251 + 147 Weeks

There wasn't too much drama this week, thank goodness!  The kids had a sleep over at their Lolo and Dida's house, which they were very excited for.  They love to get spoiled :)  Poor Carmie fell out of bed in the early hours of the morning, and banged up her nose and her eye on the bedside table.  And she woke Arley up with her crying, and he refused to go back to sleep.  Arley had kept Carmie up the night before by singing Father Finger (his all-time favourite song), so they didn't get too much sleep.  So, I don't know how keen the grandparents are for another sleepover, but we thought it was a great success (we had a good night out)!

Arley caught a cold this week, but it wasn't too bad.  He was a little grumpy, which is to be expected.   He is finally being nice to his dad, for the most part.  No more screaming for his daddy to go away!  It makes life much more pleasant.  We didn't get up to too much this past weekend - just some playing out in the street, and lots of gardening.  Jeffrey cut down two giant conifer trees, two bottle brushes, and two large bushes, from our driveway area a couple of weeks ago, and since then, my parents and I have been planting a new garden, and I am desperately trying to keep it alive.  I am not known for my green thumb, but so far, so good.  Arley likes to come out and water the plants with me in the early evening.  He has become quite handy with the hose.  Carmie is still as sweet as ever.  She has gained so much weight, she likes being outside again, and she is reading like a champ.  The two of them love to have 'disco dance parties' in her room - it is very cute, and really nice that they are starting to play together.

So, the kids' Nema and Grandpa Clark were supposed to be here from the States today, but they missed their plane, so fingers crossed they arrive tomorrow.  Arley has an appointment with the paediatrician tomorrow, so we won't be around to welcome them.  He told me today that his legs are better, that they are not 'wobbly' any more, so hopefully that is the end of it!

Jeffrey's grandfather Dale passed away last week.  Jeff is quite sad over it, and I am sure his mother (Nema) is too.  Dale was Arley's namesake, although we found out that he didn't spell Arliss the way we do (ahem, Nema, you told us the wrong spelling!).  Apparently Dale spelled his name Arlos.  We were quite upset when we discovered this fact, as we don't love the name Arliss (we love Arley though!); we just called him that because it was Dale's first name!  We are not sure if we should change Arley's name to the correct spelling or not.  Is anyone in favour of a name change from Arliss to Arlos?  We're undecided :(

Proud as punch to be potty trained :)

It's all about the curtsy these days.

Laughing with his dad.

Our Bella

250 + 146 Weeks

Ups and downs this week.  I had to go up to Sydney on Saturday for my aunt's memorial service.  It was lovely to get together with family again, but I wish it could have been under happier circumstances.  Carmie didn't want me to leave either, which didn't make it any easier.  She can really lay on the guilt!  It was only a day trip though, and I managed to get home to say goodnight to both of the kids.

It was a rainy weekend, so Sunday was spent indoors, baking and painting and playing with Play-doh.  Monday was rainy too, but it cleared up in the afternoon, so we promised the kids that after Arley's nap we would take them into town for a treat and a walk around. But then poor little Arley had a bit of an episode.  He suddenly developed a limp again, and was walking strangely, like he had sea legs.  He said, "Pick me up, pick me up, pick me up!" and didn't want to be put down.  I asked him if his legs hurt, and he said no, that they were wobbly.  We had him walk around, and it didn't go away.  Because of what happened last November, we were pretty scared.  We took them into town anyway, hoping that if he walked around, he could shake it off.  He couldn't walk down to the bakery, I had to carry him.  When we realised it wasn't getting better, I called the office of the paediatrician who he saw at the hospital, and they said to get him X-rayed as soon as possible, so I called the X-ray lab in Ulladulla, and to our relief, they said to bring him right in.  So he got his hips X-rayed.  We took the kids home, and sat Arley down on the couch to watch TV while we made dinner, and then when it was ready, I went to help Arley to the table, and he got up and ran!  All better.  So, for three hours, he had a limp and 'wobbly' legs, and then he was fine.  They told me at school on Thursday that his legs seemed a bit off that morning too.  I am trying not to worry.  He has an appointment with the paediatrician on Friday (in a week), and I am telling myself if it was serious they would see him sooner than that.  It is all quite bizarre.

Arley also cut the sucker off his wubby this week, in exchange for Dennis the train.  He was super happy to get the train and do the deed, until night time came and he wanted the sucker back on :(  However, he has been really good about going to bed, and has been sleeping through, so we can't ask for more than that.  The bummer is that he used to wake up in the mornings and lie quietly in bed sucking on his wubby, until I would go in and get him up at 7am.  Now he calls out as soon as he wakes up, so our luxurious 7am wake-ups seem to be over :(

The kids' grandparents, Nema and Grandpa Clark, are coming from the States, arriving on Thursday.  The kids are getting very excited to see them.  Carmie can't believe that they aren't leaving right away, that she gets to see them for five weeks.  She loves grandparents, it is very cute.  :)

Princess Play-doh

Dennis the train!

249 + 145 Weeks

For much of this week I still had gastro - so not fun.  Constant, unremitting nausea, and two very energetic kids.  It's over now, thank goodness, but I wouldn't wish it on anyone!  Despite my sickness, we had a busy week, with trips to the neighbourhood park as well as Mollymook park, a trip to the library followed by a bakery treat, as well as a visit to the Ulladulla markets where I managed to get into a verbal scuffle with a rough towny woman.  The kids were happily enjoying the jumping castle, and Carmie was on the very top of the slide area when I heard her saying, "Don't push me, don't push me!" and then some horrible boy pushed her in the back and sent her flying off the top of the slide.  She was terrified, and she could have seriously hurt herself.  I stepped in and reprimanded the boy, and then some woman came and told me I couldn't talk to someone else's child like that (and he wasn't even hers!).  I was so angry.  Luckily the jumping castle staff took over the reprimanding and got the nasty boy off, but I think the incident has permanently scared Carmie of any more jumping castle fun.

This week at school they managed to lose Arley's wubbies (dummies/pacifiers), which are his lifeline.  I was pretty mad at them.  We were dreading him going to bed that night, but he was OK.  The next day, the wubbies were returned to him, but we have convinced Arley that he is too old for them, and promised him a train in return for cutting the sucker off the end of the wubby.  So, he chose Dennis (of the Thomas the Tank posse), and when the train arrives, that will be it for the precious wubbies.  I am sure that we will have a few sleepless nights, but it will be worth it in the long run as they are messing with his front teeth a bit.  

Arley has gone backwards in his potty training.  He didn't have a single accident over the week-end.  But the past few days have been a mess, and I am so sick of wee and poo.  We are going to revert to a rewards system again, because right now it goes like this: "Arley, do you need to do a poo?" as he runs into his room for privacy.  "No, I'm just going to play with Scruff".  Two minutes later, and Arley is covered in wee from shoulders to socks, and is walking around with a giant crap in his underpants.  It makes me want to scream!!!

Carmie, for the most part, is an angel.  She has gained all of her weight back and more, and seems remarkably healthy (knock on wood!).  She is reading to us every day, still loves to paint, and doesn't mind a bit that her little brother repeats literally every thing she says, a beat behind her.

These three photos are from last week:

 At our neighbourhood park

 Dressing up never gets old, and now she can do it all by herself, she randomly comes out of her bedroom looking like this :)

 These three have a nightly cuddle after bath time.

 New bunny robe, thanks Lolo and Dida

 This was when he got his wubbies back :)

 The dreaded jumping castle slide

 At Mollymook Beach park

 Going to the library

 Bakery treat.  Thankfully they never finish them!!