Potty
I've managed to catch Zoë a couple of times when she needed to poo and gotten her to go in the potty. She's perfectly happy to sit there and do her thing, and she's even said, "do a poo" a couple of times (only when on the potty, not before).
The trick is going to be persuading her that it's preferable to use the potty and to get her to actually tell us she needs to go...
Ah, well. I was a late potty trainer and so was Andrew, and we both managed to work it out eventually, so I'm not going to stress over it.
Still, it's good that she's used the potty a couple of times and that she's happy doing that.
Chinese
I was in the kitchen preparing dinner (in the slow cooker, which I love because I don't have to rush around at the last minute). The girls were watching a video, or at least, it was on. Suddenly, I hear the TV change channels. Zoë was standing near it, and had apparently been pushing buttons.
I was up to my elbows in food preparation, so I couldn't do anything about it at that moment. I said, "Zoë, what did you do?" (so she'd know that her fiddling had caused the change). Then I said, "Well, I'm busy here, so I guess we're going to watch whatever you've just put on until I'm done."
Turns out it was a show designed to teach Chinese language, but it had the colors and demeanor of a child's program (it might be aimed at children, in fact). Zoë was actually fascinated by it, and stood watching it carefully, and then she started repeating the Chinese words along with the presenters!
I just wish she'd speak English a little better, let alone Chinese...
Affectionate kid
Zoë is a very sweet, affectionate kid. She gives me cuddles all the time, and lately she's been giving kisses by putting her hands on either side of my face and kissing me on the mouth making a "Mmmmmuuuuuhhh!" noise (very cute). She cuddles and kisses her baby sister and Daddy, too.
Yesterday, she curled up on my lap and we were having a snuggle and she looked up at me and said, "Ahyah oo", which pretty clearly means "I love you." It's the first time she's said it to me spontaneously (although she's said "love you, too" from time to time).
Talk talk
Zoë's speech is really taking off. She says all kinds of things now. Today she was singing (in correct rhythm), "kack kack kack doo, kack kack kack doo" which is, of course, The Wiggles' song, the chorus of which goes, "Quack, quack quack quack, cockadoodle doo".
Earlier, she got a packet of medicine (one of the foil sheets that you push the tablets out of) and I told her, "No. Give me that." She handed it to me and said, "Midakane." You see, I always tell her when she gets hold of something of that sort that it's "not for little girls" because it's "medicine". "Midikane" is Zoëspeak for "medicine".
Lately when we tell her something like "get down" or "leave it alone" or "give me that" she repeats it back at us, sometimes angrily. Occasionally she'll actually start crying something like, "leave it alone, leave it alone, leave it alone," as if her little heart is just breaking because that's what we told her to do (which wasn't what SHE wanted to do).
I must say, though, she's a real delight these days. Almost-three is such a nice age, and much more manageable than two-and-a-bit. She's just a lovely little girl, and we're very lucky to have her, and we tell her so frequently. It's important to know things like that, I think.
Bandages
I got a bit of a nosebleed today, and so I did the thing people do when they have a nosebleed. I put one of those oh-so-attractive wads of tissue in my nostril.
Zoë saw it and frowned, and then laughed at me and tried to pull it out of my nose. I told her to leave it alone, that I wanted it there. She frowned at me again and then, very thoughtfully, touched the bandage she has on her own forehead and then looked back at me.
Of course, I told her she was exactly right. It's a sort of bandage.
Is this a clever girl, or what?
Update on that injury
Zoë stayed awake quite late. She watched all of the movie and then her dad put her to bed, but she stayed awake for a long time, talking to herself, singing, playing quietly in her bed. I went in and checked on her a few times, and she was quietly awake and smiled at me and let me tuck her in (she really enjoys that).
She also slept quite late (not that I'm complaining!), and once awake, she ate a nice breakfast and then led me to the fridge to pick out a drink to have (she wanted juice). She's been skipping and playing ever since, so it seems she's no worse for wear.
I think she mostly got a big scare and a bad bump (she's got quite a goose egg on her forehead, in fact), and the scrapes. She's even left the bandages alone.
Unfortunately, I think it was just a lesson she had to learn. Don't climb out or lean out of your cot or you might fall on your head!
Accident
We just put Zoë to bed after a bath and having her teeth cleaned. A few minutes later I heard a crash and Zoë start to yell, and Andrew ran in to find out what happened. Seems she fell out of her cot onto her head!
She's lately gotten into the habit of reaching out of the cot to get things off the nearby bookshelf. This time, I guess she didn't judge the distance well, because she apparently lost her balance and tumbled out. She landed on a heavy cardboard box that she had previously pulled off the shelf. The box is pretty much smashed now.
As for the toddler, she's got a couple of big scrapes on her head and a big lump on her forehead. We managed to get it cleaned and covered with appropriate bandages, and to get her to have a dose of pain reliever. As I write this, she's sitting on Daddy's lap watching Toy Story 2. His hand is on her sore forehead. She won't let him take it off (earlier, when I was the one holding her, she put my hand there).
I can't say I'm that surprised that she did this. I've been preparing a new picture gallery system and in the process I've gone over all the old pictures, and I've noticed that in about two-thirds of them from the age of about nine months, Zoë's got a bruise somewhere on her forehead.
Showertime!
Zoë had a shower with me today. In the past, she hasn't really liked the idea much, but last week I took her in the shower for pure expediency (she and I both needed washing and didn't want to run a bath), and while she complained a lot at first, she eventually got to where she thought it was okay.
Today, she complained at first, but she got in the shower willingly and let me wash her hair and everything. She seemed to enjoy the really fragrant peach and mango scented foaming shower gel. I found out later that I didn't get all the conditioner out of her hair, but we're making good progress. Soon, she should be quite comfortable having a shower and that'll save a lot of time and energy (and water, probably).
Talking talking happy talk
She's turned into a little chatterbox. I always thought that once she actually started talking, she wouldn't stop, and I was right. She chatters on all the time now (although we can't always understand what the heck she's talking about).
Her latest thing is to echo everything we say to her. If I say, "Zoë, come out of there!" the little voice says, "Zoë, outta dere!" just as an example. And last night when her dad came home she ran into the kitchen and chattered at him like a little magpie.
The cutest lately, though is how she pronounces Miranda's name. Apparently, and Zoë is quite persistent in this, our younger daughter is called, "Ah-dee-dah".
Playground
We went for a walk today as a family. First we walked to the milk bar (sort of a little convience store, for those of you who don't recognize the term "milk bar") and got a bottle of water. Andrew went in with Zoë while I stayed outside with the pram. When they came out, Zoë had a free lolly that the sales clerk had given her, apparently just because Zoë's so darned cute.
Then we walked down to the primary (elementary) school, which had the gates open. The playground there is covered with nice, big sunscreens so we went in and Zoë had a play. She's a bit too small for most of the stuff there, but she did very much enjoy the slide, once she caught on to how it worked. She was also very interested in the soft bark pieces on the ground.
On the walk to and back, she was fascinated with the many tiny daisies that are springing up all over in yards and on the nature strips. She picked a number of them, spinning them in her fingers. One of them she pulled out all the petals (we don't know if he loves her or loves her not; she kept that to herself).
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