203 + 99 Weeks

Carmie has been such a good little girl this week!  When she starts to get naughty, she just needs a bit of a warning and she snaps out of it, and it makes life much more pleasant!  I don't think we've had one bad episode all week.  Little Arley is still crotchety, but he can also be such a sweetheart.  He is obsessed with the orange tree in the front yard.  He thinks it's a lemon tree, no matter how many times I tell him, and his word for lemon is "mimin".  So he is all about mimins at the moment, and he makes coming home very difficult, because he always wants to stay out in the (unfenced) front yard collecting mimins.  I took Arley to the doctor this week, as a few things have been bothering me: his speech, and his odd behaviour when he lies on his back (stock still, crying and scared, but won't move or turn over).  She said he has a definite speech delay :(  and it might be caused by an inner ear problem (she thinks this because of his weird lying down behaviour), so we are going to see a specialist toward the end of July.  I think he is fine, but better to know for sure.

We got up to a lot this week, with morning tea in Milton, a trip to Narrawallee Inlet park, a visit to Arley's girlfriend Daisy's house, swimming lessons (Carmie is swimming messy freestyle clear across the pool, and Arley's swim teacher is still in love with him, and he is doing much better as well).  Arley had a good play at Carmie's school too, all in preparation for him starting there in July.  He is still unbelievably clingy to me, and when his grandparents come to pick him up, he drops whatever he is doing and runs screaming to me, despite the fact that he loves them and loves his days on the farm.  He is still completely obsessed with his 'ains' - his trains, and spends most of his time at home playing with them.  That, and organising 'mimins' in the front yard :)

 Morning tea in Milton

 At Narrwallee park

 Flying on Mum's feet

 At Daisy's house

 Lunch after swimming

 At school with Larry the rabbit.  Note the fence on the ramp :)

 Organising his 'mimins'

 Bath time fun

 Obsessed much?

202 + 98 Weeks

These kids are doing our heads in!  For a couple of days this week, Carmie had the WORST breakdown tantrums at bed time, leaving us both crying in separate rooms.  We have had lots of talks about it, and we have spent more time together after school and before bed, and it seems to be making a difference, but boy, did she put me through the ringer!  It was really tough, because I couldn't very well send her to her room for being naughty, as we were already in her room, and I couldn't leave her, as it is Arley's room too and it was his bed time as well.  And her screaming (blood-curdling, throat-gurgling, high-pitched screaming!) just went on and on.  I think she was just overtired, but there was little that I could do to calm her down.  Thankfully Jeffrey was able to step in and get her under control.  But she seems to be in a good place now, so fingers crossed it will last.

Now for Arley - he was pretty good for the beginning of the week, but the last few days have been doozies!  He has to be near me at all times, and if he is not, it is the end of the world for him.  No-one can look his way or he screams.  Jeff said, "Hi Arley" upon seeing him first thing this morning, and this resulted in a full-blown crying fit.  It's because he thinks everyone is going to take him away from me.  For the last few days, Jeff hasn't been able to go near him at all without Arley yelling, "Bye bye!  Bye bye!  Bye bye!!!!!"  He is also being very naughty when he doesn't get his way, and has started scratching at me.  I think it is all to do with his frustration at not being able to be understood, as it usually happens when he is trying to tell me something and I can't figure out what he is saying.  I admit it must be tough, but I don't know where his violence comes from :(  He is still completely obsessed with his trains, to the point where I think it is limiting his learning because all he does is play with them, but at least it is better than him watching the iPad.  He can also be very sweet too, and likes to give cuddles, and he likes to hold my hand when we walk anywhere, and when someone he doesn't like talks to him, he closes his eyes and pretends the person is not there.  Not long ago we had a friend over for dinner, and Arley spent most of the meal with his eyes shut, feeling for his food like a blind man.  He is pretty cute.  For the last few days he has also blessed us with 5:30am wake-ups instead of our usual 7am.  Tonight is his first night in his big-boy bed.  Hopefully it's not a disaster!

 Cross little guy

This angel face is very deceiving!

 Arley pretending I'm not there taking his photo

 I think this is the only moment they bonded all week!

 Carmie finished this puzzle all by herself, and she was very proud :)

201 + 97 Weeks

We have had quite a nice week, albeit with a very cranky Arley and a rather emotional Carmie.  I think Arley's canine teeth are coming through (finally), so I am blaming that on his grumpy moods.  I am giving him little tasks to do, like get his own cereal in the mornings, and that seems to make him happy, so I am assuming it is partly to do with boredom.  Going to the Montessori school will be good for him.  He is still crazily obsessed with his trains, and is currently asleep in his cot with three trains and three cars.  I took him to the park one morning, and he had a blast.  His favourite thing to do for the week was taking a walk straight down our driveway and down the country lane.  Every time a car or truck would pass, he would run to the side of the road, stamp his feet, clap his hands and cheer.  He can be very cute, when he's not whining!

Carmie had a good week, with a couple of emotional screaming breakdowns.  We have a new rule where she is allowed to scream and cry, but it has to be up in her room.  She was manipulating us all with her tantrums, but the new rule has put an end to that, and hopefully it makes the episodes less.  Otherwise, she is a very sweet little thing who says the funniest things.  She loves her school so much that she has started going four days a week, Tuesday through Friday.  (They have put fences up on the ramps, so all is safe now!).  Carmie had a play date with her friend Cassie at the beach on Saturday.  They haven't seen each other in a while, and when we arrived, we were quite far down the beach, and Carmie and Cassie saw each other and ran over the sand to meet, and it was like a scene in a movie, so cute.  The two of them had such a good time together, we are going to do it more often.  Camie and Arley are playing together a little more too, which is nice to see.  If only it would happen more often though!

 Pimp daddy Arley at it again

Down our country lane

 Ice cream treat after swimming lessons