We finally got it done! My mom came with me to the mall today and Veronika got her ears done. She didn't do too bad, she just hated being restrained. They wanted me to hold her head and arms so they could mark her ears before piercing them and she really hated that part. They also wanted to pierce both ears at the same time, but that turned impossible with Nika turning her head side-to-side. So this part she really hated, but from the actual procedure, she screamed for maybe 1 minute. I picked white flowers with a blue centre for her (Natasha's were the same, except pink flowers with a white centre). 

This morning I was getting dressed in the bathroom when I heard Natasha whining in her bedroom; she woke up and wanted out of the crib. Well, I was like, 'I will just finish up quickly and go get her in a sec...' But then the next thing I heard was a loud crash from her room... I quickly ran into her bedroom, only to find her standing on the floor! Ah!!! We both couldn't believe it. She seemed to be okay, just slightly shaken-up and confused, but when she saw me she broke down and started crying. I think she couldn't believe she did it either... Her right cheek had a red spot on it so she probably did hurt herself a bit.

We later spent some time figuring out how she managed to escape and came to the conclusion that she must have placed her feet on top of the bumper, and used that height to swing her legs over the railing. She then dropped into the red cylinder toy bin next to her bed, which explained why it was all bent over. What a monkey.

We removed the bumpers for the time being, but needless to say, it's time for a toddler bed. So this evening we placed an order for a Dorel Natural-Finish Toddler Bed from Sears. It should be delivered next Wed, July 9th. I am planning on getting her a brand new Dora-the-Explorer themed toddler bedding set which should make the transition much smoother (hopefully!)

We're so not ready for this..

21-Month old craziness! :D

Things Natasha is terrified of:

• 911 sirens
• Air Conditioner
• Fan
• Vacuum Cleaner
• Drilling
• Thunderstorms
• Food Blender

What's in common here?
Loud noises.
Right.

I think it's going to be a long, long road before she overcomes these. Poor kiddo.

Last week I recorded some videos on my camera of Natasha & Veronika. Well, I was watching them today with Natasha right from my camera on the little screen and in one of the videos there is Veronika sitting in the bouncy chair and Natasha walking around her. Well, in the video I am saying, "Natasha, go give Nika a kiss." And then Natasha is walking towards Veronika and leaning to give her a kiss.. well, at that same time as we're watching, Natasha leans over right to the little screen and gives her sister (or the screen) a huge wet, sloppy kiss!! LOL. Yuck!!

One of Natasha's favourite breakfasts beside scrambled eggs, cornflakes with milk, or oatmeal are pancakes! Last night I made Natasha 26 mini yogurt pancakes. She LOVES pancakes for breakfast, and it's also a great way to get yogurt into a picky toddler. Today she ate 3 of them for breakfast with strawberry jam. And the rest I layered in a large plastic container between pieces of wax paper and froze for later use. I love Annabel Karmel's First Meals book, and the recipe below is taken from there:

Yogurt Pancakes

Prep: 10 minutes; cooking: 2 minutes
Makes 8 portions

1. 1 egg, lightly beaten
2. 2/3 cup mild, full-fat natural yogurt
3. 2/3 cup milk
4. 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
5. 1/4 tsp salt, OR 2 tbsp maple syrup (for sweeter version)
6. Vegetable oil for frying

Mix together the beaten egg and the yogurt, then stir in the milk, flour, and salt or maple syrup. Mix until you have a smooth batter.
Heat a little oil in frying pan until sizzling hot. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the pan, leaving plenty of space around each one, and flatten slightly with a spatula. They should spread about 6cm (2.5 inches) across.
Cook 1-2 minutes until lightly browned, then turn and cook another 1-2 minutes until browned on the other side and set in the centre.
Drizzle maple syrup over pancakes or serve with fresh fruit or berries (strawberries, raspberries, sliced peaches, etc.)

*I added golden raisins to mine.

Our once ever-happy toddler seems to have entered the terrible-two's stage three months too early. What happened to our sweet little girl?

The child who has always been happy and eager to try new things has turned into a very impatient and frustrated little person. Natasha is now at a point where she has these mood swings that turn her from happy to unhappy in about one second. If she isn't satisfied with something, or if you ask her the same question more than once, she gets frustrated to the point where she lets out an ear-piercing scream, her mood changes, she begins crying, whining, clinging to you... and it then becomes very difficult to pull her out of that mood. She's also started hating diaper and clothes changes; she runs away and screams at the mention of changing her diaper or clothes. Ugh. And don't even attempt to ask her twice whether she'd like more food... the first time she replies, "no", the second time she throws a tantrum.

She hasn't started throwing herself on the floor like many toddlers this age do, and I hope that this is as far as she goes, but you never know... we're hoping this stage passes quickly, but something's telling me we're in it for the long-term!

Today I convinced Veronika into doing a serious photo-shooting session for me. She happily agreed!

I think it turned out kinda cute!

Natasha's been giving us these super long naps lately. Yesterday we spent the entire morning at home and she napped for 3.5 hours. Today, after her music class in the morning which tires her out, she went for a nap around 11:15am - it's now 3:15pm and she's still out! That's 4 hours... what's going on?? Must be a big growth spurt. I will enjoy it while it lasts!

I honestly don't know how we would've survived our second baby without a swing! Veronika won't nap anywhere else during the day, but her swing! I guess it goes back to her Reflux problem (which is now resolved) and wanting to be prepped up... she most likely got used to napping in that position and now won't give it up. Oh well. She sleeps perfectly fine in her bassinet during the night.

Did I mention Natasha hated the swing and never slept there??

On a different note, she's started consuming a lot more milk lately too... she now takes up to 150ml (about 5oz) per feeding, and eats every 3-4 hours during the day. Not bad at all.. these BPA Free BornFree bottles and Enfamil Gentlease are really working for her. However, she won't take a soother which is a big PITA at times. Oh well, maybe later...

And on another entirely different note - I am planning on getting her ears pierced very soon! Maybe by the end of this month. I can't wait... just have to call the jewelry store and schedule an appointment.