Tiredness and first steps

Its been a really tiring these last few weeks. Just been minding the kids and doing housework non-stop. Just don’t know how other moms manage without a helper or housekeeper. I leave the girls alone for a couple of seconds and Ellie is leaning too hard on Caitlin or scratching her hand or trying to roll over her. Its just almost impossible to get anything done. I put Caitlin in the carrier to get her away from Ellie and have my hands free and she’s squirming to get out. There is always a table to clear, toys to put away, the laundry to get done, stuff to wipe off the floor. I think I went one week without reading the papers which just moved from the doorway to the pile in the kitchen to the recycling pile in the yard.

Caitlin’s just all over the place. Our portable vacuum cleaner eating everything in her path. Ellie is always drawing, colouring or cutting something so there is always paper to munch and paper to get out of her way. Caitlin’s a lot more active than Ellie was at the same age. She’s already trying to walk. She took her first baby steps two days ago on 18 November and was walking 5-6 steps on her own the very next day. She’ll probably be running by her first birthday. Ellie walked at 13 or 14 months.

Will the lights be off or not?

Just when we think we really need a break from the kids, Ellie says the funniest things which remind us it is all worthwhile

• When KM tries to tell Ellie how to arrange her shoes at the door, Ellie says, "This is my job."
• When KM walks around without his shirt in the house, Ellie says," Don't show everyone your tummy papa"

And for the first time yesterday, Ellie sat through an entire show-The Very Hungry Caterpillar. One whole hour. Enjoying every minute (well, almost) of it. She has this thing about having the lights on in the show and about (not) watching scary things, so I had to really prep her about the lights being off, how you need to have the lights off to see the puppets, how she needed to sit through the entire thing. She's growing up, my little girl.

Lately Ellie's been asking tons of questions. Non-stop. And asking the same questions again and again. "I told you the answer Ellie... don't ask again." Her latest series of questions end with "or not". "Is Mama coming or not?".  "Is Papa going or not?" Back home we were looking at the programme for next year's children's theatre festival and there she went again, "Will the lights be off or not."