Charlotte is getting really quite strong on her legs. She can stand up quite well whilst you are holding her. She will put all her weight down, and doesn't get wobbly on her legs when you stand her. At this stage, she seems much better at standing than sitting. Whilst she's good at her head and neck strength, she still gets quite wobbly when she is sitting. Not far to go though, she is learning at such a lightning speed!

Also, yesterday, I assembled Charlotte's new bed. As she is outgrowing the bassinet she was sleeping in, and Isabella still needs the cot for a little longer, we put Charlotte in the toddler bed. She has these baby bolsters on each side of her to stop her from rolling around. These bolsters are connected by flat fabric and velcro - this is the bit she sleeps on. The width is adjustable as the baby grows. I have used this for some months now, and Charlotte sleeps on her sides.

Here is a picture of Isabella using the bolster in her cot when she was 39 weeks old.

Did I forget to mention that Charlotte had her 1st attempt in the pool yesterday? Well she did and she was extremely good. It must be that this time round, I've introduced Charlotte to water on her face and also the shower much sooner than with Isabella. At 5 months, Charlotte is already almost too big for the baby bath and therefore we either shower her now or bath her in the big bath when I have a bath. We will probably be starting her swimming lessons in the near future - perhaps when she turns 6 months.

Also, Isabella has been really good at learning her 'please' and 'thank-yous'. She is also so good at picking up words that she is almost having decent conversations with us. She astounds us everyday with all the learning she is showing us. My little girl is growing up! Here is a cute picture of Isabella.

Happy New Year!

Wow another new year. Already a month has almost gone by. Isabella will be 2 years old in just under 2 weeks. Charlotte is now 5 months old.

The terrible twos are here and I expect it will stay for a while. Some days are better than others. I just try my best to try and occupy Isabella as best I can so she stays in a better mood. Apart from her development, there are a few things that she is probably going through that tends to upset Isabella nowadays. It is unavoidable that I have to spend extra time with Charlotte, with feeding and putting her to sleep and carrying her at times. Isabella has also started attending an early learning centre once a week. So far, she has gone 3 times.

The first day, she didn't know what to expect. Eventually, when I left on that day, she was a little shocked. Then she realised that I had actually left, and started to cry. I did peep through the windows for quite a while. By the time I left and went home, I felt my hurt being torned. I felt bad that she was feeling bad.. that I had actually caused her to cry. However, separation is inevitable, and she has to learn this at some stage in her life. I suppose better earlier than later.

Second time round, Scott actually took her to school (the early learning centre). But unlike me, he just said goodbye, told her he'd be back later and then left. This time, she did not have her afternoon sleep.

Third time, it was my turn again to take Isabella to school. I stayed for a while and then told her I was going and that i was going to pick her up later. She cried immediately. But I don't think it lasted as long as the first 2 times. By the time i had gotten to my car, I couldn't hear her crying anymore (usually i can hear her as they have outside time during that period). She didn't have a nap that day either. I was told that she just sat there and held on to her bag waiting for me to come. Poor thing! Hopefully 4th time round will be better. I have tried to take her in a few extra times for an hour or two with me staying with her so she gets a little more used to it.

Swimming wise, Isabella is doing great. She is getting more confident every time. Hopefully it won't be too long before she moves up to the third level.

Charlotte is now starting to crawl.. slowly. Wow! I think she'll be an early crawler and walker. She has also started solids. It has been much easier to feed Charlotte than Isabella. Even now, Charlotte is a better eater than Isabella is. Isabella is quite a picky eater, where as Charlotte just seems to eat mostly anything and she eats faster.

And not that you needed to know, but I am so glad that her bowel motions are now more solid. No more runny poos! Yey!

Charlotte is also developing really fast. Already she is using her hands lots. This week she has started grabbing things with her hands.. especially my hair! She loves to laugh a lot and talks like there is no end! She is so loud at times, it sounds like a cat meowing, and Scott can hear her from the other side of the house with the doors closed! Her reflux has also vastly improved. She still spills at times, but mostly she is safe without a bib nowadays. Now I can take more pictures of her without those ugly bibs.

Ok.. getting late.. but I thought I'd better do an update before I leave it again for a while. So hard to find time, but I must do it. Looking back at my posts, it is like a diary. Now I have Charlotte, I find it nice to look back and see what has happened with Isabella as well. Good nite! And Happy New Year to you all!

