look who's talking now

Ada has been communicating more and more lately. Previous favourite words have included MORE, ANOTHER and most recently MUMMY. These are communicated with force to get what she wants.
More food. Draw another butterfly ("dabye" accompianed by fluttery hand gestures). Give me all your attention Mummy! Mama! Mummy!

There is a softer side to her communication now. We talk about babies a lot and she is so sweet! She gets a furrowed brow and mimes rocking a baby when we look at pictures of babies. She puts her dolls, baby and teddy to bed with the same concerned brow and little "night night". She looks very intense. Sometimes she gets a bit whimpery with the intensity. I thought a few weeks ago she may be ignoring my tummy, but now my tummy is on seriously high rotation for kisses, along with almost any animal in a book and the previously mentioned toys.

When the midwife visits she says baby about 100 times and then tries to mimic the heartbeat sound, mosty by saying tick tock. Last week she lay down in the couch, lifted up her t shirt and said mine after my examination. She seems to understand there is a baby in there!!

I love hearing her say nummy. We bring out play dough a few times a day. Most times she tastes a tiny tiny tiny bit and says nummy. Just once. I find it hilarious! We are on a mission to keep her being ok with trying new foods and hearing the pronouncement of nummy is so satisfying.

Lately she has replaced yea with OK, pronounced oday. Whenever we are checking we have understood her by repeating something back she says it. Like it was our idea rather than hers in the first place. It kills me. She sounds so agreeable.

"Drawdraw!"
"Would you like to do some drawing Ada?"
"Oday."

Ada hasn't strung any words together lately but she mimics lots of wee phrases and is singing more and more. Yesterday we listened to 'manamana' from The Muppets in the car and she was singing along halfway through. Good times!

Doh - pay

38 weeks and counting, blurt.

Oh goodness baby two is almost here. I feel scared that I won't have the capacity to love another little person as well as I love Ada. Then I feel scared that I won't have the capacity to love Ada so well with another person to care for. I am getting tired and sore and evidently emotional. I think I must have been nervous about what kind of Mum I may be to Ada at the beginning. For the most part I am proud of my instincts and decisions and the priorities I have chosen as a Mum. It stretches me though. Ada is a wonderful, wonderful girl and when she is hard work I find it hard, that makes sense I guess. I worry that I find it too hard. That finding it hard is a signal to further issues. Experience tells me that when things are very difficult, say she is sick, I have more reserve and patience than on an off day, say when she is just being contrary. Commonsense tells me that others feel nervous about number two and they are amazed at how their heart opens up. I must be worrying needlessly. The hard days are just that. Hard days. I am trying not to presume there will be many in the coming weeks, but I like to plan ahead, make contingency plans, feel prepared. Babies are more unknown than that, that's what makes this all a challenge. An unbelievably worthy, worthwhile, rewarding challenge.

ode to summer and friends

What a summer was! We were so lucky here in Auckland with amazing weather but no drought conditions. We did our best to enjoy the sun with as many water activities as possible.  We managed to go camping the one week it rained, we went swimming at a surf beach, swimming at the Auckland beaches, to the toddler pool at Grey Lynn Park and played in our baby bath outside. Ada loves the water.

Fun times with Grace

photo credit, Hayden Hockly

Racing with Josh!

The times you go to the beach with toys and no towel or togs.

In November, unsure of the beach at this point!

Sand is good, still staring at the waves

Drive, drive. Ada loves it, Lily makes a fantastic passenger.

the shoe drama

Oh man! Ada will not leave her shoes on. It isn't really the end of the world to walk about in socks but the weather is getting colder so I am trying to make this happen... However, I am finding that I sometimes feel its the end of the world! Exasperation = toddler+8.5 months pregnant. Picking her up rather than having her learn to walk beside me holding hands is the cost to her shoeless ways at the moment. Both because carrying her hurts my pelvis pretty quick now that I am 2 weeks away from newborn fun, I also angst over the missed opportunity of Ada doing it herself! The smaller cost is the time I spend putting them on again and again, dis I mention being exasperated? The practical cost? Washing socks? I tried to purchase some tricky to remove boots in Newmarket but the shoe store confirmed her ankle size and foot length is currently incompatible with boots. Baby cankles. It's ok she doesn't know.

Here we are at the zoo where buckles and locks are still the fave, last week and back in autumn, with no shoes on.