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School Runner

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Blade-Runner800600

I got 2 pre-schoolers walking the streets…I need ya, Dad. This is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the School Runner; I need your magic.

Not quite what Jake & Ellie’s pre-school teacher said to me. But it might have been.

And, to be fair, she hasn’t actually said anything like that to me at all. I just couldn’t resist appropriating a quote from one of my favourite films

- for I am now officially a School Runner!

Cue swelling spacey Vangelis synths while my spinner car swoops over city skyscrapers before descending onto the mean streets of suburban south Wales

In my head, anyway…

The reality is slightly different.

Jake & Ellie have been eased gradually into their new life as pre-schoolers: at first 2 afternoons a week, then 3, & now they’re up to the full 5.

To start with the Mummy & I were dropping them off & picking them up together; now we ‘take turns’. She likes to do it herself when she can, & she does. I can usually go with her on her days but we want them to get used to just 1 of us collecting them as she can’t go with me on my days.

They are really enjoying pre-school & are usually excited to be going. We just point them in the right direction & off they go; taking them there isn’t a problem.

Picking them up again afterwards, however…

I gaze with envy at the other parents walking along sedately, hand in hand with their little darling – or little darling & slightly bigger & more mature little darling – trotting along sweetly at their side.

I’m not sure what they think when they look at me. They’re probably too busy trying to avoid a flying Jake as he attempts to become the fastest 3-year-old on Earth. There’s a nasty chicane at the gate which is always trouble, then a long lane which is perfect for a little boy intent on doing his best Usain Bolt impression. The lane leads to a footpath then a busy road, & he hasn’t quite got it into his head yet that running onto roads is generally a bad idea.

There’s usually shouting.

Ellie on the other hand likes to dawdle. There are lots of little walls on the way & she sees it as her mission in life to walk on every one of them, very slowly, balancing with her arms in the air so she doesn’t fall off. Except she sometimes does. Some of the walls are in people’s gardens. “That belongs to someone else” is a sentence which just doesn’t seem to register in the world of a 3-year-old, or at least our 3-year-olds.

There’s usually shouting.

Of course I try to grab their hands on exit. They’re surprisingly quick, especially Jake, so that often doesn’t happen. Even if it does they’re also surprisingly strong & are experts at wriggling free.

We’ve tried wrist-straps, but that caused World War 3. They actually seemed genuinely hurt so we haven’t had the heart to try them again.

The one time I used the buggy, strapping them in, was during a freezing rainstorm where they seemed to accept my argument that we were doing it so I could get them to the car as quickly as possible. I’m not convinced it would work on a normal day, but that’s the plan for my next time.

I’d love to hear about the experiences of  other School Runners, especially other parents of twins. Is it smooth sailing getting them home or are yours little terrors like ours?

It seems to me to be a twin thing, but I could be wrong!

I don’t think there’s any real danger; it’s just stressful so I’d like it to be better! We always make it home more or less all in one piece, unless you count stress as an injury. Where, even if I don’t manage it, I feel like having a sleep – and when I do I hopefully won’t dream of electric sheep or unicorns ;)

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Maybe I shouldn’t have sung them the Batman song so much when they were babies…

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The Batman (TV series)

You know the one, from the great old TV series: “Da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na BATMAN!”. Subbing in “JAKEY!” or “ELLIE!”, and zooming them up in the air with their name.They loved it.

Problem is, now they seem to think they’re Superpowered.

They can do anything, go anywhere! Batman had: “To the Batmobile!”; SuperJake & SuperEllie have: ”I do it myself!”, or “I’m a big boy / girl!”.

So this morning, while we were trying to get them in the car, Ellie wants to scoot & play on the concrete in front of the house. It’s covered in ice. Mummy & Daddy: “Holy icicles, Ellie, NO! It’s too slippery, you’ll fall over!”.

Determined not to be beaten by Mr Freeze, she carries on.

Children dressed in Batman & Robin costumes, 1966

Children dressed in Batman & Robin costumes, 1966 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POW! SuperEllie slips, falls on her SuperBottom, & cries.