It's almost a week until Christmas. It will be Charlotte's first and Isabella's 2nd Christmas. My Christmas presents are already here and what better presents to have than my 2 beautiful girls! I am really blessed to have both of them and can't imagine my life without them. I look at Charlotte and she makes me clucky all over again. But I don't want to push my luck and 2 really is enough. Though I can't stop wondering what the next one will be like.

Last night, I was playing with Charlotte, and for the second time I heard her give a proper laugh, not a coo. The first time was when she was sleeping and dreaming, so that doesn't really count. She has such a cute laugh. Makes me feel tickled all over.

Isabella is growing at lightning speed. Everytime I look at her, she seems to grow another inch. Her vocabulary is increasing everyday. She is communicating with us much better and already has 2 and 3 word sentences. She knows what she wants and clearly states them. For example, if she wants to swim, she'll say "schwimming", and for the sand pit "saan". She even knows how to say Playdough. Isabella is clearly and outdoorsy person. She loves being outside and learning about what's out there. Today, we'll go to the museum. I'll try and remember to take my camera with me so I can take pictures of her. Stay tuned for the update! Oh.. and a Merry Christmas to all!

Wow.. how time flies. Charlotte is already 12.5 weeks old... almost 3 months old! She has grown heaps. Not sure what she weighs now.. keep forgetting to weigh her at the chemist every time we go shopping. Will have to remember next time.

In general, Charlotte is sleeping much better these days. Usually waking up once or twice during the night. Almost had her sleeping through.. but this week, it has been a little up and down. Still, can't complain, she is still a better sleeper than Isabella was at the same age.

Charlotte is smiling heaps, and loves to look at herself in the mirror. Have also started putting her in the jolly jumper to make use of those strong legs of hers. We take her out of it when her head starts to hang from her still developing neck muscles. Still she enjoys being in it as it is something new. We have also put her in her Bumbo seat once or twice, but her back muscles need a little more developing.

Here's Charlotte in her Bumbo

And here in her Jolly Jumper

Christmas is fast approaching. Already we have a heap of things for Isabella. And since she has so many things already, there is no need to really get anything for Charlotte, as she will have lots of things from Isabella, all still in good condition.

In preparation for Christmas, I have already made up some photobooks for presents, and of course our traditional personalised Christmas cards with our family photo. This year, we decided to also use the photo we had done with Santa from the local shopping centre. As it is a surprise cards for some of families and friends, I will put the pictures up later... that is, after Christmas. Don't want to spoil the surprise.

Not a very happy Jen today! It's now 6am... yes you guess it, and I had a pretty crappy night. Woken up by baby almost every 2 hours, and on top of that, I had difficult trying to get to sleep with a combination of my itchy chest from my cold and hubby's scratching from his eczema. Aaaaah!

Well, Charlotte is now 8 weeks old. She still has some reflux, but generally it has improved a bit. She is also starting to smile when you talk to her. Her head strength is also pretty good, but occasionally she still looks like a drunken person with her head wobbling at times. I am still waking up an average of 3 times a night. And on average, it's not till 11pm before she starts to settle for the night.

I am still finding it a little difficult trying to juggle 2 kids under 2, but have settled into some sort of routine at least. This week though I have been a feeling a little more fatigued than usual as a result of getting a cold. I think I got it from Isabella, who got it from Scott. So far, I think this is the 4th time I've gotten a cold in the last 12 months - 3 were during my pregnancy with Charlotte. As a result of this cold, I've lost yet another kilo. At least there was some good out of it. Ha ha.

Not to make anybody feel bad, but as of today, I've finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight with Isabella. Yippee! This breastfeeding thing is fabulous for loosing weight. Makes me think that when I am finished with breast feeding Charlotte, it might be worth continuing to express to keep my weight off. Sounds a little extreme, but it's easier than dieting. Currently, apart from my usual meals, I also have ice creams and cookies a little more than when I was pregnant, and I've still managed to keep the weight off. I'm not sure what it does to my cholesterol level though. I wonder if breastfeeding keeps my cholesterol lower as well.. Hmm, will have to look that one up. By the way, do you know that there are breast milk banks?

Anyway, that's all for the night. Am so tired now. It's 9pm. Will try my luck at putting Charlotte down early tonight. Fingers crossed!