Driving Miss Ivy

I took Ivy to my singing thing this arvo. Hazel was home sick with the other Mummy.

In the car on the way home, Ivy watched the trees and buildings whizz past. She wanted everything to be a tower.

"Tower! Tall tower with flags!"
"Yellow tower over there."
"Tower. Might go in a tower. One day. One day. Onnnne daaaaay."

Also, she wanted to have a terrible tedious little book called Aircraft. It's a tiny board book, and each page has a picture of a kind of aircraft (e.g. "Twin-propeller passenger airplane"). It's dire, so it's been banished (with its cousin "Boats") to the car. In the garage we keep a pile of books that neither mummy can stand to read again, and every few weeks the books in the car get put back on the pile, and others are cycled through.

Anyway, anyway. "Aircraft" was in the garage, not the car, so Ivy said:

"Mummy get "Aircraft". Ivy misses it."

Ohhh, she misses it! I think she knows about this because I've been telling the girls that I miss them when they are at creche.

Another cute Ivy story: both girls can now get themselves up onto the toilet seat all by themselves. It helps to have the little step in front of the toilet, but it's not necessary. I've realised that I sing them a few bars of that song that goes "All by myse-e-elf, don't wanna beeeee all by myse-e-elf"... because Miss Ivy now sings it in a strange drone when she's dragged herself atop the toilet seat. "Aw baaaah maaaaah se-e-e-effff".

We are not in Cairns

Instead we are in Melbourne, in the cold, in the rain, with snot.

Ivy has conjunctivitis, Hazel has it again, Trudi and I have new colds, and so does Ivy. Not sure if Hazel has the new cold or the old cold. Not sure that it matters. We are a mess.

We are really glad that we cancelled the Cairns trip. We would have been travelling on Saturday, which was a particularly low day for all of us. The girls would have had no nap on that day. Cos we were home, they napped for over 3 hours - and then slept 11 hours at night.

Hazel and Ivy have a new thing - they say that they are "a bit scared" about whatever it is that has scared them. "Ivy bit scared of the balloon" is a common one. A balloon that is bobbing around in a breeze always gives her the heebies. Hazel is testing the phrase. She looks around to see what to finish it with. "Hazel bit scared of... the couch." Hazel bit scared of... the floor."

Sick again

Again and again and again.

This time it's a cold that's turned into conjunctivitis for Hazel. The poor little possum is really foul. Snotty nose, snotty eyes... really grim. This morning she was weeping quietly as she sat up in bed. She was such a disaster that I just gave her a shower to clean her face.

Ivy got the cold first, but she's recovered nicely.She could do with a bit more attention though. Hazel is so pathetic that Ivy is getting less than her usual share of sunshine.

We are really really hoping that Hazel is better by Friday morning. That's the time that we have to decide whether we are going to Cairns next week. If she is still festy, we won't go. No point trying to have a nice holiday when one of us is miserable and waking many times each night.

Still making sourdough

When we go to Cairns next week, I will take a little jar of sourdough starter for Trudi's cousin. I hope the starter performs well in a different city. Higher temperatures, higher humidity...

Running builder!

Ivy loves the Bob the Builder book that I got from the Salvoes. The book has been banished to the car so I don't have to read it ever again. Ivy reads it on most car trips.

Ivy likes the book so much that she has decided that she is a builder. I think Hazel started this meme... one day, all of a sudden it was Hazel the builder, Ivy the Builder, Mummy the Builder, Minke the Builder, Nanna the Builder. Hazel moved on, but Ivy was captivated. Ivy Builder!

Ivy likes to narrate her actions. As she spins, "Ivy spinning! Turning Ivy! Turning turning! Turning builder!" As she runs, "Running builder!"

Today at creche I heard her narrating, as usual: "Jumping builder! Jumping jumping!" I mentioned to a carer that Ivy is a builder. Then Ivy crouched down to get to a toy, and because her jeans were coming down, there it was: a tiny little builder's crack.

Hazel and Ivy's first day at creche

Well it is their third day there, but it's the first time I have left them there.

The swings in the back yard are empty, and the heater in their room just came on, to heat an empty room in which no-one will nap today.