Another day we walked past a load of men & older boys playing football in an enclosure. ZOOM! SuperJake gets very excited & charges in full-speed, shouting “No! I’m a big boy!”, SuperLegs & SuperArms flailing, as I run in & pick him up before he gets SuperStampeded.

They are so different now than those cute, helpless little babies. They now walk, run, jump, climb & scoot. They count, & recognise letters & words. They make jokes, talk (back!) to us, & understand a lot of what we say, to them & to each other. Sentences like: “Shall we give them I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M?” – often followed by suspicious looks, & the odd “What, Mummy / Daddy?” – are commonplace here now. More on that later…

They can sing well, & make up their own songs. (My favourite is the Daddy song). Ellie’s ability to remember & repeat songs & phrases often surprises us; Jake is starting to do representational drawing – limbs, faces – & is a wiz with gadgets. More on that later…

And they have all of their own teeth, which is more than I can say!

As 2-year-olds they’re exploding with the joys of new-found abilities; it’s a fantastic period of growth & development. But their ability to recognise their own limitations seems to lag behind. They can do so much more now that they can feel like don’t have any.

It’s great being able to be a part of it, often exhausting trying to keep up.

To be fair, they are mature enough now to realise that there are actually some things they can’t yet do, & that maybe Mummy & Daddy might be right about some things. Sometimes.

Parenthood: what a ride…

To the JallieMobile!

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Music Monday: Birthday

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One of the things you lovely people out there in the blogosphere & the twitterverse may have noticed is that something I sometimes eloquently articulate upon bang on about with insightful  profundity monotonous regularity is music, my love of it, how I listen to it a lot, how my iPod Touch is now up to (just a sec…) 8,735 tracks so far, & how I should have been a singer in a rock’n'roll band. I even have a twitter account specifically for tweeting what I’m playing on my iPod, via YouTube. At least I don’t drunkenly tweet random lyrics late at night anymore as much as I used to…

So it makes sense for me to feature music in my blog. With the sad demise of Musodad’s blog I feel moved to blatantly take advantage try to pick up where he left off & do a post where I put up a few songs that have recently taken my fancy for one reason or another & write some words about them.

And… some may also have heard me mention that it’s Jallie’s 2nd Birthday today (yay!). So that gives me an obvious theme then for my first, & possibly last:

Warning: may contain traces of soppiness. I’ll try to add a little sarcasm & some bad jokes where appropriate.

Altered Images: Happy Birthday

An obvious place to start: it was either this or the Bjork-lead Sugarcubes’ “Birthday”. Altered Images’ lead singer was the scrumptious Clare Grogan: not only Gregory’s Girl, the object of Dave Lister‘s unrequited love (& the true Kochanski), but also the scourge of Craggy Island & Father Ted when she turned up there to tell him & the boys a thing or 2. So I’ll take her over Bjork any day! Also: Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” is a bit rubbish. And I don’t care if it’s about Martin Luther King.

U2: Two Hearts (Beat As One)

Say what you like about U2 & Bono, & most of us do, this is just a great rock song; from the pre-Joshua Tree “War” album. You know what I think of now when I hear this? Jake & Ellie inside their Mummy, entwined together, separate yet one, apart but together now & always, like two hearts that beat as one.

There ya go: soppiness, with rock’n'roll!

Steve Miller Band: The Joker

This was Jake’s early theme song. Yes, we give our children theme songs: doesn’t everyone? From a very early age he’s exhibited a terrific sense of humour, getting & making jokes long before we’d have thought a young child would. OK, some of the lyrics aren’t appropriate: if I find he’s a smoker or a midnight toker I may have to have words. And I don’t know what the “pompitous of love” is but I’m pretty sure I disapprove. But it’s a good song.

Elton John: Tiny Dancer

I adore this song: Elton John at his very best. It’s almost worth watching the film “Almost Famous”, about the ’70s music scene, just for the Tiny Dancer sequence. Shows the ’70s wasn’t just prog, punk & disco!

My Tiny Dancer, of course, is Ellie. This was my early theme song for her. She’s loved to dance virtually since she could stand, & has been much better at it than her Dad for at least that time. She’s always sung beautifully too.

