6 months... already?!!

**You'd better get a cuppa... this post turned out alot longer than first anticipated!!! Oh yeah, some toilet talk in there too**

This year has gone so incredibly fast, I can't believe we're into August already!!! So... what's changed in 6 months?

*Tari is trying to talk all the time! She still doesn't say alot, (that actually makes sense!) but she's verbalising, and thats good!
*Tari does a wee on the toilet before every bath, and has done 3 poos too! I'll wait til the weather warms up a bit, before I really start trying the toilet training.
*Tari is INTO EVERYTHING! I've been sick, for about 3 months now - first with whooping cough, and last week, I got a virus that was like gastro & a head cold, in one. It was disgusting. (I was swabbed for swine flu - but was negative... that's something to be thankful for!!!) Anyway, being so sick, and trying to look after a toddler.... is REALLY REALLY hard. I could barely stay awake for more than about 10 mins at a time, Tari would whack me, to wake me up!! Poor kid, she just wanted to play - I just couldn't keep my eyes open! At one point, I'd shut the toilet door, to chuck, Tari pulled ALL the tissues out of the tissue box. Another time, she raided the kitchen cupboard, and pulled all the musli bars out, and all the ziplock bags out of the box (of 100!). I did the vaccuuming yesterday (we have ducted vac. so it has a really long, 18m hose) - Tari follows along after me - either treading on, or tripping on the cord, so was crying every 2 minutes, and when she wasn't doing that, she'd go into the rooms, I'd just cleaned, and pull everything out of the cupboards! (she LOVES the bathroom cupboard, and my shoes... so annoying!!!). OH, and she's pulled all the toilet paper off the roll... but then tears it up into tiny pieces.
SO, as much as I adore this child beyond comprehension... she frustrates me so much, sometimes!!!
*Everything takes 5 times longer. Running into the post office to get stamps. Popping into the pharmacy to pick up a script. The Bank. Food shopping (coz she'll kick off a shoe, and I need to retrace my steps - she's lost her left shoe from two pairs, in the last week alone!) Grrr!!! AND they were really cute China shoes. Double Grrrr!!!!
*She's got lots more teeth, even getting back teeth now! But I think I'll need to take her to a paediatric dentist. Her teeth are growing behind each other, and her bottom jaw still overlaps her top jaw, and her bottom teeth rub on her top front teeth, and have made a groove in her tooth! (she had that when we first met, but I think its getting worse)
*Tari has become a food conissuer, and can be really fussy about what she eats. She will ALWAYS want something of what you're eating.
*There is no doubt, she understand everything we say to her. I poured a lemonade yesterday, she stood at my feet squawking like a seagull, I said "Get your cup" - and pointed to it on the coffee table. She wandered into the lounge room, but I didn't think she knew what I'd said. A few seconds later, she appeared at my feet with her cup!!! (BTW, I do one quarter lemonade the rest water... just in case you wanted to harrass me for giving a one year old soft drink!!!)
*Tari LOVES the phone. She's obsessed with it. She'll even hold a biscuit to her head, and start babbling!!! I think she's going to be in communications?!!
*She is the absolute champion of sleeping. Tari sleeps a good 12-13 hours at night, and another 2-3 hours during the day..... maybe that's way she's so busy when she's awake?!!!
*Tari is STILL petrified of our dogs. She isn't so worried about Chewy (coz he's a little terrier), but is TERRIFIED of Milo (a large spoodle). Milo is still a pup, and has no common sense at all - he'll just go bounding over to her, and has licked her on her face before - she shook with fear, and screamed... but no sound came out... she was that scared! We take her outside with the dogs, everyday. I guess she's marginally better. But most of the time, she just screams. I used to stand her at the laundry door (its a glass door) so she could see me, and see the dogs, but not have them near her.... but now she's developed a fear for the washing machine as well!!!! So she screams in there, too!!!
*Tari is starting to sing! Its so cute! We sing Twinkle twinkle little star, row row row your boat, if you're happy and you know it, mostly. As soon as we start singing, she'll do the actions. Yesterday, she was in her high chair and started "Row row row row row row"... so its not perfect! But its so cute!
*Tari has HAIR! But now that she has hair, I have to decide what to do with it!!! Fringe, or no fringe?!! Side part? Its really hard, coz her hair grows from the back of her head, forward. I think I'll ask my hairdresser, what will be best!
*H-man was having a bath with Tari the other night, and asked what the purple spots were on her bottom. (mongolian spots) - I think thats funny! She's been home 6 months, and he's only just asking that now?!! Maybe he thought it was a bruise... but they never went away?!!

*Tari loves to scream. Like, peel the wallpaper off the walls, kinda pitch. Its unreal! She particularly likes to do it in the car. Maybe she likes the acoustics? Or maybe its just that I've just picked up the older two, and am talking to them... she feels the need to be heard? Whatever the reason, its incredibly annoying!!! Sometimes its so loud, my ears hurt, and I can't concentrate on driving!!! (its not usually a short scream either... it usually goes on for a good minute or so!!!)
*The kids all get on so well. Miss M, is a godsend. She is such a great big sister. The only time we have any issues, is in the car! Tari doesn't like anyone to touch her carseat!!! (and she's in the middle) - so if H-man leans on it - she freaks out! But she gets him back... when he's playing his DS, she'll pull his hair, or put her fingers on the screen... then he starts screaming!!!

Life is good. I'm sick of being sick. And I have days where I'm totally "over" the toodlerhood stage. But hey... that is life, right?!!