Tuppetee

Ella's vocabulary is expanding so rapidly these days that sometimes I find myself shaking my head wondering how or when she learned certain phrases.  It wasn't all that long ago that she only used a few words which was frustrating for all of us when she was trying to communicate but now she definitely tells us in no uncertain terms what she is feeling and what she wants.  I love catching her talking to herself when she is playing so that I can get a tiny little glimpse into what's going on in her little head which is so full of big ideas.

Although she is fairly articulate there are times when she just can't get her point across either because she doesn't  know the words, or because we simply can't understand her.  She quickly angers when she is trying to say something that we just don't get.

The other day I was sitting down with her and she said out of the blue "Tuppetee mama".  I had no idea what she was talking about and it was the first time I'd heard her say it.  I asked her to repeat it, "Tuppetee mama!".  I still had no idea and asked her to say it again.  "TUPPETEE MAMA!!", now she was yelling at me but still I didn't know what she meant.  Then there was screaming and tears.

It wasn't until later that day when I put the kettle on and she said it again, did I put two and two together and realised that she was asking for a cup of tea.  When I asked if that's what she meant she didn't need to say any words, I could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking "of course it is you stupid woman!"

She'd never had a cup of tea before but I got out a small egg cup and poured a tiny bit of my tea into it and filled it up with milk.  She sipped on her cup of tea and after each sip made an "ahhh" sound.  Where on earth she got that from I have no idea but she thinks it's hilarious (and I must admit it is very cute and I always laugh when she does it).

The other day I was shopping and saw a cute little tea set and since she'd been a good girl that week I couldn't resist buying it for her as a reward.  Since then we've had countless tea parties with her dollies and toys and tuppetee has become a regular phrase in our house now whenever we sit down for  a cuppa and each sip is always followed by an enthusiastic "ahhhh" of appreciation.

Lucas: 8 weeks

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Dear Lucas

You are eight weeks old already and although that's only a short period of time, I can't actually remember what it was like without you.  We all adore you, especially your big sister who is always hugging and kissing you.  It's funny to watch you squirm as she does this as it seems like such a typical response from a little brother.

You are a very laid back baby and we hardly ever hear a peep out of you these days (during your first few weeks you had reflux which made you very unhappy but thankfully you seem to be growing out of this).  Over the last two weeks you have perfected your cheeky little smile. You are always smiling and it's the sweetest thing to see.  You're such a happy boy.

You are growing like a champion.  No longer do you have gangly little chicken legs (and let me tell you, you had some of the best chicken legs I ever did see on a baby).  Now you have chubby rolly polly thighs and your cheeks are filling out too.

Sweet boy, you're such a joy to be around.  I am savouring every moment with you knowing how quickly the time will fly and you'll no longer be a tiny baby.

We love you so very much.

xx

Happy Fathers Day

Fathers Day was a quiet affair at our place on sunday.  Tim woke to Ella jumping on him in bed as she excitedly screeched "Happy Father's Day!", something we had been practicing saying for the last two days.  She was most proud of herself for not only remembering that phrase, but also for sleeping through the night (we have been having some major sleep problems lately, but that's another story).

I cooked breakfast, consisting of some locally cured bacon and the biggest pancakes you ever saw.  We laughed that they reminded us of deep dish pizza's we ate in Chicago.  I'm not quite sure what happened to them or why they were so huge but Tim liked them none the less.

The rest of the day was spent playing in the backyard.  Ella was riding her bike so Tim decided he would get his mountain bike out and join her.  It was hilarious watching them ride together and watch Tim try to teach her how to do wheelies and other tricks.

Watching Tim playing with our babies makes me unbelievably happy.  I never thought I could say that I loved him more than the day we got married, until I saw him hold his children for the very first time.

Happy Fathers Day.

Celebrating My Dad

 

Each year dad takes time off work to go to the farm for a couple of weeks to help the neighbours mark the new season baby lambs.  He was leaving on sunday (Fathers Day) so we spent Saturday celebrating my beloved dad/poppy.

Sydney put on yet another perfect day so we ate brunch outside in the sun, lay on blankets and played in the backyard. It was such a relaxing day and it was so lovely to see dad smiling as he cuddled and watched his grandchildren play together.

Ella had so much fun playing with poppy and her cousins on an old trampoline that poppy found on the side of the road that she fell asleep on the couch for nearly three hours when we got home!

Sunshiney Weekends

I am loving the fact that the weather is warming up.  Our weekends are slow and we are savouring the sun on our shoulders, spending as much time outside as possible.

From these photos you wouldn't think that poor little Lucas exists.  I assure you that he does, he's just been sound asleep!

Ella and her potty

A few months ago Ella started letting us know when she was doing a poo or wee.  Since she was aware of when she needed to go to the toilet I wanted to start to potty train her but it was winter time and I really didn't like the thought of having to do endless washing which I wouldn't be able to dry from little accidents.  Instead I was going to wait until it warmed up and I could let her run around with no nappy on and it wouldn't matter if she didn't make it to the potty in time.

We put the potty away and I hadn't really thought much about it until today when I saw Ella with her poo face on (she has a very distinct look on her face when she is doing a poo which Tim and I always laugh at).  I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty and she was very excited so we pulled it out and on it she sat.  After about five minutes of sitting there and no action she started calling out "pooey, where are you?" I couldn't stop laughing.  "It's not coming" she then said so we decided to put it away for now.  Better luck next time baby.

A little bit later on she asked to sit on the potty again.  I thought it was just a novelty for her but when she proudly exclaimed that she had done a wee and I asked her to stand up to see, she had indeed done a wee.  A little bit later she stood up and she had done a poo.  I couldn't believe it and was so proud of her.  She was also proud as punch of her achievement.

My baby is on her way to being a big girl.  Now, please pass me the tissues so I can wipe the tears from my eyes.

Getting back up again

There is a distinct change in the air at the moment.  The days are getting longer, the air is warmer and the smell of blossom floats into my nostrils each time I walk out the door.  Spring is almost here and I feel like I am coming out of hibernation.

My troubles of last week aren't weighing on my shoulders so much any more.  Mainly because I gave myself a swift kick up the backside and told myself to pull myself together.  I saw the quote above and couldn't believe how apt it was for my particular situation.  A reminder that I needed just at that moment when things seemed too difficult.  And so I have pressed my reset button and those things that seemed too hard then, don't seem so hard now and I'm feeling good.