My 2 and a half year old must have supersonic hearing. Realising Lila's penchant for imitation after coming home with the f* word at 18 months after going to the football with Mat we have been really careful with our language. Still, its not hard when she talks to spot the bad parenting:
to her doll after she has just given it a bath - "I am just so damn happy" (probably me)
to just about any request we make of her (add very aggressive tone) 'NO, OK, do you understand?" (me again, about 2000% less aggressive than the way she says it)
when trying to cut a story short she is familiar with "daddy, concentrate" (Mat)
when we tell her its bedtime "no, just 5 more minutes", no lila, its bedtime now so you have the choice of which book you want to read "no mummy, shut up" (thanks shrek)
in the line at the supermarket 'mummy, we don't need all that. lila just get chocolate' (me again, when talking on the phone to Mat)
again, in line at the supermarket (at the top of her voice) 'mummy, where is my baby brother?'. I was so distracted with Millie fussing & gettign the shopping onto the conveyor belt and it sounded so urgent for while there i started looking for him until i realised there is no brother, we don't have a boy. lila sounded so convincing the checkout lady offered twice to have someone go look for my missing son.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
What will the neighbours think
Trying to get out the door to drop Lila at kindy by 9.15am & get to the gym with Millie is always a tough ask on tuesday's.
Lila has recently decided she does not like kindy on Tuesdays when i am home (wednesday is fine though when Dad drops her there) so we go through the routine of "lila NEEDS to stay home" "lila does not want to get dressed' "lila wants to eat her kindy lunch by self now" "lila needs to do her homework" (she is 2 - her 'homework' consists of drawing, on paper mostly but sometimes walls, furniture, the gas heater when the mood takes her. Given Aunty Hannah gets to lock herself away from Lila to get homework done, homework has taken on a almost reverent status in our household).
So, there we are with me screaming all the way out the door and down to the car with Millie for Lila to put her shoes back on, stop eating her kindy lunch, HURRY UP, no you can't stay stay home by self, when i round the corner and our 80 year old neighbours are outside getting into their car. Hear me yelling, again. Great.
So I am chatting over the fence making nice when Lila saunters up having finally decided she will leave the house... 'Hi Alan, Hi Joy". We have exchanged pleasantries & I start buckling Millie into the car when the dogs (ours and their's) start barking. Lila starts in on a diatribe about the dogs 'oh that's max, and that is tesa but tesa is not my dog, just max is lila's dog' (correct) 'max is very naughty with his barking, very loud, mummy say max stop it' (also correct) 'daddy say shut up but mummy say bad daddy, very rude go to your bedroom' (we are in the throes of a major shrek obsession so unfortunately the word comes up more than I would like from lila, not daddy .... so another point to lila for a correct statement if you substitute daddy for lila & make the distinction that the go to your bedroom part only happens about 10% of the time & only if hitting millie or throwing toys is involved, as usually its a combination of (me) 'lila, do not throw your toys you might hit millie and that would make millie sad '(lila) 'shut up mummy / millie").
at this point alan very politely asks is lila likes to play with max the dog 'yes, lila like max, he funny. he has fur and tickle lila's belly and very funny. and also tickles lila's bum bum diddy and gina' ..... lila oh lila, now we have crossed that line between reality and 'i don't even know where that came from or what it is referring to' and why is this the time to start on that. while the neighbours look on, gobsmacked (and probably considering calling DOCS), I swoop in to shut down the conversation & get her into the car. which then starts up with the protests again 'lila NOT GO to kindy mummy'. Off to a great start to the day.
Lila has recently decided she does not like kindy on Tuesdays when i am home (wednesday is fine though when Dad drops her there) so we go through the routine of "lila NEEDS to stay home" "lila does not want to get dressed' "lila wants to eat her kindy lunch by self now" "lila needs to do her homework" (she is 2 - her 'homework' consists of drawing, on paper mostly but sometimes walls, furniture, the gas heater when the mood takes her. Given Aunty Hannah gets to lock herself away from Lila to get homework done, homework has taken on a almost reverent status in our household).
