Tag Archives: Juno

Now we are ten

April 26, 2025 11:30 | Leave a Comment |

The expression goes: The days are long but the years are short.

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since Juno came crashing into our lives and turned everything we knew upside down. There’s real truth in the idea that parents are often more tired, stressed and just generally frazzled but also more content. It’s so weird.

The days are long but the years are short.

We’re all still working out the whole ADHD thing and how it affects Juno’s every day life. Grade Three wasn’t a huge success for her, even though her grades were excellent.

We discovered just how mean and bitchy girls can be. None of this was helped by a teacher who was extremely hands-off when it came to actually managing his class room. He believed that the kids should work out their differences and issues themselves, which I think is completely unrealistic and pretty stupid when you’re dealing with the bunch of eight and nine year olds. We had so many bedtimes, wiping tears and trying to calm her down.

So yeah, there were huge sighs of relief when the school year ended last year.

Grade Four seems to be better but it can be hard to tell. Her teacher does seem to be better and at least a little more hands-on so there’s been fewer tear explosions and she seems happier.

I think a huge part of the problem is that she hasn’t found her people. She tries so hard to make friends but she so often gets overlooked. For someone who’s so loud at home, she’s really quiet at school.

But enough of that!

Juno is smart, creative and one day I’m sure she’ll do something that will astonish us all. Her current plan is to be an astronomer. She’s really good at maths and has occasionally explained math processes to me (because I don’t get them at all).

She’s finally started reading independently – hooray! It took so long to get here but we often hear her giggle like mad at something she’s just read when it’s meant to be lights out. We don’t have the heart to tell her to go to sleep because we’re both so pleased she’s actually reading on her own.

So yeah, 10 years old. Smart, silly and funny.

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Eight and nine

April 26, 2024 17:14 | Leave a Comment |

Best intentions and all. I had the photos and I meant to write a post for Miss J’s eighth birthday.

She had a special outfit and everything because she had a fairy-themed birthday party at a shop called Fairyfields. She went as a rainbow fairy.

But I just… didn’t.

And seeing this isn’t a post that’s about me, I won’t digress. So, anyhoo…

Since prep, school has been a bit more… complicated. Her grade one teacher encouraged us to get her assessed for ADHD. To be honest, we were wondering the same thing as there were behaviours happening that made us think something was going on.

Juno now has an official diagnosis of ADHD – inattentive type. For her, this means focusing and staying focused on tasks is really difficult. She’s not hyperactive but sitting still can present quite the challenge. Too much noise over too long a period really, really distresses her. (Her preferred outlet for her distress? Screaming. Yeah, that’s an attention-getter.)

It’s not that she doesn’t understand what she needs to do but it’s more that the actual process of completing a task is utterly overwhelming.

For example, I know that to write a sentence I need to get a pen and piece of paper (or my computer), think about what I want to write and get the words out in the correct order. It just happens for me and I don’t have to think about it all – except for working out what to write – because for starters my brain is older and more practiced as this sort of thing – but critically, I have a neurotypical brain. I don’t get caught in the minutiae of detail required to write. I know innately what I need to do and I can easily stay focused on the task at hand. Well, most of the time…

But for Juno and her neuroatypical brain, all those steps are an enormous mountain to climb, especially for a young brain that’s trying to learn so many things all at once. She often gets trapped in the minutiae – like how to hold her pen, where on the page to start a sentence, what words to use to write down her idea, etc etc. She also has a strong perfectionist streak and wants everything to be exactly, 100 per cent right all the time. Not sure if that’s the ADHD or just her but it’s a lot for her brain to deal with.

Thankfully she had an amazing teacher in grade two who really got her and helped her enormously. The most significant thing her teacher did was make sure Juno has an individual education plan to ensure she keeps up with her peers and doesn’t quietly fall behind. The plan will be in place and updated until she leaves the school.

It’s a been a bumpy couple of years but we’re getting there. I think. It takes time to get a diagnosis and once you’ve got one, there are so many things to consider. Plans needed to be put in place to make sure Juno gets the best education possible. Without intervention, she would have just slipped further and further behind.

One thing I’m enormously grateful for is that Juno loves her school and she’s really happy there – to the point that she looks forward to getting back to school when school holidays finish. Hooray for small victories!

So, here’s two birthdays worth of photos. Make sure you scroll to the bottom… 😉

8th birthday outfit!


Now we are nine…

😆
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Soooo, Miss J is seven

April 26, 2022 17:14 | Leave a Comment |

What to say? Juno is now seven years old. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were rushing around, organising her sixth birthday party in the local park.

The past 365 days have gone by in quite the blur, between Juno starting school to multiple lockdowns and us struggling to combine home-schooling with work. (But at least now we know that real home-schooling is absolutely not and never will be an option for us.) Juno did do okay in her first year of school. She really enjoys going, which I personally think is half the battle. She’s making progress – better at maths than reading and writing but baby steps…

It’s amazing to observe the changes Juno is going through. At first it was all about the physical changes but we noticed in the last year that they’ve slowed right down and the bulk of change is personality/emotional. She was already very definitely her own person but it’s remarkable to watch a person take shape and to start fully-fleshing out. And the changes can be so rapid, it’s just that we can’t physically see them.

