MILLIE'S SPUNKY!

It's been a while...

Out littlest one - Bella - and I are very close these days. She comes straight to me with her arms in the air to be picked up, and snuggles her head onto my shoulder. This is related to the special time we spend together - just the two of us - doing the weekly shopping on Tuesdays.

She's probably going to need glasses soon: a trip to the ophthalmologist this past week indicates she's short-sighted. Interesting how they work that out when a little one won't easily sit still for a proper examination!

Bella's not a social girl like Millie. At the Thursday music mornings conducted by Amanda (which Jan attends with the little ones), Bella clings to Jan most of the time - except that in the last two weeks she's 'jigged' a bit with the music.

She's very insistent that she share anything Millie's playing with: takes a lot of wisdom and patience to keep them both happy if there's only one desirable toy!

But she's advancing slowly: her verbal skills are behind average for her age: but just now she said four syllables ('Thank you Grandpa') - though not articulated clearly. And she's very good at putting pictures and numbers into their shape-slots...

Millie is becoming more independent. Sometimes she doesn't want to sleep upstairs or downstairs when arrangements have been made to do so. 'I don't want to!' is a favourite phrase these days!

Yesterday, twice, she said when asked to do something by Grandma, and later, her Mum: 'Not now! I'm far too busy!'

We love them both dearly, but they're tiring!

Rowland/Grandpa

TEETH

Millie's been talking about teeth.

'When I was little I had no teeth. My Mum has lots of teeth, and now I have lots of teeth.

Soon I'll start losing my teeth.'

Yesterday Grandma said to Millie (who was looking at a book while having breakfast): 'Now you don't get down (from the kitchen bench) until you've finished breakfast.' Millie apparently didn't want any more breakfast, so she dropped the book on the floor, and hopped down to get it. Grandma roused at her, so she put her head on her arms on the bench-top, morose and sad...

Bella can now recognize quite a few letters, and she can say more words. It's lovely to welcome her into my arms. This morning she snuggled into my shoulder, yawning...

Rowland Croucher