roly poly

today little sister just does not want to stay on her back.
every time i look away, she rolls onto her belly.
perhaps she heard me tell our neighbour yesterday
that i know i won't be able to leave her
lying on the picnic rug in the yard, while i do my thing outside,
for too much longer once she starts to move.

(is anyone else surprised that i,
who could happily stay occupied inside for the rest of my life,
have a regular "thing" to do outside?
hey, i mow lawns - i'm head gardener at our place at the moment!)

story-telling

this morning i returned
from rocking little sister to sleep
to find big sister reading stories
to her dolly
ahhh, so sweet...

(i'm also enjoying unfettered use of my bedroom
now that little sister has been evicted
for a week of partying between 2-3am.
it's amazing how spacious it now seems
and i'm rediscovering clothes
previously hidden
when the portacot barricaded
our cupboard shut!

big sister was a real trooper last night
while little sister got used
to her new surroundings
for which i am incredibly grateful.)

jolly jumping

it's back for round 2
(along with the chain
suspended from our living room ceiling -
shhh, don't tell our landlord...)

big sister enjoyed helping
by pushing down on little sister's shoulders
so that she bounced like a spring
smiles all round

pake, i hope you'll have that beam ready
for our upcoming visit!

a package

a package arrived this morning
full of goodies
for crafting

big sister was eager to open the box
and discover what was inside

i have plans
for observing advent
and preparing to celebrate christmas
through crafting and baking
giving and story-telling
with my girls

hoping to start a family tradition

5 months

happy 5 month birthday, little sister!

you bring much joy into our lives
we're so glad to have you

commercialisation of children

this isn't my usually blogging style, but i just watched this doco -

http://www.waldorftoday.com/2011/10/consuming-kids-the-commercialization-of-childhood-full-film/

and it made me want to cry, smash our tv and head for the hills! i despair for children (and their parents) that they are being targeted so purposefully, yet with scant regard for what is truly in their best interests, by marketers and companies looking to make profits. i am especially saddened by the growing tendency for children (and all people, really - i know i feel this way at times as well) to define themselves and their worth by the "stuff" they have, and by the increasing use of media (read: tv, internet, smartphones, etc) diminishing children's imaginations. i honestly feel a little scared that this is the type of world my girls are growing up in, and i know that husband and i will have to work hard and make tough calls to protect them as they live in it.

i don't normally get so preachy, though i have held these views for a while, but i've been thinking about appropriate christmas presents for our girls (and feeling a bit sick about it) this week, and was also disturbed that i had to go to 2 supermarkets to find a toothbrush for big sister that didn't have a cartoon character on it (after her last toothbrush fell in the bathwater that little sister had just pooed in...)

what happened to being free to be a child and delight in the world?

this face

this face is driving me to extremes

she has embraced being a two-year-old with gusto
she is passionate, energetic, imaginative
she tells stories, she sings songs
she is a loving big sister and a caring mother to her dolls

sometimes my heart wants to burst through my chest
i am so proud of her and who she's becoming

and sometimes i almost bite through my own hand
so that i don't yell at or smack her
for being an unreasonable, overly-demanding little person
who, through her growth,
shows me where i still need to grow as well

yum yum

little sister's first bite of grown-up food
cucumber - yum yum!

though we're not planning to start little sister on solids for another month
(to reduce the risk of her being digestively-challenged like me)
the intrigue and interest she has started to show when others are eating
is getting a little hard to ignore

reaching

these little fingers
grab everything within their reach
daddy's glasses
mummy's shirt
big sister's nose

and with some determined rolling
they strive for toys lost

she's on the move...

our weekend

our first bus ride, to see fishies (not for eating and sadly no dolphins), turtles, bush rats, snakes, green tree frogs and dragons in coburg on friday;
driving in the car-car to see ducks on lake wendouree and angry, lunch-thieving swans, while (unsuccessfully) hunting for a new home on saturday;
getting lost on the way to a party, celebrating our god-daughter's first birthday, then winning the pass the parcel spoils on sunday;
and enjoying the sunshine with another little friend, whose doppelganger we found at the playground, while being pushed on the swings by some big kids on monday!

p.s. this is what you get when you say, "smile for the camera!" these days.