February 2014 - Annick 21 months, Luca 3y9m

Annick
- BITING.  HARD.  Luca has more than one teeth-shaped bruise on him.
- Feb 6 - a first real sentence: "papa aime la soupe" - although really, she was just trying to get papa to eat her soup so that she could have the promised "fromage gruyere".  Tantrums might have ensued.
- sentences now flowing like water!
- says "tank you babbeh" when mama gives her things, probably because that's what mama says when Annick gives mama things (although more articulately)
- still calls Luca 'Tootar', although she can definitely say Luca if she really wants to, but she clearly doesn't.
- cannot say her hard Cs, so comes up with adorable sentences like, "I tooking pantakes mama!"
- makes up songs while she does things - eats noodles, sings "I like noodles!  I liiiike noooodles!"
- loves tea parties and colouring in.
- had a complete meltdown because she found a photo of Luca when he was about 18 months old, wearing a pair of shoes that now belong to her.  She was absolutely infuriated at the idea that she had to share her shoes with Past Luca and threw the biggest tantrum ever.  She went over to the shoe cupboard to get one of Current Luca's sandals and threw it at Current Luca as if to say, "THIS is yours", then burst into furious tears. 

Luca
- starting the PR campaign - "Annick is a naughty girl!", "Annick is mean!", "mama, look what Annick is doing!" but otherwise adores his little sister (except when she bites him)
- starting real swimming lessons - informs mama and his teachers that "it's a little bit scary" but we'll get there bit by bit.  Papa had the genius idea to get him to launch himself into the pool like an A380 taking off, which at least gets him in the water.
- still obsessed with rubbish trucks and has set up a recycling system of newspaper fragments, bits of plastic and paper clips for picking up and sorting in the lounge room
- actually asked for a haircut and had one!  The promise of watching Peppa Pig during it helped.
- eating like a horse
- might be ready to try a real bike, the way he nonchalantly glides along, feet in the air, on a balance bike.

Both kids still like to have 'Fait dodo, Colas mon petit frere' sung to them before going to bed (preferably by mama if they're playing power games) and Luca actually knows all the words now and sings along, albeit somewhat tunelessly.  Annick only knows the key, or important words, such as 'gateau', 'chocolat' and 'bonbon'.

Luca in action.

She's got style, Annick.  I'm not sure what style, but style nonetheless.

Nothing better for a bit of peace and quiet than 15 minutes of Caillou on youtube.

"Galop galop galop, ah dong!"

Luca also has a very special relationship with his Ah Kong.

Already on stage.

Luca builds a Mesopotamian tower at the museum.

Annick is ALL about the oil pastels.

And the shoes. 

Luca makes a tanker truck from a milk bottle and a rubbish truck from a flour box!  Or mama does.

When they're not annoying each other, they are playing together beautifully.  There is not much in between.

Annick likes to play lying down these days.

We go to Kennett River and Annick drinks milk by the sunrise.

Luca was very excited to see the bunk beds and is happy to know that he and Annick will share one as soon as she is big enough - Luca will go in the top bunk!

The beach is most valuable for the sand.

Annick is a little buried treasure.

Luca wraps up warm!

January 2014 - Annick 20 months, Luca 3y8m

Annick:
- Counting!  Much like Luca at a similar age, has a grasp of it, but there are gaps - Annick's sequence goes "1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 12... blast off!"
- Favourite phrases at the moment: "tum on mama" (also, "I tumming!" as she runs towards you), "c'est quoi ça?" , "Annick's one!","IMMA STUCK!"
- When she is upset, cries for 'daddy daddy daddy', but doesn't apparently mean daddy.
- Very sure of who she is.  Luca and Annick are crawling around under the dining table, pretending to be animals (a favourite game).  Luca says, "woof woof!  I'm a big dog!"  To which a little voice responds, "I'm a BABBEH!"
- A few weeks of screaming hysterically before bed that she has only just finished up with.  What will she try next?
- WEANED.  I think her last feed was over a week ago :(

Luca:
- Mama: How much do you love me?  Luca: I love you... 20 dollars!
- Supremely comfortable on the balance bike, zooming along like a pro
- Speaking some awesome French!  Having Nonna around has worked!  Although having trouble weaning him off "I aime..."
- Responsible and takes his role as big brother, telling Annick how to behave properly, very seriously
- Has had his last ride on papa's back in the Manduca - he's hit the 20kg limit and papa's back is probably already over limit
- Is very sure he is a small boy.  When teased that maybe he has a pouchaquelle, he responds with great indignation, "c'est PAS une pouchaquelle mama, c'est un ZIZI".