I also used to jig her about to this, substituting in “Ellie!” & lifting her high up in the air at the appropriate moment. She loved it! Then she’d usually throw up all over me. Happy Days.

Bob Dylan: Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)

Jake’s current theme song: “Come on the juice, come on the cake: you’ll not see nothin’ like the mighty Jake”.  He has a great sense of humour; it’s sometimes a mystery where he gets it from…

Donovan: Mellow Yellow

Ellie’s current theme song: “They call her ‘Ellie-belly’ “…

I’m starting to think that the quality of the songs we choose for our children may be on the wane…

Beyoncé: Halo

From the ridiculous to…

Beyoncé: a bona-fide Superstar, supremely talented, ravishingly beautiful, jaw-droppingly sexy: you name it, she’s got it. And this song is just epic, beautiful & moving. Her music was playing in the operating theatre during their birth, & I’m pretty sure ‘Halo’ was playing as they were delivered into the world. I even gave it its own little post.

I can’t now listen to this already beautiful song without being profoundly moved. It’s Their Song. It always takes me back to those mad, magical moments when they came into the world & into our lives. They were so wanted for so long, & it took so many tears & trials before they finally became a part of us. When they did ‘it was like we’d been awakened’: “Baby, I can see your halo: you know you’re my saving grace”.

Happy Birthday, Jake & Ellie. We love you.

I warned you that there might be soppiness! I can’t think of any sarcasm or bad jokes at this point, sorry. Maybe next week…


Current State of Play: The 2nd Half

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OK, now that the boring ads are over, the band has finished playing, the cheerpersons have strutted their stuff & someone has sung very badly (sorry about that), & you’re settled down again with cups of tea / beers / absinthe etc. here now is Jallie’s State of Play: the 2nd Half!

Talking. Both say  “Daddy / Dadda” when happy & cry “Mummy / Mama” when in need of comforting. It’s not entirely clear if they know which of us is which. Jake says something like “ball”, by which he seems to mean “something I can throw”. Ellie seems to be able to say my name, & last night we think she may have said “good girl”  – the Mummy’s first words :) . They both have quite a range of noises which can be easily interpreted: happy, annoyed, excited, determined etc.

Result: A score draw

Jake 5, Ellie 5

Playing. Jake doesn’t mean to be but he can be a bit rough, especially as he’s quite a bit bigger, heavier & stronger than Ellie. He pulls her hair, out of curiosity, & tries to nick whatever she’s playing with. They used to like to wrestle – until Jake ended up on top, Ellie got a bit squished & got scared. He will quite happily play on his own though; when he isn’t tired or hungry he can be quite independent.

Ellie has recently been getting her own back by pulling his hair too, & has been known to very stealthily nick his toys also. She badly needs company though & will cry when left alone. More of a thrillseeker than Jake: loves being thrown in the air & carried on my shoulders.

Result: Ellie by a hair, or two

Jake 5, Ellie 6

Affection. Jake actively seeks out hugs, holding his arms up, then wrapping them around your neck while he puts his head on your shoulder. He also tries to give big wet kisses, but they’re best avoided. Think Homer Simpson in close-up going in for the kill with Marge – with extra drool…

Ellie is wonderfully affectionate too, especially when she’s tired & nuzzles into your shoulder for a sleep. She’s only just started looking for cuddles though.

Result: A big wet kiss for Jake

Jake 6, Ellie 6

Sense of Humour. Even from a very early age Jake has had a fantastic sense of humour. He can find fun in almost anything. He can actually genuinely make me laugh, in a proper adult way & not just a “oh how cute, look at what the little baby is doing” way.

Ellie has in the last month or so really come on in finding fun, & laughing at & making  jokes.

Result: Almost from birth his theme song was “The Joker”: the gig is Jake’s

Jake 7, Ellie 6

Sociability. Both babies are very friendly, crawling up to other adults & being friendly. Jake usually exudes a studied curiosity, but Ellie always charms with her gorgeous smile.

Result: winning by a smile, Ellie.

Jake 7, Ellie 7

Well, it was always going to be a draw wasn’t it? You can’t have favouritism with twins!