Creche

I cut Ivy's hair for the first time, this morning. Just the fringe bit, cos it was always in her eyes. Chris the hairdresser told me that she could not do it for a fortnight, and to do it myself and to not cut off too much. I used the nail scissors because they are sharp and tiny. I remembered to keep a tiny lock of hair. Poor Ivy has a bit of a mullet - she always did, but it's a bit more obvious now.

Creche is working out much better than I expected! Both girls are settling in, and they seem to enjoy it there.

Today was our third day at creche. We go on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and last week we just stayed for a coupel of hours on both mornings.

Today we got there just in time for morning tea, and stayed until 3:30 pm. After an hour and a half of me wafting around the room, BEING THERE, one of the staff members gently suggested that I could maybe go and have a cup of tea. That is, go away and leave us, we are fine with your daughters.

I told Hazel and Ivy that I would be going into a different room now, and that they would have their lunch and a nap, and Marie and Rena would help them. They did not seem to care. I went over to the Parents Room which was deserted and cold, and had no tea. Someone found we wandering the corridors (there is actually only one corridor) and said I was welcome to come into the staff room. It was full of other mums - plus a few staff trying to have a break. I ended up staying in there for the rest of the day.

After half an hour of waiting in the staff room, I popped my head out and looked through the window, only to catch Ivy's eye as she wept in Laura's arms. Laura frantically signed something at me, and I signed back - DO I NEED TO COME BACK IN? She smilingly signed NO GO AWAY so I did. More tea.

Later, I got a status report from Rena that both girls looooved their chicken noodle soup and were happily playing as the staff got people ready for naps. Ivy had cried briefly for me, but was easily comforted and distracted. After that she was fine. She used the toilet with Marie's help.

I kept popping out and checking through the window. Eventually the room was darkened, and everyone was in their little beds. These are made of a mat on the floor, plus a bottom and top sheet, and a tiny pillow. Like a doll's bed really. Marie stayed by Ivy, and eventually Ivy dropped off to sleep. Rena stayed by Hazel for an hour and a half, patting and shushing her. Hazel was restless and wiggly, and Rena said later HER EYES DID NOT SHUT! But eventually, near the end of nap time, they did. Hazel slept for about half an hour, which was just enough to keep her going for the rest of the day.

Ivy used the toilet again after her nap. She is amazing.

After they were both awake and trotting around again, I went back in. Ivy was happy to see me, and Hazel did not react much. I think she might have bottled up her feelings about me not being there. Or is that just me mentally rearranging things so that I am the centre of everything?

They had a snack, they played some more, then I said it was time to come home. NO said Hazel.Well I suppose that means she liked it there.

Off again tomorrow. I might even try to get there early enough for the staff to give the girls breakfast. That would be nice.

More stories from Hazel

She keeps on making up new stories. These are the ones that have made it to the Top of the Pops: they each get an airing many times a day.

Drive. Trike fell over. Fell off the trike.
       First day of creche, and she has a traffic accident. I didn't see it, but she tells me that she was on the trike and it "fell over". I think she might have driven it off the edge of the deck (a drop of about a foot).

Mummy burned the toast. Loud alarm.
       Our dang smoke alarm! It's waaay too sensitive. Or maybe I should just stop burning the toast.

Saw Dot and monkey.
        Every second Monday we go to Shake Rattle and Rhyme at the library. Coralie sings songs and the mummies and daddies sing too, and the kids look astonished. A kid called Dot and her mum Sarah often sit near us. Dot brings her monkey, and when Ivy or Hazel steals it, Dot's face falls. Repeat until it's time to go. Poor Dot.

Muddy feet at the undercover playground

We have a list of places to go for fun. Our weekends are jam-packed with fun, so we need a list to refer to.

On our list of places is the North Eltham undercover playground. It's not far from the Diamond Valley Miniature railway.

The actual playground is wonderful. It's a huge wooden Ghormenghast, with steps and walkways and tunnels and landings.

Ivy and Hazel played around it for a few minutes, then moved on to the puddles. Back to the car to get gumboots, then off they went to get wet.

If you want to see the photos, just contact me and I'll get you a login.

First dry night

Ivy's night nappy was dry this morning! And what a stupendous wee she did in the potty.

Her days are mostly accident-less now, which is lovely. I still ask her if she needs a wee about five hundred times a day.

I love that she's done most of it on her own initiative.