where did the year go

Tinipere is one. Hard to believe that 12 months ago we welcomed her into our lives. It has gone so fast!
she has definitely got a cheeky wee personality and although she is just a little thing she is clambering up on everything she can swing her leg onto!
Tinipere adores her older sister and they have the cutest cuddles and kisses, and pull each others hair and push each other over. ah joy.
She is definitely a water baby, loves having a bath and will throw herself around in the water, happily getting her face and head wet, or just lays herself down for a kick.
I am sure that soon she will be toddling all over the show, her favourite game at the moment is standing herself up with the assistance of the footstool and seeing how long she can balance before plopping onto her bottom with a loud laugh.
Looking forward to many more fun years to come.

Tricks on the pony already 

Boogie time

Trying out some new toys

. Atarangi, singing Happy birthday to YOU, and Tinipere is not sure WHAT is going on!

cake

possibly someone else's cake

 

Atarangi Remembers

I find it amazing the things that this girl remembers.
Obviously the bee sting I got way back in February/March made a bit of an impression because it is a popular story to tell people, "mummy got a bee sting last day" but the other day at kindy she surprised all the Teina teachers by remembering where she used to sleep in the sleep room over there, and where everyone else used to sleep too! I guess it has only been 8 months since she moved over to Pakeke but its still a bit surprising how much information she has stored in her head!
A couple of dasy before that we had been driving along and she pointed out a big van, then we saw a campervan and she said oooooh a BIG van, I replied yes, a campervan and she immediately said oh we stayed in Abigail's Campervan, at her house! and Daddy slept in my bed! - which had all happened way back in March when we went north for Myregel and Conrad's wedding - I had slept on one bed with Tinipere and Kikiwa slept on the other with Atarangi.
I can't wait to hear what she remembers next!

and so it continues

And September is almost over! Tinipere will be 10 months on the first.

We are still doing night feeds, though I am optimistic that I will get more sleep in the not so distant future, last night she only woke at 230 and 6am ! She has occasionally been having a bit of formula, if I don't have any expressed and we are on a tight time frame and I can't easily sit down and feed her. She loves Kindy and hardly even blinks when I leave now, sometimes I get a token cry but usually as soon as I'm out the door I hear her stop! She is full of mischief and her cheeky personality is shining through loud and clear now!

Sometimes I forget that Atarangi is still so little, but do still catch glimpses of it and wee reminders. Kikiwa got a new truck which she LOVES! she has had a terrible cough for about 3 weeks now and I think we had an asthma episode shortly after she got it. on Sunday it was so bad it made her throw up (lovely, in the pram and all). So we had a big girls day off school yesterday. Atarangi got a hair cut! we went to the library and then to my work for some morning tea (and to do some work talk...) She loved having me all to herself and wanted me to carry her EVERYWHERE in town! It was nice to have some snuggles. then she had a nap, and I had a nap. so it was a highly productive day wagging..

We have been making sure that each of the girls get some alone time with each of us. It's something we had been a bit slack with and I think its making a difference all round which is great. Atarangi and I have been biking to the markets on a Saturday and Kikiwa and Tinipere follow along later in the car.

time is flying by

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breathe

Thursdays are my take a breath days. Monday to Wednesday is so crazy go go go - especially at the moment with work being so busy. I don't know how people do it 5 days a week. I was feeling bad about leaving my boss so shorthanded with so much to do, but she observed that actually I was probably being the same as or more productive then I would be if I was there fulltime! Actually true. And hilarious that she pointed that out.  Just a shame the pay is not the same as, or more!  Pity I was also far too slow to point that out! 

Nana and Pop pop left today too, hard to believe they'd been here a week? Where did it go?!  Nana left in slightly worse shape than she arrived in having rolled her ankle on Friday at Atarangi's gymnastics - it was completely black! We thought she was going to need to be on my crutches but she managed not to... Tinipere wagged school the entire week and Atarangi had Wednesday off. She was pretty sad tonight about no Nana and Pop pop being here. I wish Nelson was closer to Stratford.  

Today is also the first day Tinipere has slept in her cot! And in her room! It will be interesting to see how many night feeds she wants when I'm not in the same room. She is getting her knees up under her with her commando crawling. It scares me! Slow down!!! 

Atarangi. Today she smacked her sister on the head with a book - or tried to anyway, it missed. Two minutes  later Tinipere rolls over and smacks her head on the floor, slight delay,  roar. (we are at my work,  I'm pretty sure under the carpet ita concrete. It sounded like it anyway! )Atarangi rushes over 'are you ok darling? I kiss you better ' - kisses her head.  the complete turnaround. Insane. 

July

So far we are surviving the back to work gig... Tinipere even took 30ml from the bottle yesterday! Not today though.  We still make up for that lack of daytime kai through the night and have resorted to co sleeping for at least half of it!!   Her real food intake is on the up and some days she eats an amazing amount. She loves drinking water from her 'cup' - a shot glass. The perfect size.  She is also wriggling her way across the room with ever increasing speed. When did that happen?! Atarangi will have to start picking up her precious toys and I will have to keep a sharper eye on what is in Tinipere reach.