So, there we are with me screaming all the way out the door and down to the car with Millie for Lila to put her shoes back on, stop eating her kindy lunch, HURRY UP, no you can't stay stay home by self, when i round the corner and our 80 year old neighbours are outside getting into their car. Hear me yelling, again. Great.
So I am chatting over the fence making nice when Lila saunters up having finally decided she will leave the house... 'Hi Alan, Hi Joy". We have exchanged pleasantries & I start buckling Millie into the car when the dogs (ours and their's) start barking. Lila starts in on a diatribe about the dogs 'oh that's max, and that is tesa but tesa is not my dog, just max is lila's dog' (correct) 'max is very naughty with his barking, very loud, mummy say max stop it' (also correct) 'daddy say shut up but mummy say bad daddy, very rude go to your bedroom' (we are in the throes of a major shrek obsession so unfortunately the word comes up more than I would like from lila, not daddy .... so another point to lila for a correct statement if you substitute daddy for lila & make the distinction that the go to your bedroom part only happens about 10% of the time & only if hitting millie or throwing toys is involved, as usually its a combination of (me) 'lila, do not throw your toys you might hit millie and that would make millie sad '(lila) 'shut up mummy / millie").
at this point alan very politely asks is lila likes to play with max the dog 'yes, lila like max, he funny. he has fur and tickle lila's belly and very funny. and also tickles lila's bum bum diddy and gina' ..... lila oh lila, now we have crossed that line between reality and 'i don't even know where that came from or what it is referring to' and why is this the time to start on that. while the neighbours look on, gobsmacked (and probably considering calling DOCS), I swoop in to shut down the conversation & get her into the car. which then starts up with the protests again 'lila NOT GO to kindy mummy'. Off to a great start to the day.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Surviving the first year
Millie clocked up 12 months yesterday. It was a very low key affair on the day. With 2 sick kids with horrid colds Mat & I are up at least 3-4 times each night to administer panadol, pat heads or in Millie's case with her recurrent croup, to cuddle while she coughs up a lung and cries. More parties planned for the following week so hopefully by then they will be in better spirits.
We did manage dinner at Nanny and Pa's with a dairy free cake for the birthday girl. Here is hoping she gets past the dairy allergy as a lifetime of dairy free cakes is cruel punishment in a world full of much better tasting cakes, biscuits and chocolate.
Anyway, so reflecting on my little girl's 1st birthday, while having 2 under 2 - it has been great. The girls really love to interact now. While Millie is yet to roll/crawl/pull up or walk from the sitting position she can still be very engaging when she claps. And laughs. Its really her only tricks at this point. While not too worried about her lack of any sort of gross motor skills as I know babies develop at different rates and she will get there eventually, she is a good solid 13.5kg now and a bit of movement would be great as she is heavy!
Lila thought Millie having a birthday was great - more toys for her to play with. Yes, sharing is still a sore point (basically only threats to throw all her toys in the bin will invoke a willingness to share a toy) so luckily Millie's sweet easygoing temperament works well with her sister's quest for world domination.
We did manage dinner at Nanny and Pa's with a dairy free cake for the birthday girl. Here is hoping she gets past the dairy allergy as a lifetime of dairy free cakes is cruel punishment in a world full of much better tasting cakes, biscuits and chocolate.
Anyway, so reflecting on my little girl's 1st birthday, while having 2 under 2 - it has been great. The girls really love to interact now. While Millie is yet to roll/crawl/pull up or walk from the sitting position she can still be very engaging when she claps. And laughs. Its really her only tricks at this point. While not too worried about her lack of any sort of gross motor skills as I know babies develop at different rates and she will get there eventually, she is a good solid 13.5kg now and a bit of movement would be great as she is heavy!
Lila thought Millie having a birthday was great - more toys for her to play with. Yes, sharing is still a sore point (basically only threats to throw all her toys in the bin will invoke a willingness to share a toy) so luckily Millie's sweet easygoing temperament works well with her sister's quest for world domination.
Monday, March 1, 2010
To kindy we go
Thought there would be much fodder from Lila starting kindy last month but its been smooth sailing except for "the" biting episode. And even "the" biting episode was pretty low key.
She came home one day with a mark that looked like purple paint mixed with all the other paint she was wearing head to toe. It wasn't till she was in the bath that it was evident it was actually a bite mark so I asked what happened.