So, anyhoo… it’s Juno’s birthday today. Seven years since she came into the world. Happy birthday bubba boo.

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72 months later…

April 26, 2021 17:14 | Leave a Comment |

It’s still kinda strange to think that this time six years ago, I was in hospital having just had a baby (which is why this was published at 5:14pm – the time Juno came into the world).

Juno is now a school girl. She started prep this year and it’s been an experience to say the least. Big changes for us all. We think Juno quite likes it but she doesn’t talk about it much. She’s much more keen to talk about after-school care, which she really enjoys – probably because it’s just like childcare and she’s free to play as much as she likes. Plus, they give her food which she’s rather keen on. (We’ve learnt to give her less food at dinner when she’s been to after-school care.)

We’re guessing she’s going along okay at school. We haven’t been called in for any chats or anything so she’s not acting out or anything. Not that Juno was ever one to act out. She has her moments but on the whole, she’s a pretty calm child. I don’t think she’s formed any close friendships as yet but she had a pretty good turn out at her birthday party in the park. I guess my experiences at school (pretty much all bad) make me want for her to have the opposite one.

Interestingly enough, it doesn’t seem to bother her much. If she wants to play with some of the other girls, she does. But she’s also content to do her own thing too, which I think it’s a really valuable skill to have. Having confidence to do your thing from a young age is a good thing to have.

We keep thinking we should sign her up for dance classes because she loves to dance but we both wonder how that would actually go. She loves making up her own little dance routines and I’m not sure she’d appreciate being told what to do. She’s very definite about what she wants to do. Sending her to dance classes might not be the best option as we don’t want anything to squash that individualism she has, which is pretty awesome.

So, yeah… Juno is six. Happy birthday bubba boo.

Juno’s please face. (Yes, it’s a Bluey reference.)




Butter wouldn’t melt…

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66 months

October 26, 2020 09:00 | Leave a Comment |

So, Juno is five and a half.

To get here has been a pretty crazy ride, especially this year. She and I both had iso birthdays. Instead of the outdoor BBQ at the local park for her, we had a small party over Zoom so her extended family could sing her happy birthday. I think it went okay but it’s hard to tell with a five year old.

She liked the cupcakes I made so I’ll take that as a win.

(I made six, they were all individually coloured with pink icing as per her request. There were unicorn cupcake patty tins and unicorn cake decorations. I discovered I really need to get a cupcake tin for baking because mine sprawled. They went out instead of up!)

While we haven’t minded not paying childcare fees, it’s been a tough few months. I feel like I haven’t really measured up as a parent when it comes to meeting Juno’s needs. I think I’ve discovered I’m not a “natural” parent, it doesn’t come easily to me. I’m constantly stumped for ideas to keep her entertained so I quickly give in to her demands to watch TV. I was so glad when it was announced childcare was being reopened for all children because at least that way she would be in the company of other kids again and not in front of the TV.

However, I don’t think anyone was equipped to deal with what we’ve been through this year so we’re definitely not alone in the child watching too much TV stakes.

Anyhoo…. Juno is enrolled at our local primary school for next year. Thankfully it’s got a decent reputation because we totally phased on this and it was well past the official enrolment period before we actually did anything. Ooops. But it’s not like we’ve ever done this before. And the rules say the school must enrol her because it’s the closest to us so we’re all good. Again, it hasn’t been a normal year. At all.

We’re lucky though. We’ve avoided getting sick thus far, Juno is a happy kid who’s growing up so fast. Much to be thankful for.

Yeah, when this happens the photo session is most definitely over.

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Now we are five

April 26, 2020 12:32 | Leave a Comment |

Today Juno is five years old.

Five!

It’s the not the day we were planning.

We had ideas of having yet another BBQ at the park, just like last year. I would’ve made a cake and we’d all sing happy birthday to the excited birthday girl. Then she’d get to blow out the candles.

It feels like a significant number, although I’m not 100 per cent sure why. Perhaps because it’s half a decade and it certainly doesn’t feel like it was five years ago that she came into the world. Time is tricky like that.

But global pandemics tend to put a cramp on any plans that were being considered. We’re lucky though. We’re all together, we’re all well and we don’t have the concerns that so many others do. It’s just unfortunate that coronavirus struck in the year that Juno was actually aware of what her birthday meant and she was quite excited by the prospect of having a party. But if that’s your biggest concern in life, I’d say you’re winning.

Instead of being surrounded by family and friends, it’ll have to be electronic party instead. Happy birthday will be sung by her family via a zoom meeting and there will still be candles on a birthday (cup)cake to blow out. But as it’s a cupcake, there will be just one candle which will hopefully not set fire to the cupcake decorations I got.

