Love, bubs and life on our little farm

Its been quite a long time since I wrote an update on my girls.... so indulge me while I record just how fast my little ones are growing up! I am sure no one but me really wants to read this but I love revisting my old posts on them.

Elka
is almost done being a 2 year old - in under two months she will turn three. It has been a tough ride, she has been a tricky toddler, shocking all my Mummy friends with her ability to undermine punishment and complete resistance to being intimidated by authority. But she has (for now) passed through the tempest and we are enjoying the calm on the other side. This trickiness has been based in her sheer smarts - she is confident, well spoken (Bronte's speech pathologist was blown away by her use of language) and too smart for (my) her own good! She isn't a big tantrum thrower anymore (not that they were huge ones anyway) and tends to get over not getting her own way pretty quickly. We use 1,2,3 consequence for punishment generally as time out just doesn't work for her.

She can count to over twenty now, count backwards, read written arabic numbers 1-10 and much to our surprise can now answer basic arithrmetic such as 2+1. She can read the entire alphabet, recite it happily and can now write E and M and has just started writing her name very legibly. She can draw basic shapes and can identify all of them, she also understands colours and shades. Her colouring in has improved a lot in the last few months - she is very good at staying in/around the lines and goes to pains to make sure that she uses the "right" colours for things.

I love watching and being forced to join in with her pretend games - she loves being a "Mum that goes to work" or a "Doctor" or "Vet", she often loves to act out medical type appointments that we have been to, so we get a lot of ear specialist play acting. She will also demand to swap roles with us so that she can be Mum or Dad and we can be the whinging toddler - its a crack up as she turns back on us all the phrases we use on her. She tells long pretend tales, where she stands deadpan, gesticulating and rolling her eyes as she throws everything into it. She is also obsessed with making up her own songs, which although are great, are also infuriating as she demands that I sing along and changes the words every verse so I have no chance!

She is a lovely big sister - she cares for Bronte very well now. She actually often draws our attention to things that we haven't noticed, such as Bronte having a small piece of broken plastic in her mouth.

She has been toilet trained for about 8 months and is currently moving out of nappies at night now. She has worn undies to bed for about 5 nights now and is doing great. She is a great sleeper although has had a few nights where she calls out for a light to be on (we live rural and obviously have no street lights etc so the house is very dark at night). She dropped her day sleep just after she turned 2 (when Bronte was born - lucky me!) so now she only grabs a nap in the car if we are out and she just has quiet time in front of DVD in the middle of the day instead.

She is a good eater - loves vegetables especially brocolli and carrots. She adores pasta dishes and will eat sushi every day if she could. She always makes the sushi serving people laugh as she stands there asking for "nari rolls" (inari) and will destroy two of them and a full tuna roll for lunch quite happily.

She can put her own CD's on the CD player, change DVD's, take herself to the toilet, put on her own helmet and ride her big girl bike and can now swing on a swing by herself. She starts school 5 days a week next year (gulp!) - she is going to a private school that she had to take an interview to get into (testing the pen grip of a two year old - intimidating much?!) and despite being the youngest in her year due to her bday being in June she is more than ready (its pre-prep here in QLD,which will actually be referred to as kindergarten according to the new National curriculum). She CANT wait,wants to go now and even asked if she could have a school bag cake for her bday party hehe. I love all of this independence but also make sure that I don't forget that she is still little (as she reminded me the other day "I am only two, Mum!") and ensure she still gets cuddles in my lap and lots of kisses and giggles.


Bronte
has just turned 11 months and is well and truly on the move. She is taking steps - Jase and I were both there for her first step which was no mean feat as it was in the month that we were almost constantly interstate! She can walk holding just one of our hands. She loves to ride her Smart Trike and we can push for ages around the park paths with her holding on one handed (too cool for both hands apparently!). It does draw some attention as she is still so little but is determined to be just like her big sister on her bike.

Her speech is developing well despite her hearing loss. She says Mum,Dad, Bird,Brroom (for car noise) and is starting to mimic our words if we ask her to repeat things. The speech pathologist spends an hour with her every two weeks and is very pleased with her progress which is apparently perfect for a normal 11 month olds development, a real relief.

She is clapping and claps if other people do or if we sing a clapping song. She is also pointing and loves to point out her or your nose if asked too - very cute! She is also waving and blowing kisses.

What I am most pleased about currently is that she is nodding and shaking her head.. in context. I love it!! I loved this stage with Elka too - its their first real sophisticated communication. I can ask her if she wants water/food/a bike ride/nappy change/sleep and she will nod or shake her head. Bliss not having to play guess work with her.

She is so different to Elka at the same age - doesn't like books,in fact would prefer to slide around the floor on them than read them! Doesn't like swings (seriously what kid doesn;t like swings!) instead adores slippery slides. Really she just wants to be a three year old - she adores copying her older sister and is learning so much more than she would otherwise. She already holds textas or crayons and scribbles them on paper sitting next to Elka doing colouring (oh so cute!). Unfortunately her adoration results in endless frustration for Elka who cannot play any game or toy without Bronte being in the middle of it trying to join in!

Today she amazed me by taking pieces of bread from me that I was feeding to the ducks and started throwing them herself. Gosh they take it all in don't they and then all of a sudden it comes back out as clear comprehension!

She has been sick a lot this last month just like me and is on her third dose of antibiotics. The GP and I are extremely cautious with any nasal congestion as we don't want her ears to become infected and have any damage to the eardrums as poor Bronte does not need any further difficulties with hearing.

She is a big smoocher and gives cuddles on demand which melts my heart. However, she is pretty intense - she knows how to get her sister in trouble by "dobbing" with fake crying, is quite mummy clingy and very quiet and takes everything in and then gets very determined at trying to achieve what she wants. I do quake in my boots a little at what toddlerhood will bring us, particularly with the difficulty of hearing aids thrown in there.

But when they are both squishing me by climbing into my lap and my arms are so full, I wouldn't have it any other way!