"Oh, boy bite Lila. Lila tell boy naughty boy, no biting, go to your bedroom" ...... not sure how that works in a kindy setting but she has heard me say it enough times when she has bitten or smacked Millie that I guess she figures its the required response. I asked if she cried or what her teachers did and she looked at me like I had 2 heads as if to say 'why would i tell them, i handled it'.
So we had a big chat about needing to tell the teachers if someone hurts Lila & that was that.
She has settled in beautifully and asks me if every day can be tuesday as then it is a kindy day.
She came home one day with a mark that looked like purple paint mixed with all the other paint she was wearing head to toe. It wasn't till she was in the bath that it was evident it was actually a bite mark so I asked what happened.
"Oh, boy bite Lila. Lila tell boy naughty boy, no biting, go to your bedroom" ...... not sure how that works in a kindy setting but she has heard me say it enough times when she has bitten or smacked Millie that I guess she figures its the required response. I asked if she cried or what her teachers did and she looked at me like I had 2 heads as if to say 'why would i tell them, i handled it'.
So we had a big chat about needing to tell the teachers if someone hurts Lila & that was that.
She has settled in beautifully and asks me if every day can be tuesday as then it is a kindy day.
I proud of you
Just loving the one-liners lately.
Lila has become very curious about what goes on when she goes for her daytime naps recently as I think she has started to clue on that the whole world does not sleep for 2-3hrs after lunch. She constantly checks in with me over the morning 'after lunch Lila go night night. Mummy go night night too?". So, yesterday after waking up yesterday afternoon & coming out with a 'good morning" she asked "Mummy had good sleep?". "Yes Lila, mummy had good sleep". Then, "Good girl Mummy, I proud of you".
Lila has become very curious about what goes on when she goes for her daytime naps recently as I think she has started to clue on that the whole world does not sleep for 2-3hrs after lunch. She constantly checks in with me over the morning 'after lunch Lila go night night. Mummy go night night too?". So, yesterday after waking up yesterday afternoon & coming out with a 'good morning" she asked "Mummy had good sleep?". "Yes Lila, mummy had good sleep". Then, "Good girl Mummy, I proud of you".
Monday, January 18, 2010
Ok, so I am in a better place now than the last time I blogged.
Lila is housebroken. Its been about a week since the last accident and I am feeling rather confident. I have stopped asking her if she needs to go, she just trots off to the bathroom when she feels the urge & hey presto. She then comes back to inform me of the deed & request her chocolate drop reward . I am getting suspicious that there is a lot more attempts than necessary simply for chocolate so thinking we might need a new rule about Mum or a third party verifying the wee before we reward.
Today we went on our first out of doors adventure in underpants. I packed a towel, spare pants, spare underpants, nappies, wipes & a toilet roll for the trip to the supermarket. None was necessary although kept her amused while she rode around in the trolley - pulling out the toilet roll she asked 'Mum, Lila wipe now?" and started to try and remove her pants.
First day of kindy tomorrow... should be interesting.
Lila is housebroken. Its been about a week since the last accident and I am feeling rather confident. I have stopped asking her if she needs to go, she just trots off to the bathroom when she feels the urge & hey presto. She then comes back to inform me of the deed & request her chocolate drop reward . I am getting suspicious that there is a lot more attempts than necessary simply for chocolate so thinking we might need a new rule about Mum or a third party verifying the wee before we reward.
Today we went on our first out of doors adventure in underpants. I packed a towel, spare pants, spare underpants, nappies, wipes & a toilet roll for the trip to the supermarket. None was necessary although kept her amused while she rode around in the trolley - pulling out the toilet roll she asked 'Mum, Lila wipe now?" and started to try and remove her pants.
First day of kindy tomorrow... should be interesting.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Note to self
In case we contemplate more children, need to make sure I read this FIRST.
Diary of a typical day:
2am - Millie wakes. Resettle with dummy
4.30am - Millie wakes for a feed
6.30-6.45am - wake up to Lila shoving her finger in my eye while saying "Eyes, ears, nose, mouth". Roll over & close my eyes.
1min later- listen to Lila either opening the fridge door or the nursery door - time to get up.
