Snippets for the time capsule….

Abigail – 

**  You are currently 14 months and 1 week old.

**  You are seriously seriously cute at the moment!! Both inside & out, and you are really starting to develop a little personality!

**  Finally in the last month you have gotten just as good at getting down off high things as you are at climbing up on them. Phew!

**  You have also mastered the art of safely going down steps, which along with the warmer weather means that you get to play outside like a big girl – much to your delight!

**  Unfortunately for me though you now want to play outside every waking hour. Like from the minute you have finished your morning bottle that’s the first place you head. And on come the water works if your mean mummy isn’t ready for you to go outside at that time!

**  You can’t say a lot of (distinguishable) words yet but you are definitely becoming very vocal. And you have a lot to say. And despite the fact that we can’t understand the words you are saying we can all sure understand the intent – especially when you are angry and give us a piece of your mind.

**  That happens to be quite often – because you are a very feisty girl and know what you want when you want it!

**  Sadly you are learning your sisters trait of turning on the waterworks at the drop of a hat when you don’t get your way. Of course I just love having 2 of your throwing tanty’s now. Not!

**  But who can resist you because you are so cheeky.

**  You also regularly pull what I like to refer to as your “cross face”.

**  One can only imagine that you are imitating a face that I pull to you – but it is incredibly cute and always makes me laugh at you. Which inevitably means you can’t stay cross with me and break into your cheeky smile.

**  You are not big on food any more. You have got a lot more fussy much to my dismay. But you are better if I let you feed yourself. Only you tend to get food EVERYWHERE – your ears, your hair, the floor (much to Izzy’s delight) – it requires a full change of clothes afterwords even with an art smock on if I let you feed yourself.

**  And you now know the sound of a biscuit/lolly/anything remotely sweet packet opening from the other end of the house. No one can doubt you have good hearing that’s for sure (despite the fact that you mostly pretend you can’t hear me the rest of the time!)

**  You love your big sister & she loves you. You two have the occasional fight over toys or food, but really you both miss each other incredibly if the other is not around. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you with Hannah goes to school next year!

**  You still don’t hold your own bottle of milk. It is the only part of you left that even remotely resembles a baby. But I don’t mind – means I get to enjoy you being still & having a snuggle. You are not very often otherwise still!!

**  You still only have 4 teeth. It is really holding you back in the eating department!

Hannah-Elise

**  You are currently 3 years and 6 months old

**  You are growing up very fast.

**  Your language is superb. You love to talk & sing. Most of your sentences at the moment do tend to begin something like this though…. “MUM!….. MUUUUUMMMMM!!!!” which does tend to get me a bit cross. I don’t mean to be cross before you’ve even started talking so I’m trying to teach you to say “Excuse me Mummy” in a polite voice and wait for me to respond. So far we are getting nowhere but I’m not giving up because I think it will help me be a lot more patient with you!

**  You are a very girly girl & like to tell everyone that you “are so beautiful”. I’m trying to teach you that it’s what inside that counts but you definitely were born as my mother would say “with a manicure”.

**  I do not get it because I am not too much of a girly girl like you. I have even had to start hiding my lip balm and nail polish from your clutches (not that either of them very often get used – hence I’m not sure where you get it from!).

**  Your main form of discipline at the moment is taking away your dress ups. It’s the only thing that will work. Time out – no. Missing out on stuff – no. Taking away tv – no. Going to bed early – no. Taking away your dress ups = results. That’s how much of a girly girl you are!

**  You like to get yourself dressed in the morning now. Usually straight into a dress up, but you are very good at getting out of them before we’re ready to leave – IF you get to wear a skirt. So I might as well not bother buying you any pants because I can not get you to wear them for love nor money. It’s just as well I am enjoying sewing you skirts!

**  Your hair usually is adorned with a headband, at least 5 hair clips – always on the top or the back of your head, a hat, and often you wear your sunglasses around the house. I think people must think that I never brush your hair because it never stays tidy for more than 5 minutes at a time.

**  You love spending time in my office with me while Abbie is sleeping. You draw & I sew. Usually if I don’t head straight in there after I put Abbie to bed you now ask me to come do some “work” in my office with you. It’s sweet.

**  You are a very social girl. You are starting to get to the age where you ask me constantly if you can go to “….’s” house or if “….” can come to your house. Especially when Abbie is asleep. You are definitely ready for the stimulation that school will bring next year. You can’t wait and talk about it regularly.

**  You are a bit unsettled at the moment with your sleeping. It is not like you. I think you are a bit insecure now that your dad is working away again. It is kind of nice that you want to snuggle with me in my bed at night because I like the company too, but it is really affecting both of our sleep so at the same time I hope you grow out of it soon.

**  It’s official – you no longer have day sleeps. I’ve been holding on to the dim hope that you’ll continue to have them, but I can no longer avoid the truth – you just won’t have them any more. It does mean you get very grumpy at the end of the day though – but then I still do that and I’m 28, so I guess you’re forgiven my darling.

**  You are very affectionate at the moment. It is a change from your early years when you were very independent and didn’t like to cuddle.

These are all things I want to remember about you both in coming years.

Love Mummy
xx