Bug = 2 years 11 months
Bub = 1 year 1 month 1 day What was Linus up to at this age?

Every night our family eats our evening meal together, and it’s probably my favourite time of day.

Whatever the day has brought us, whatever separate ways we’ve been, whatever bad moods have arisen, when tea is served (or unwrapped!) everyone cheers up and we remember why we’re together.

Linus says the funniest things at the table during meal times.

Bob and I enjoy catching up on the kid-related and non-kid-related news of the day (“You’ll won’t believe what Linus told me today!“)

Ada turns a bit mental and gives her best performances during meals.

And for 15 minutes we’re all focused on each other and not jobs, housework, cooking, bills, tasklists, or – for the most part – discipline.

Long may it last!!

Bug = 2 years 11 months
Bub = 1 year 30 days What was Linus up to at this age?

Something Bob and I are really enjoying about Ada at the moment is how cuddly she is with us in a way that I don’t remember Linus being. She will often relax into our shoulder for a cuddle (not just at bedtime) and the sweetest bit is that she’ll put on arm around us and pat-pat-pat (or occasionally stroke) us on the back. She’ll also come up to me when I’m lying on the floor and just flop down on top of me in a cuddly way. She’s adorable *besotted sigh*.

Nana says that she doesn’t get this sort of love from Ada yet, but I’m sure it will happen!

Bug = 2 years 11 months
Bub = 1 year 30 days What was Linus up to at this age?

Ada and Linus are starting to have difficulties in some ways – Ada is fascinated by whatever Linus is doing, and expresses this by demolishing whatever he playing with (like his train tracks). When things start going wrong, she has just recently started flailing her arms at him, and has given him a couple of scratches on his face.

BUT

They do lots of things that are gorgeous as well:

• Often they’ll be playing together, then we’ll hear a sneeze, then Linus will come running in screaming “Aaarghh! SNOT MONSTER!!” indicating that a tissue is urgently required to clear up Ada’s nose/lip/face/general area.
• Linus affectionately calls Ada “You’re a cheeky little monkey!” with a big grin on his face.
• The other day Linus was making Ada laugh more than I think I’ve ever heard her laugh! He did this by putting his finger in her mouth and letting her bite very gently on it then pulling his hand away quickly and saying “Ouch!”. This was great for a long time until Ada REALLY bit Linus’s finger, then there were tears! (Check out this similar incident on YouTube, it’s total strangers but it’s very cute!)

Bug = 2 years 10 months
Bub = 1 year 26 days What was Linus up to at this age?

I decided to take the kids for a walk today in the new pram, so we headed out to St Clair at 2:30pm. After about 10 minutes, BOTH KIDS WERE ASLEEP and I got an hour’s peace and quiet* while getting some exercise to make me feel virtuous!

* In theory it would be lovely chatting with Linus while I’m out walking him in the pram, but in reality it’s very difficult to hear each other, so conversation doesn’t flow.

Bug = 2 years 10 months
Bub = 1 year 23 days What was Linus up to at this age?

It’s taken a couple of months of exhaustive (no, hang on, she’s a second child – I mean occasional) training, but I think Ada has really got the hang of climbing down off things like steps, couches, and beds now. I wasn’t sure how good she was, but tonight she was sitting up on our bed and I was about to leave the room, so I said to her: “Ada, can you get down off the bed? Turn around. Go down backwards.” and she did it like a pro.

She’ll probably still have accidents, but I can feel a bit less nervous now about her safety.