Makayla 'talk'

How'd that happen?
That's a GREAT idea
Oh pickles
I the leader
Sun going to sleep
Sun waking up
Wee's not coming out
Can't hear wee's...

Happy Birthday Jesse!

Yesterday was Jesse's second birthday, and he had a fantastic day. We didn't do much, basically all stayed at home most of the day and played with the mountains of toys he got. Jesse, Daddy and Makayla had fun trying to put together the crazy coupe from Granny. Must have been hard....Daddy resorted to the instructions. Cars and trucks seemed to be the theme of the day, with the odd tractor, race car and fire engine thrown in. It was fantastic watching his face as he unpacked the bulk cars, his whole face just lit up and the smile was from ear to ear. He also got a play mat with the roads etc marked on it.

On a positive note, he went this week for a development assessment, to check on his speech and that he falls over so often. As is always the way, he didn't fall over once in there! But they have said he's doing everything he should, except the speaking. And he is starting to say a few more words which is great. They will refer him to get his hearing checked just in case. I did mention he had selective hearing...usually when I'm calling him back from outside on yet another occasion he's managed to escape. But again, I don't think there's a real problem there.

My big boy

At 16 months I was a bit worried because Jesse's rate of height growth had slowed down. He had been growing on the 50th percentile, but at 77cm dropped down to the 15th percentile. Now, I know these are just a guide, and with two short parents I guess it was to be expected. We had him checked and he was fully healthy.
Today we went back to Plunket, andwow, he's really shot up. He's now 90.5cm, and just under the 85th percentile. From 15% to 85% in just 8 months....no wonder so many of his clothes don't fit him!

Go and rest Mummy

Makayla: "Mummy, are you tired?"
"Yes Mikki, I am" (I had been busy with callouts till 1.30am)
"You should drop me and Jesse at playcentre and go home and have a sleep. You can come back and pick us up."
"Can I? That's a lovely idea honey, but I really need to stay with you at Play Centre today."
"But Mummy, you're tired, you really should go home and have a rest. You need a nigh-nies."
"Thanks for the thought Mikki, but I'll stay and play with you today."

Such a sweet and thoughtful girl

New addition to the family

Oh so much to catch up on. We have welcomed a new edition to our family. Billy the Kid Goat was born on 10 August and joined us on 14 August. She is ours to rear, but she is also part of a Playcentre project for the school calf club.

I am utterly amazed how great the kids (of the human variety) have been with her. They both love giving her her bottle, and can do it all on their own. They are happy to take her outside for her pitstops, and enjoy playing and running around with her. Billy has also adapted well to our family, and spends most of her time in the laundry or outside, although she has taken a liking to running around the house. Unfortuntely she isn't house trained yet and I tend to run around after her with the cloths. Although for that matter half her time is spent running after me as she seems to have decided I am her mother.

We have taken her to two Playcentre sessions last week, and the kids were awesome with her, amazingly all standing in line quietly to feed her. Of course there was a wee bit of almost pulling her head off as they tried to lead her, but on the whole it was fantastic.

Peanut butter anyone?

So yesterday morning I had got the kids up, feed, dressed and packed for daycare. They were playing nicely so I hopped on the computer and ended up writing this blog: http://holthamfamily.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-little-runaway.html
Then Daddy came home and it was time for him to take them to daycare. I was met in the hallway by Makayla with the jar of peanut butter...
'I cleaned it Mummy.'
'Cleaned what'?
'The peanut butter.
'Oh, good girl........hold on...what peanut butter?'
It was then I saw our 3/4 full jar was practically empty.
'This peanut butter Mummy.' She said as she lead me down to the bedroom her and Jesse share.
Jesse was sitting in his cot with peanut butter everywhere. On him, the blankets, the cot, the wall, the window, the steps...you name it.
And mixed all through this mess was a pile of wipes, all covered in sticky peanut butter. I'd hate to think what it was like before Makayla cleaned it. It was no more than 10 minutes I had left them alone, thinking they were playing really nicely in their bedroom. Huh!

My little runaway

Yep, Jesse realised within about a week that I wasn't able to pick him up. So he will now throw himself on the floor if I try to coax him somewhere he doesn't (but I do) want to go. This has been fun! I'm having to pick my battles with him at the moment, knowing I can't just scoop him up and deal with it that way. Or the other thing is he will take off in the opposite direction laughing. On the up side it's got me out of a lot of stinky nappies because it is very hard to convince him he needs to climb on his change table! I think that one will come back and bite me when I can lift tho :-)
His speech is coming along and he's making a lot more noises and some of those sound like words. Mum is still his fav word, followed by Dad, but has been heard to say Kayla, Dowah, Tim, bubbles, two, and loves saying brom brom with his cars.

Dinner where?

Makayla was yet again refusing to eat her dinner. She's become very fussy but I refuse to cook only what she will eat. After refusing she was sent to her bedroom until she was ready to come out. This upset Jesse who kept pointing to Mikki's bedroom and then back to her food. The three of us finished our food and left Mikki's on the table for when she was ready to come out to it.
We thought Makayla was finally coming out to eat...but instead she informed us Jesse had taken her meal down to her bedroom for her. Oops! So ensued a search for the lost plate of food while Jesse looked innocently on. Finally located in the middle of our bed (!), luckily still intact on plate. But Mikki's still not eating it. Oh boy!

I'll get an ambulance for you Mummy.