Since I started writing this – probably just to make a monkey out of me, which they’re very good at – Ellie has started standing up with no support…

 

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Current State of Play, March 2011

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Jallie had their first birthday on Saturday. I can hardly believe it; it seems like yesterday that they were just tiny, immobile, confused little things. And yet it seems like a lifetime ago.

So I thought it was about time for a joint report card, their current state of play. So here goes:

Teeth.  Jake 3 (& a bit), Ellie 4. Result: Ellie by a tooth (less a bit)

Jake 0, Ellie 1

Mobility. Jake: Can walk up to 20 steps at a time, but usually takes just a few before falling over. Can turn corners. Can stand up from the floor unaided. Very fast crawler.

Ellie: Walking for fun, can carry things around, can walk in circles & even run a few steps. Can only stand up by pulling herself up on something. Very good at squeezing into narrow spaces & crawling under things.

Result: Ellie might have to start further back but she’d win a race. Ellie by a head.

Jake 0, Ellie 2

Visuo-Spacial Skills. Jake: Very good at putting things into containers. Has learnt to      roll balls, & push as well as bash. Exceptional ball skills: can throw balls & other objects up, down & horizontally, even flip them.  Can even fool The Daddy with a ‘no-look’ pass. This is a great rugby skill that many adults never master. This makes Daddy very happy :D . Has developed a slight fixation with holes. Well, he is ‘Mini-Me‘, ahem…*

Ellie: Not really interested in any object or toy unless it can be chewed. Quite fond of chewing fingers that are attached to the The Mummy. Very good at sneaking, particularly at silently & slowly sliding pens out of my pocket while I’m lying on my back, while Jake distracts me by jumping onto my chest.

Result: A Grand Slam to Jake. A bonus point for style

Jake 2, Ellie 2

Music: Jake: Likes to DJ from the ‘Jive Bunny‘ & from ‘Thomas the Tank Engine‘ sound books for Ellie to dance to, then join in. Waves his arms in the air like he just don’t care.

Ellie: Has been a lovely little mover for months, tries to sing & loves being serenaded. My ‘Tiny Dancer’.

Result: Ellie hits the right notes. A bonus point for artistic impression.

Jake 2, Ellie 4

Sleeping. Jake was the first to sleep right through the night & is much more likely to do so. Snores very cutely.

Ellie: Has slept right through once, but usually wakes up at least once at night.

Result: A big cuddly Teddy Bear for Jake.

Jake 3, Ellie 4

Eating. Jake: Has a great appetite. Did I say something about ‘Mini-Me’? Has to be about to burst, asleep or offered Jelly before refusing food.  Favourite foods include: sweetcorn, peas, chick peas, banana, pears, & apple & cinnamon desert. Likes to be spoon-fed but also finger-feeds himself.

Ellie: She usually eats well but is already a fussy eater. A favourite food one day can be refused the next. Even if it gets in her mouth it will come straight back out if she doesn’t want it. Shares her brother’s annoying habit of eating corn kernels & peas 1 at a time. Likes to feed herself, but also eats from a spoon. Has recently started to feed herself with a spoon, although she holds it upside-down.

Result: A very big fat banana for Jake

Jake 4, Ellie 4

Well, this is exciting isn’t?! I hadn’t anticipated this post being so long, so let’s pause for these ‘messages from our sponsors’; the 2nd half will begin shortly…

*When I was little I was totally obsessed with “oles”. I’d crawl for miles to find them – a crack in a wall, a rubber band, anything – then excitedly stick my finger in them & repeatedly shout “ole!” to my parents. I’m sure they found it delightful. For the first hundred times. Feel free to interpret that however you like…


 


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The Gallery: Expressions

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Waving & clapping

“Expressions” is the theme this week for Tara Cain’s Gallery over at Sticky Fingers.

A recurring theme of my recent posts is how quickly the twins seem to be growing up & developing. In the last 2 weeks they’ve both said their first words, taken their first steps, & walked for the first time. Today Ellie took 5 steps, & Jake 3. Jake also stood up from the floor with no support.

Right from early on they’ve had lively, & quite distinct, personalities. In the early months about the only way they could express themselves was by crying. Now they seem to come up with a new way of expressing themselves nearly every day.

