Amy writing her name

Amy is getting very good at writing her name. She likes to trace over my writing and is very proud of herself.

Narrabeen beach

On Tuesday we went to the beach.  It was beautiful and warm,  and very breezy (we kept losing our hats!).  The water was freezing so we enjoyed playing in the sand.
Amy had a wonderful time collecting little sea shells in her cup.  She spent ages doing this,  then tipping them out,  then putting them back in again.
She also loved it when Michael buried her legs in the sand. We took turns having our feet or legs covered with sand,  and then finding them again.
We watched a man flying a kite and then he stood on a board and surfed out on the water while the huge kite pulled him along.  It looked very tricky!
Jack loved watching Amy play and looking at the waves crash on the sand (the waves were huge!).  He used Michael as a climbing frame and was very happy.  He touched the sand to explore it's texture and played with some sand toys.
We look forward to more trips to the beach this summer,  now that Jack can join in the fun too.

Busy Jack

Jack has been super busy!  He is starting to crawl on his hands and knees,  and pulls up to a standing position against the furniture. He loves exploring and entertains himself for long periods of time with toys. He likes to follow us around the house,  and is super fast when he wants to be!
He is going great at day care. He likes being there and exploring all the new toys and environment. He doesn't cry or miss me too much,  which is wonderful. He smiles at everyone and was laughing today too. Amy likes to visit him when she gets the chance,  and plays with him. 
He can now clap his hands to my verbal request,  rather than copying me when I clap. It's great to see him linking words to actions.

Jack's first day of day care

Jack did really well today!  He was mostly settled and loved exploring his new surroundings.
Amy spent some time in the nursery today too,  which made Jack very happy.  Jack had a few tears as it was all very new and scary for him,  but mostly happy moments. He liked looking at himself in the mirror,  and cuddling the soft toys.
He cuddled into me when I collected him at the end of the day,  but didn't cry. He had two big naps there too, which was very good!

I returned to work yesterday. Everything was very familiar and easy to get back into. Today it felt like I'd never left,  and I was well and truly in the swing of things. Amy loved seeing me in the kitchen,  and told her friends that "my mummy is cooking us lunch". 

Piano

Jack loves the piano.  Today I was cooking dinner and he was a bit upset that I couldn't hold him. I put him in the highchair at the piano and he was very entertained and happy!

Funny Jack

Jack was helping me do the grocery shopping today. He likes to hold the list and wave it around.  He put it over his face and we were playing peek-a-boo.
He was laughing and smiling at everyone and being very cute.
When we got back home he was busy crawling around and then suddenly pulled himself up on the TV unit. It's the first time he has done that. He pulled off a book and then went back down to the rug to look at it. He was getting onto hands and knees a lot today,  rocking back and forth.

Jack's day care orientation

Today I took Jack to day care for his orientation.  He was a little sad to begin with when he saw lots of new faces.  He then became very happy,  exploring the outside area and toys.  We then went inside and he joined his new friends for lunch.
After lunch he explored the nursery room and quickly found the door (he's obsessed with doors at the moment).  
Some of the older babies were interested in Jack and came over to share their toys with him.
Jack starts day care next Thursday when I return to work.
I didn't take any photos from day care,  but here is one of Jack having a sleep at the shops,  cuddled into me.

Big girl bed

Amy now sleeps in a toddler bed.  Last week we said goodbye to her cot and change table,  and made some changes to her room.
She is very proud of her bed and is happy sleeping there. We also bought her a teepee and some nice cushions,  as she had space in her room. She loves playing in there (especially when she is meant to be napping!).
Michael put some floating shelves on the wall today.  They are called picture shelves and are designed to hold picture frames.  They aren't very deep so we think they are a nice feature for easily displaying some treasures.

Video - Jack's fast crawling

Jack is getting super fast at crawling now!

Click here to see the video.

Video - Amy spinning around on the swing

This is Amy's new favourite thing to do.

Click here to see the video.

Amy and Jack comparison

I think Amy was a bit younger in her photo that Jack is,  but it's a good comparison.

Warm weather

We are loving this warm weather.  It's so nice to be outside,  especially now we have the shade cloth. Jack and Amy both love the swing,  and each wait eagerly for their turn. Amy loves 'jumping up and down in muddy puddles'  like Peppa Pig. We put some water in the paddling pool and she jumps with her gumboots on.
This morning we went around to the park. Amy had a great time doing all her favourite activities.

Jack

Poor little Jack has had a tough week.  His nose has been running all week and it's been impacting his sleep.  He's also cut tooth number 5 which has given him some high temperatures in the last 3 days.  Not much fun! 
He loves standing and holding on to the couches. He eventually falls down and mostly falls onto his bottom.
He has become so difficult to change!  Everytime I put him down on his back to change his nappy or dress/undress him he quickly rolls himself onto his tummy.  It's even more difficult after a bath,  trying to get a nappy on him!  He just wants to crawl away with no clothes on,  cheeky boy!