I was quite sore last night after we all went in and did the groceries. I realised half way around it was actually quite a big walk, and the biggest I had done since the op. Oops. Anyways, I was lying down and Makayla decided she would call and ambulance because Mummy was sore. I tried to explain that I wasn't so bad to need an ambulance, but she was definite in that I was sore and ambulances helped people that are sore so I needed one. Every morning she wakes up and asks me if my tummy is better, and last night she decided she had a sore tummy too like Mummy's. So sweet, I know it's hard on the kids with me being so sore, and Makayla is being so caring.

Fun day outside

Yesterday morning Keith decided he was going to start the paths to the driveway and shack, and of course he had two willing helpers. Makayla and Jesse had a great time just pottering around, going for rides in the wheelbarrow, and generally helping out. Mikki was actually really good with the rake, cleaning all the paving stones. But she decided she didn't like it so much when she stood on the head and it came swinging up right into her forehead. Poor sweet, the look of surprise on her face! It was just so classic, exactly like you see in the movies, I couldn't help but laugh. A few moments after the surprise came the shock, and the tears flowed, with many hugs and then followed by a very impressive egg on her head.

On a different side, I recently had a hysterectomy, and the kids have been so great (and yes, Keith has been amazing too!). Jesse has figured out I can't lift him, and most of the time is really helpful climbing in and out of his cot, up to me on the couch, or onto the change table. Of course on the odd occasion he takes off on me, but not often. Makayla has been super helpful, we do the breakfasts together, I get the plate and cereal, she gets the milk and spoons. She does things for me like picking things up off the floor, getting things for me and helping with Jesse. She gets a little irritated when I can't play all the time, which is understandable. Great kids!

Moos and Bubbles

Jesse is slowly learning new words. He came out with bub-bles in the bath on Monday night, and as soon as he hears the cows mooing he'll start mooing back to them. Very cute. And he hears them often, whereas I won't even take notcie until he suddenly starts mooing back to them.
Makayla likes going arouns all the windows in the morning and wiping the condensation off them. We've just had a heat pump installed (thanks so very much Dowah) and it is fantastic, and cuts down on the cleaning Makayla does in the morning.
Keith and I went away for two nights this week, for some time out before my operation. Dowah very kindly looked after the kids, she was awesome, and the kids had a great time. It broke my heart everytime I spoke to Makayla on the phone and she would say "I miss you Mummy, I'm waiting for you...I love you Mummy. But when we got back I got a two second hug before she went to Dowah for a big hug then went on playing, she wasn't at all worried about it. Jesse on the other hand has been quite clingy, and wouldn't go to sleep the first night. I'm not looking forward to leaving him to go to hospital, and am now thinking he shouldn't come and see me in there. He won't want to leave. But he's always been a snugglebum!

Jesse...Our gorgeous, dirty, fun Jesse.

It's amazing to watch Jesse becoming so much more aware of his surroundings and life in general. We've been telling him when his food is hot to blow on it. So he purses his little lips and blows on his food, my food, and any other food he sees. When I told him the other day to be careful of the heater because it was hot, he went towards it and started blowing on it to cool it down too.

Mikki had a runny nose, so Jesse trots over to the tissue box, gets one out, goes over to Makayla, wipes her nose, then puts the tissue in the rubbish.

As soon as we can put clothes on the drying racks...he's taking them down and putting them in the washing basket. Dirty clothes come off and if we're lucky go into the dirty washing...if not they go into his drawers.

I'm scared to think what might have gone into the rubbish. We found the portacot bassinet supports when they stuck out of the bag....who knows what else he's put in there!

And still those puddles. He has so much fun in them, and comes in absolutely dripping wet, but with a smile from ear to ear. It's good old fun and he loves it.

Proud Mummy

I took the kids to daycare yesterday and while Erana and I were talking Makayla sat down at the little table and started printing letters. I was so impressed! They are very clear, a similar height, and in straight lines. I don't usually like to boast about where my kids are at, because for everything they do well, there is generally something they don't do as well as another child, and I prefer to just keep quiet. But I really feel this was awesome. And since I'm on the subject, Mikki can count to 13, fully dress and undress herself, including doing the buttons, sing a lot of songs, and put's herself to bed. I'm not allowed to help her, she informs me she can 'do it all myself!'.

Makayla, Dowah and I went to town on Wednesday, and had a fabulous day. Mikki was extremly well behaved, and was an absolute joy to be with. We had a lot of fun, looking at a lot of different shops, seeing Mrs Shirly at the fabric shop, and visiting Auntie Barb. Makayla entertained us with her constant chatter, seeing choo choo train tracks, fire engines, ambulances, 'Donalds, and so many other things. And of course using her fav word 'why'?

Signs of the future?

Makayla is playing on the town map, sending her ambulance along the roads going weeeooo weeooo weeeooo weeeooo, ambulance going to someone who's sick. She tells us that Mummy drives and ambulance and Daddy drives a Fire Truck. She knows sometimes it's the other way round, but that's ok.
We've been telling her about her last name, but she insists her name is Ma-kay-la. Yesterday, for the first time, she said her name was Makayla H..... Yay! Next we'll work on her two middle names, but that could be a bit harder!

Oh pickles!

Makayla's new favourite word is 'Oh Pickles', which sounds so cute when she comes out with it! It's much better than some of the things she could imitate ;-)
She spent a day with Auntie Margaret the other day, and when we dropped her off kept saying goodbye so that we would hurry up and go! She had a fabulous day, feeding the chickens and emptying the goldfish pond, going out to the Black Beagle for a lunch of chips and marshmallows, and playing with a spinning top with Ashley. She was a bit of a nightmare when we left tho, not wanting to say thank you and good bye to Auntie Margaret, which she's normally so good at. But she was certainly one tired girl.