We did end up buying the girls a Home Depot tool set from TRU. They LOVE it. When we showed it to Natasha at the store, she pretty much forgot about any other toys she previously wanted, and only wanted the tool set. Naturally, Veronika loves it too.

The girls have been playing together really well lately, and so we usually let them be during those times. Their room is safe for them to play and they're allowed to play there unsupervised. Of course, we check-in on them, but we also give them their space. Well, on Friday they were playing together incredibly well in their room while we watched some TV in the living room. Next thing we hear Natasha loudly exclaiming, "I am washing Nika's hair!".

Matthew asked me if he should even dare go there… When he did go in, Veronika was sitting on the floor while Natasha stood over her, holding a drink-n-toss sippy cup full of cranberry juice, and happily pouring it over her sister’s head. She explained to us that she was washing her sister’s hair.

We really didn’t know whether to laugh or get angry… after all, she was just trying to help.

Almost every day when we put Natasha down for either her nap or for bedtime, the child must find a reason to come out of her room at least once. She doesn’t do it every day, but she does more so than not. And it’s usually pretty funny because we can clearly tell, that to her, the reason is important; even though all-in-all, she really is just looking for a reason to come out. Here is her typical list:

1. “I have to go on the potty!” (never actually goes… just sits to pass time).

2. “You forgot a sticker!” (these are her “rewards” for going potty before bedtime, even though she never actually asks for them during the day anymore).

3. “I need another blanket!” (I gave her an extra blanket on the few cold days we had before the heat was turned on, and it became a habit… she’s not allowed to have them anymore because she wakes up all sweaty and she knows it too… but must ask!)

4. “I want a drink!” (this is usually when we forget to leave a sippy-cup of water on her dresser for the night).

This is one of those things where you have to pick your battles. She doesn’t fight sleep at all after all of the above has been completed, so we don’t fight her on it. It’s frustrating and cute all at the same time. :)

Happy 18 Months sweet baby girl!

Veronika got her last set of vaccines today for quite some time. She did wonderful. She’s 24.5 lbs (11.12 kg) and is growing like a weed.

 
Home Depot – Pro Contractor Playset

So today I was telling Matthew (and only 1/2 joking) that we need to get Natasha a tool set. Everyone already knows that she isn’t a doll-girl, she’s a car/train/bus kinda girl. Which is fine by me since I don’t believe in buying only gender-specific toys for kids. But I also don’t encourage my girls to play with “boyish-toys”, it’s something they choose on their own. But for the last couple of days, Natasha has been using a thick chalk as a pretend-screwdriver – she inserts it into the holes on her Thomas trains where the screws go and twists and turns them around. She explained to me that she’s “fixing the choo-choo, like Papa.”

I honestly think she would LOVE a tool set. So we’ll see.
Veronika, on the other hand, loves baby dolls… she carries them around, feeds them, and calls them “baby”, all the while loving Thomas trains too. Right now I think she likes both equally, but Natasha definitely prefers boyish-toys to dolls.