summertime

We are now living downstairs - the kitchen has gone in and we've moved the TV downstairs too. It means that Zack can watch whatever he likes (of course within reason) NOT in our bedroom. That means one of us can sleep in, without the fighting that used to take place outside the bedroom door, to keep one 3 year old quiet. Bliss !
It also means that we're no longer eating in the study and washing up in the bathroom which is jolly nice indeed.
Zack has been in transition again (boy, does this ever slow down) which means that he's had moments where he's a complete handful and won't listen to anything, sticks his tongue out and shouts "NO!" at us; but he is also delightful and tells me that he wants to marry me (Yikes, the Oedipal complex has kicked in). There has been a sudden cognitive blooming - he is getting all sorts of ideas together with the vocabulary necessary for communicating them. It's really amazing watching the changes. He is still as bossy as ever : today we were building train-tracks, and I asked if I could fix the 'design'. A while later he said to me, "You can play with my trains Mummy, but you must never, ever change my tracks. OK!?!"
It's now summer holidays which means no more Enjoy-a-Ball classes until September, which will be sorely missed. The upside is that in September he will be joined by more children - a bigger class (than the current 3).
Something I'm struggling with is the reward for good/bad behaviour. On the one hand I want Zack to realise that toys are valuable and don't grow on trees. But also that when he gets things we need to value them - they don't just get replaced when they get broken or thrown away. But at the same time, there's the pressure of developmental needs and I feel like it's time to buy him a bike. Perhaps it could be a carrot for good behaviour.. but what ?
Calvin is getting around quite a bit - he's just using two arms and a knee but it's enough to get him from one side of the room to another, especially if there are wires to be reached and pulled. Phone chargers are in danger.
Zack is none too gentle with his little brother so I need to keep an eye on them, altho' Calvin now yells if his brother holds his hand or foot - an alarm of sorts.
Calvin is trying to drop his afternoon sleep, and it makes life quite hard as he gets so tired by 4pm that he's inconsolable. Tut tut - that's little tots for you. He's participating more and more in conversations and we've graduated from da-da-da to ma-ma and na-na, and also deee-th. I guess that means "dad-ee" is around the corner.
Unlike his brother, Calvin cannot bear a moment with a poo in his nappy, so he has a special "poo cry", which means 'Take it away!'. Pretty useful.