There will be time enough for plenty of birthday parties.






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Someone is four and a half

October 26, 2019 16:26 | Leave a Comment |

My brother told me ages ago that parenting never really gets easier, it just gets different. And that’s so true. Being a parent to a pre-schooler is so different from being a parent to a baby. It’s such a huge adjustment to get used to.

I mean, a pre-schooler talks back to you and you can’t really negotiate with them.

Bribery works though. Discovered that one pretty quickly.

On the whole, Juno is a pretty laid back kid. She has her melt-downs but all kids do. We had a phase where they were happening less frequently which was nice but in the last month or two, they’ve been happening more frequently which is really frustrating. I had been lulled into a false sense of security because I thought she’d gotten a better handle on her emotions.

I guess that means she’s a perfectly normal child. I know I don’t remember what I was like when I was four and a half but I’m guessing I didn’t have too great a handle on my emotions.

She’s pretty sassy and cheeky which has its moments of hilarity.

The grommets are out of her ears now so we’re hoping that’s the end of that. We want to her to start swimming lessons at some point and that’s an option now. Her speech is a million times better and she seems to be on track with her peers at childcare which is great. I do think there’s some very mild hearing loss though, although that may be selective hearing on her behalf.

Juno will do another year at kinder next year and start primary school in 2021. She could’ve gone next year but it’s obvious she’s not ready for school. Another year at kinder help with her emotional and social development so when she does go to school she’ll be 100 per cent ready.

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208 weeks, 48 months, 4 years

April 26, 2019 17:15 | Leave a Comment |

One day you wake up and you have a four year old.

FOUR!!

There is much truth to the saying the days are long but the years are short. It feels like only yesterday that she was being born.

I’m not sure where all the time has gone.

Juno is definitely a handful these days. She has already developed selective hearing and will ignore us if she wants to. It’s… frustrating. I hate having to repeat myself and then having to use that tone to get her to stop whatever it is that she’s doing which possibly involves her injuring herself. Sigh.

However, she is a pretty amazing little kid. She has this thing of using her hands and/or feet as characters and she gets them talking to each other. It’s hilarious! The stuff that she comes up with is so imaginative and funny. Often she’ll just come out with the craziest stuff, like there’s a dragon on the other side of the door but it’s okay because she’s a happy dragon and is playing with her (Juno’s) slippers. Which are shaped like unicorns by the way…

Hilarity often does ensue around here but most of the time I’m left in awe of how creative and imaginative she is. And how frustrating pre-schoolers can be. You can’t negotiate with a four year old. You really can’t. I’ve discovered that bribes work though.

Anyhoo… happy birthday to my little rockstar who, I’m certain, is going to change the world one day.

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Three years, six months

October 26, 2018 12:00 | Leave a Comment |

Time is a funny thing. Part of me still can’t get my head around the fact that Juno is three and half when it feels like it was just yesterday she were this totally adorable, wriggly, happy baby. Another part of me feels like it’s been way, way, waaaaaaaay longer than that.

This whole having a toddler thing is hard, much harder than when she was a baby. Juno really was a unicorn baby – slept through the night, happy 99 per cent of the time, laid-back and easy-going. I can look back now and see she really was the world’s easiest baby and we totally lucked out.

Suffice to say the transformation into a toddler has been… challenging. She’s not quite so laid-back these days and is very, very definite about what she want and when she want it. I’m sure this is all perfectly normal toddler behaviour and in comparison to some toddlers, she probably would be considered laid-back and easy-going.

For us though, it came as a bit of a shock and we definitely weren’t prepared for it. I guess we thought that Juno would continue to be the unicorn child – cooperative, happy, extremely cute and lovable. She’s still all those thing but maybe a little less cooperative then what she was. It has been amazing to see her personality emerging and to listen to hear rapidly developing vocabulary. She is a sweet, lovely little girl. (But if you asked her, she’s not a little girl, she’s a big girl!)

But the shouting. Oh my gosh, the shouting and angry tears have started. I do not enjoy being manipulated but there’s nothing we can do about it. Knowing it’s an important developmental stage is not helping. We’re working on trying to stop her shouting at us when we don’t do what she wants but I have a feeling we’ll just have to wait it out.





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We have a threenanger

April 26, 2018 16:12 | Leave a Comment |

Happy third birthday to our threenanger, Juno.

It’s certainly been an interesting ride.

You’ve gone from a chilled-out, calm baby to a defiant, adorable, intense and fun-loving toddler.

You are definitely a child who knows her own mind and wants what she wants. Immediately. With no delays.

It’s amazing to see your personality forming and you becoming your own person.

I get that where you are now is an important developmental stage but gosh, you can be exhausting when you want to be. All we can do it ride it out and live in hope we’ll survive it.

Having said all that, you’re an awesome little kid. You have such a bright spark inside you. You just shine.

And to be honest, we all know you totally own me.

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