Atarangi is currently singing herself to sleep. Last night when I checked on her she had her phone in bed next to her - I can't decide if that is an improvement from having Mrs elephant in bed with her - Mrs elephant is huge but soft. The phone is smaller but so hard!  We are making giant leaps with the toileting! Even so far as to wear undies to Kindy! And she only started wearing them at home last week so I think that is huge. Atarangi makes me laugh every day. She is such a character and developing more and more each day - her understanding of the world, her language, her physical ability, her wish to test the limits!  I am finding a huge help in dealing with the various challenges and inspiration to be the parent I aspire to be from Janet Lansbury's website.

Puppy is still alive and kicking. Still crazy as ever, still thinks Kikiwa's side of the bed is HERS. And she is loving that with Tinipere in the room we have the heater on through the night.  I am looking forward to warmer weather.

Sometimes I still have moments of 'where did these two amazing small humans come from!! ' wonder. They are so very cool.

Photos to come...  Just emptied all 2gb worth from my phone.

Blw v puree

It's funny how when there is a baby is the mix the conversation always turns to poop.  Lucy came to visit yesterday and there was a poo explosion - one of many lately. I have been quite amused by the difference between the pureed poop Atarangi used to crank out and the Blw poop Tinipere has been having since chomping.  I am noticing increasing amounts of food in her nappy. It's pretty exciting. Haha! 
This  week will be the first week back at work 830 - 3. We had one day last week and I even managed to get to work by 9 am! Admittedly a mission even when I didn't have smalls to organise... Perhaps I am becoming a more organised person....  anyway it will be a big test and adjustment even for Atarangi  I think to be back to three days she will miss gymnastics. Add in the mix the fact they are both teething and it has all the potential to be a super fun time!

10 days

Hard to believe that in 10 days this gorgeous wee thing will be starting daycare and I will be back to work. So grateful that it didn't have to happen at 14 weeks though and that it's only 2 afternoons a week to start with.  I am trying to make the most of every moment while remaining firmly in denial.. 

12 hours

Wow. Tinipere had slept up to 11 hours non stop before but last night was our first 12 hour stint! Whoop!maybe Atarangi will follow suit again soon?! Although it could be due to the Antihistmine I am taking for the bee sting I got Saturday. Hopefully it won't all go out the window with our trip to Taranaki later this week.

hmmm

May need to change the blog title, now there are two smalls in our life, Atarangi, not looking so small in comparison, and Tinipere,, looking a lot like her sister...

8 weeks left

Only 8 weeks left til Atarangi has a new little brother or sister! Sometimes I am worried how our mischief child will react to a wee baby in our lives and others I think she will be take to it like a duck to water. We had friends come and stay a week ago with their gorgeous 4 month old Heath. Atarangi was super cute with him, very gentle and helpful, giving him toys in the bath, bringing nappies for him. She wasn't, however, quite so happy when Kikiwa or I were holding him..  Her face in this picture just breaks my heart!

end of august already?!?!

This girl is growing fast and I only really realise when I look back at photos taken even only a week ago. We seem to be getting back on track with sleeping through the night. I only have 4 more sleeps in the moonboot. and the new addition is only 13ish weeks away. yikes.
We got a wee bike from the toy library which has been a super hit. Atarangi is always asking to go out for a walk/ride down the road. We did some kind of renovations to the kitchen the other day and Atarangi is now always asking for the 'ammer and trying to unscrew things with my baking utensils...

Rocking good time.

why on earth would I want to look out the window when I can turn around and rock the chair instead?

 

 

 

 

  

Abigail and Donna come to visit

While Kikiwa was in Ireland we had a girls weekend with Donna and Abigail! it was so much fun. Atarangi and I had been to the toy library on the thursday before they arrived to make sure we had some fun toys, a beeping moving microwave SO COOL! a baking set, the slide and a crazy bouncy bug that threw a few riders over the weekend :) I didn't snap many pics, couldn't find the chargers for either camera (surprise!) but got a few on the phone. again - not the best, Kikiwa says its the photographer but seriously... I blame the phone camera.  ON friday after we picked the girls up from the airport we went straight to baby focus, then home for a snack and nap and I made my first ever grown up batch of play dough! we had no food colouring so it was boring white but turned out pretty good. The Nelson sunshine hid away most of the stay but came out sunday. On Saturday, once we had transferred the car seats back to the car because the new truck wouldn't start, we went to the baby bonanza in Hope, the girls ate a sausage each! and then we whizzed off to the markets for some more food before it was home for the nap again. sunday was a day for the park, lunch at the beach cafe and ice creams back at the park again before a quick nap in the car for the wee girls then off to the airport again. it was a busy busy weekend but so much fun and so cool seeing Abigail and Atarangi interact! especially when Atarangi was off on her adventures and trying to get Abigail to come with her (showing her how to climb the wall haha) and happily sitting back watching Abigail work the microwave. here's hoping we can do it all again soon.