Not only do they smile, laugh, frown,  pout, roar, growl, but they also wave &  clap  – as in the above photo. They’ll do so copying us, but also spontaneously: Ellie claps when she gets excited, but also in response to sound. If she hears applause or laughter from the radio or TV, she will also clap. When we or a toy ‘says’ “Hello” she’ll wave. She also dances in response to music: she’s already a lovely little mover, my “Tiny Dancer”.

They seem to have their mini version of the ‘Haka’, with chest-beating & thigh-slapping.

They are expert raspberry blowers;  they ‘wibble‘ & ‘puck’ with their lips. Jake especially has a great sense of humour, & laughs a lot. They both not only ‘get’ jokes, but also make them: with us, & with themselves.

They get more expressive every day, & I love it :)  

There may be laughter, tears, tantrums, cheers, smiles, frowns, jumpings up & down: who knows? So why not head over to the Gallery to see more artists’ Expressions (click the pic.):

Jallie vs Jelly

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I can’t believe it’s finally happened!

We seem to have actually found food that Jake won’t eat!

I’m in shock.

And ironically: it’s jelly.

Apparently he doesn’t trust the way it moves.

Ellie on the other hand – usually the fussier one – likes it.

P.S.: do you like their new ‘bibs’? We do: they’re plastic & easy to clean! Jake’s a cowboy; I’m not sure what Ellie is.


http://www.wikio.co.uk

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Jake & Ellie’s DIY Project: Shapes

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Tara’s Gallery theme this week over at Sticky Fingers is “Shapes”. And what a great theme it is!

OK, so this week I’m cheating. A bit. OK: quite a bit. It’s hard, though, right? To just choose 1 photo when there are so many to choose from? And I’ve been really good lately! Mainly.

I did have in mind to have just a single photo too, but when I saw the photos I had (all taken today, by the way) I just knew I had to do something a bit different.

Hopefully you’ll see why…

"OK Jake, Daddy's given us this DIY Project to do: Shapes. Now, I've got the Manual, so are you paying attention?"

"Right. Now, let's see..." "Well, let's have a look then!"

"Hehehe - I found Daddy's shoe!"

"I'm getting the other one!"

 

"You, you...took my book!" "Yes, you weren't taking it seriously. I'll take it from here. You just sit there & play with the ... thing""

 

"And what are you looking at, Daddy?! She was trying to steal your shoe!"

"No, Daddy, I don't need your help! Go away - I can do this by myself!!"

"I think..."

"Right, now, let's see..." "Ummm, Jake..."

 

"Right - WHAT?!" "Um, Jake - the book's upside-down...."

"Oh, yeah.... I knew that. Look: just go away, smarty-pants!"

 

"Right, let's see: 'Insert shape B into hole A'..."

",,,and take shape C..."

Some time later….

"Yay!! I've worked it out!"

"Now where did I put that Allen key?"

"Where's the Allen key, Daddy?" "Hehe - I've got Daddy's pen..."

"Nope! I'm not doing any more until you find my Allen key..."

"OH, I'M SICK OF THIS &%*@!! D.I.Y. PROJECT!! I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT ANYWAY!!"

"And your stupid book's got a hole in it, Daddy..."

"And you! You made me look stupid: you're gonna get it! RAWRR!!"

Oh well; at least they tried…

Why not have at look at all other entries on Shapes in this week’s Gallery: it never fails to disappoint.

http://www.wikio.co.uk

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The Great Escape

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This is a follow-up really to my last update Viva La Difference: I Get Around about how the twins have developed so differently & individually, in this case to do with their mobility.

Well Jake definitely seems to be the leader of this little gang: not only is he now crawling, standing & climbing as well as Ellie  – but he’s now become very good at opening doors.

We live in a house with ‘character’: which is Estate Agent-speak  for “old”. (I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Mañana Mama’s ‘Dear So & So’ to Estate Agents). This means, among many other things, that some of the doors don’t shut fully. Including in the lounge, which is now the twins’ downstairs playroom (trans.: where we can watch them while we get to watch some TV…).  It’s not healthy for them to be in the upstairs nursery all the time they’re inside anyway, even though their cots & changing table are there or in adjacent rooms.