7.00am - clean up wee off the floor after Lila takes her nappy off while I am breastfeeding Millie
7.30 - 8.30 lost in a maze of preparing breakfast, cleaning after breakfast, getting kids dressed, and redressed after Lila takes off her clothes & nappy again
8.32-8.35am - breakfast & a shower for me
Decide I might brave a trip out of doors so start to pack a bag for a 9am departure.
9.20am - car fully loaded & ready to go.
9.21am Lila yet again insists on using the toilet ...nothing happened except a lot of 'wiping' with toilet paper.
9.23am - Managed a wee on the floor (thank god for floorboards) during the chase to redress her.
Out of the house!!
11.55am - home / 2 hour nap for both kids. "Me" time, which means I do the washing / cleaning / cooking. Might manage lunch but usually not.
2pm. The afternoon session begins. More of the undressing and weeing anywhere but the toilet game all afternoon.
2.48 - Settle Millie on the floor with a toy.
2.49 - Get down to Lila's level to gently explain she needs to share her toys with Millie and not grab them off her
2.49 - Get down to Lila's level to gently explain she needs to share her toys with Millie and not grab them off her
2.49 - Get down to Lila's level to gently explain she needs to share her toys with Millie and not grab them off her
2.49 - Yank the toy out of Lila's hands and give it to Millie, yelling "Lila, share with Millie"
2.50 - Yank the toy out of Lila's hands and give it to Millie, yelling "Lila, stop it"
2.50 - Give up on the idea of Millie playing on the floor with a toy.
2.51 - Lila playing with her favourite doll, saying "Baby, stop it".
2.52 - Feeling guilty about the yelling so give Lila a biscuit.
2.53 - 4pm- Lila asks for another biscuit.
4pm - 7pm. A blur. Somehow kids get fed, bathed, read stories to & put to bed. Mat & I eat dinner to the soothing sounds of Lila alternatively playing and banging on the door to let her out of her bedroom.
Diary of a typical day:
2am - Millie wakes. Resettle with dummy
4.30am - Millie wakes for a feed
6.30-6.45am - wake up to Lila shoving her finger in my eye while saying "Eyes, ears, nose, mouth". Roll over & close my eyes.
1min later- listen to Lila either opening the fridge door or the nursery door - time to get up.
7.00am - clean up wee off the floor after Lila takes her nappy off while I am breastfeeding Millie
7.30 - 8.30 lost in a maze of preparing breakfast, cleaning after breakfast, getting kids dressed, and redressed after Lila takes off her clothes & nappy again
8.32-8.35am - breakfast & a shower for me
Decide I might brave a trip out of doors so start to pack a bag for a 9am departure.
9.20am - car fully loaded & ready to go.
9.21am Lila yet again insists on using the toilet ...nothing happened except a lot of 'wiping' with toilet paper.
9.23am - Managed a wee on the floor (thank god for floorboards) during the chase to redress her.
Out of the house!!
11.55am - home / 2 hour nap for both kids. "Me" time, which means I do the washing / cleaning / cooking. Might manage lunch but usually not.
2pm. The afternoon session begins. More of the undressing and weeing anywhere but the toilet game all afternoon.
2.48 - Settle Millie on the floor with a toy.
2.49 - Get down to Lila's level to gently explain she needs to share her toys with Millie and not grab them off her
2.49 - Get down to Lila's level to gently explain she needs to share her toys with Millie and not grab them off her
2.49 - Get down to Lila's level to gently explain she needs to share her toys with Millie and not grab them off her
2.49 - Yank the toy out of Lila's hands and give it to Millie, yelling "Lila, share with Millie"
2.50 - Yank the toy out of Lila's hands and give it to Millie, yelling "Lila, stop it"
2.50 - Give up on the idea of Millie playing on the floor with a toy.
2.51 - Lila playing with her favourite doll, saying "Baby, stop it".
2.52 - Feeling guilty about the yelling so give Lila a biscuit.
2.53 - 4pm- Lila asks for another biscuit.
4pm - 7pm. A blur. Somehow kids get fed, bathed, read stories to & put to bed. Mat & I eat dinner to the soothing sounds of Lila alternatively playing and banging on the door to let her out of her bedroom.
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