March 2014 - Annick 22 months, Luca 3y10m

Miam, les macarons!

Annick:
- quite likes swimming lessons most of the time, is learning how to go underwater
- not eating very much these days, except for tamarillos and cheese
- talking up a storm, sentences, conversations, questions, everything!
- sings all the time, and like Luca when he was little, is a great fan of Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- tantrums and screaming, ohmygod
- does not take kindly to being teasingly told off on the tram by strangers for pressing the next stop button when she shouldn't - overdramatises about it ALL THE WAY HOME
- still the little artist, drawing all the time
- Luca is now 'Luca' instead of 'Tootar'
- a devoted mama to her little baby Clara (or 'Clahwa'), although which dolly is Clara seems to depend on which dolly is closest to hand.

Luca:
- singing!  Makes up all these ridiculous songs, probably because he can't remember the words of the song he is trying to sing, so just fills in the gaps with whatever he feels like.
- dancing!  We thought Annick was the tiny dancer in the family, but Luca has really pulled out all the stops this month.
- really knows how to push Annick's buttons and takes great delight in doing so.  Has spent much of March in time out.
- loves to watch 'C'est pas sorcier' on youtube with papa, especially the one about les vieux avions.
- is steadfastly denying the concept of grammatical gender - Papa: LE marmalade est un garcon, et LA confiture est une fille.  Luca: NON!  Le marmalade est le marmalade et la confiture est la confiture!

Annick brushes Clara's, erm... feet.

Luca likes his new blue hoodie!  It has POCKETS.

Annick's hair is beautiful but untamed.

MWAH.

A rare day of adorable sartorial coordination.

Two of Luca's absolute favourite things: vehicles and arrangement.

Ah koo gets kisses these days instead of hysterical screaming.

Luca and mama go to Moomba and eat an ice cream.

Annick in her stripey top, spotty skirt, wellies and towel dress.

Mama bought Luca a dressing gown with a rubbish truck on it - no better gift was ever received.

Papa is sad because Annick is mocking him.

What happens when Papa gets Annick dressed for the day.

Annick loves to draw on her little drawing plane.  Draw, erase.  Draw, erase.  Draw, erase!

 Luca is a dancing machine.

She's an easy lover

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.