A baby figuring out how to crawl can get them very excited, & ours are no different. Suddenly a whole new world has become available to them: & they want to see it all, & NOW! So when they see a door with “something unknown” just visible behind it, trying to get there seems to become an irresistible urge.

He’s honed his technique, but basically it involves grabbing the edge of the door until it moves. If he finds he’s in the way he has the nous to move himself & try again until – TADA! – he can crawl through.

I originally had in mind to have 1 of these photos for Mocha Beanie Mummy’s Silent Sunday, but then I realised it should be anything but silent. In fact I think it’s pretty much required to listen to this (Spotify), or on Grooveshark while watching.

So crank up the volume, feel free to whistle, refresh the screen to restart the show, & enjoy

‘Jallie’s Great Escape’.

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In case you’re wondering why the floorboards are in such a state, the story (in part) is here

Viva La Difference: I Get Around

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Back in November I did a ‘What’s Been Happening Over the Last 6 Months While I Haven’t Been Making Proper Posts’ post called “This Blog is Pointless“.  It was about how much the twins had changed in that time, with lots of pictures of course.

I said there “It just goes to show that babies, even twins, develop at very different rates & in different ways. In fact, that’s probably a subject for another post…”. And I always meant to do it, just haven’t had/made the opportunity.

Well, as I will probably have inscribed on my tombstone, “better late then never”. So this, dear reader, is that post.

For the first 3-4 months of their lives they couldn’t do much else but lie on their backs. In July, at about 4 months,  they started rolling onto their fronts. After that they gradually found themselves able to lie on their sides, then move around by rolling.

Then things changed. Around late October, at about 7 1/2 months, Ellie started sitting up by herself. Jake would stay sitting if plonked on his bum but couldn’t do it himself.

Then Ellie started crawling.

Then, on November 4th, she stood up. She managed to pull herself up in her cot to a standing position by leaning on the rail. I still remember how shocked I was.

Poor little Jake,  (I say ‘little’; he weighs a ton compared to Ellie),  was still lying on his belly, kicking his little legs, arms outstretched,  & rocking vigourously while hyperventilating. He then seemed to get a bit confused as to why he wasn’t moving! He seemed quite happy about it, & to be honest, it was really funny to watch – so none of us minded.

Well it works in the swimming pool doesn't it?!

Ellie then, quite frankly, just started showing off. She started trying to climb, bear-walking style:

If the Daddy won't move to Eleanor, Eleanor will move to the Daddy

Every time she spotted an open door she would zoom towards it with incredible acceleration, with a determination that would flatter an Olympic athlete:

Held back from the Abyss by the Hand of Mum

She could support herself with 1 hand while trying to take a step:

"Look, Ma - one hand!"

She even tried to climb into the TV (& it looks like rugby presenter Simon Lazenby has a new fan…):

"Don't go towards the light!"

This is how it was at the time: at a music / play group while Jake was rolling around noisily trying to nick other babies’ toys, Ellie was sitting quietly on a cushion, looking like ‘butter wouldn’t melt’. Then the leader turned off the music;  she straight away jumped up & crawled right across the room at top speed to yell at the tape player. I guess she was enjoying the music! Afterwards, by the way, just as the music stopped again Jake – right on cue – blew a huge raspberry. Not such a fan then, I guess.

Then, just before Christmas, Something Changed. Maybe Ellie went just that little bit too far with her Gangsta-stylee pants exposing taunt

"These young people! Why do they have to wear their trousers so low? How do they even walk?!"

Whatever it was Jake just suddenly seemed to get fed up with Ellie getting around so quickly & easily while he could only twist & roll. So he started to sit himself up:

See: The World's Youngest Strongman!

crawl:

"Oh no you don't - this toy's mine!"

And finally (“Anything you can do I can do better!”) pull himself up to a standing position:

Howdy neighbour!

It seems amazing to me that twin babies born only 2 minutes apart can develop at such different rates.

After being behind for so long Jake has now clearly pulled ahead. He’s now very good at opening doors that aren’t properly shut: which lead to The Great Escape. But that’s for another post & another time, I think :)

Title courtesy of The Beach Boys. And France

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