Making bread! Guess which ones are Luca's.

Gelato with Nonna at Spring St Gelato.

Luca gets a tomato plant at the NGV and it is growing beautifully under his care on the balcony.

Annick waters a tree.

Papa busts a move in the Melbourne Now discotheque.

Annick makes her contribution to the amazing bird sticker wall at Melbourne Now.

Yes.

Luca and Nonna do Luca's favourite thing - take out the recycling!

Little Red Riding Hood goes for a drive.

Petit garçonnet.

Annick decorates her toes with hair elastics.

Luca prepares for his career as a hair stylist.

When they're digging up the road next to your house, it's a GOOD THING when you're a small child.  Less so for adults.

Luca is particularly fond of having a tail.  The shoes, I don't know.

Tralalire, a much anticipated monthly arrival in the letterbox!

Another of Luca's favourite things - window washing!  I will set him up on Hoddle St next week.

Orange bear drives the shoebox train.

Les yeux sexy encore!

Annick approaches Australia Day with the solemnity she believes it deserves.

Papa enjoys this as much as Annick does.

Banging out the tunes with papa.

A cheeky little lady.

Ipads and wafers, who needs anything else.

Reading le bébé ouin ouin with Nonna.

December 2013 - Annick 19 months, Luca 3y7m

Summertime Luca and Annick.

Annick:
- blablablablablablablabla
- favourite words and phrases: Annick (still #1), more/d'autre (also "shamore"), celle la/that one. what that?, Annick's one, mine.
- takes some deciphering sometimes.  Pointing urgently at the counter chanting, "Shamolay! Shamolay!", mama and nonna eventually worked out she was asking for "some more lait" as if she were Sean Connery.
- given a flower, identified it without prompting as a 'daddy-wai-won', which is pretty impressive.  I blame Ah kong and Ah ma.
- will dance to just about anything, particularly likes turning around and around
- LOVES having her hair tied in the couettines.  Also, lost the mullet this month.
- is picking up the toddler attitude, will get the 'face de gorille' along with a determination not to do anything anyone tells her to
- after some tickling and kisses, looks mama in the eye and says, "je t'aime mama".

Luca:
- awesome toilet training!  Even in Sydney in an unfamiliar toilet!  Was in underpants by Christmas and has been pretty fabulous since.  You should see his sticker chart now!
-is very interested in all the different kinds of toilets there are.  Asks thoughtful questions about each new toilet he encounters (at Kheng Ee's house: "this toilet has flush mama?"  In shopping centre toilet: "this toilet can have caca mama?")
- is delightfully reasonable for many things, e.g. was told once not to touch Nonna's soap and sponge when having a bath and since then just leaves it be; knows to only go and get a sticker when there is a reason to get one, even though they are always in reach (although once he got himself one and told Nonna "c'est pour ma gentilesse").
- is obnoxiously unreasonable at most other times, as per being three years old
- still infuriatingly picky at mealtimes, but often quite randomly so (Roast sweet potato?  NO.  Raw fennel?  YES.)
- still all about mama

This month, we went to Sydney!

Coogee beach - Luca and Annick loved the sand!

And were quietly optimistic about the sea until, about 10 seconds after this photo, they got hit by a wave and from then on decided the ocean was not for them.

Luca was a cool Sydney dude.

An hour's nap in Hyde park after a big Sydney day!

A promise to Luca that we would go to a 'little beach' instead of big, whooshy Coogee meant a walk down to Clovelly, which was much more his style.

On return to Melbourne, we go to Brunetti.  Annick shows the sparkly reindeer the big chunk of gruyere she insisted on carrying all around Carlton, and her Cookie Monster 'handbag'.

Annick is pretty sure that Christmas decorations are not for trees.

And Father Christmas is not for her!

Watching Caillou with Nonna is one of their favourite things.

Luca rides a dog.

Luca and mama made a cake.  Annick cleared up after.

No more little Annick mullet!  Only cuteness remains.

Morning Annick with her pyjamas, milk and bunny.

Banana kisses for Nonna!  Banana kisses are what you get when Annick has just eaten a banana.

Luca doesn't wear nappies any more!

This is a preview of how Annick eats spaghetti.

 Annick and Luca LOVE jumping in muddy puddles!