Born at 27 weeks Esther and William are now 20 months, soon to be 21 month old older siblings to a brand new baby sister.

I am not sure how they are going to take to the newest Henley squidger but I am hoping it will be positive for all.

This blog has been so pregnancy focused over the last few weeks that poor Esther and William have not had much of a look in. Today I am going to rectify that by updating you on their progress.

The headline is that they are both doing really well. They are now confident walkers and proper little talkers. With Esther in particular you can have a proper conversation.

They have so many words and are beginning to put them together in simple phrases and sentences.

They love saying hello and bye bye to everything.

Hello chair, Bye Bye chair. Esther is obsessed with chairs. She likes to try out every available seating option and tries using different things as chairs from a Duplo brick to a teddy bear.

William is obsessed with wheels. Wheels on cars, buses, tractors and trucks. He can say all of these words and also ice cream van. We have to be very careful about using the word car unless we are planning to go out because once the seed is planted of a ride in the car for William then you do have to go.

We are trying to get out walking most days and they both love it! We do not often get very far but they love finding flowers and sticks and stones. They love pottering around and quite literally finding their feet.

They do not really enjoy being in the buggy anymore which I can see is going to cause some problems once new baby is here and I am trying to get out and about with all three of them.

In the house, both Esther and William now love helping. If I am getting ready to go out they will find my shoes and then quickly search out Dada’s shoes even if he is not able to come with us. Esther collects nappies and wipes on demand and can undress both herself and William. I think she is going to be Mummy’s little helper when Matilda Bump arrives.

This term we have not been able to attend many classes as Esther and William have been going through a massive change of routine. They have stopped their early morning nap and have gradually pushed their sleep to 12.00 most days. They are sleeping really well during the day for anything up to two hours. At night they now have tea at 6.00pm and go to bed after their bath at about 7.00pm. The result of this is that we are now not getting up most days until past 8.00am. Today for example it was 9.00 before we were all up and downstairs. Bliss!

Esther and William are real sticklers for routine. They know when it is Tumble Time on TV for example and they know that with Mr Tumble comes a mid morning snack. If I forget William will run to the kitchen and stand their shouting Snack! Snack! It is very funny and keeps me on the ball. They also know that after In The Night Garden it is time to get into their sleeping bags, have a cuddle and a drink before going up to bed. They are also learning that to have one box of toys out another box has to be packed away. They really are quite clever little things!

Esther and William love the park. They love swings and slides best of all and are both very adventurous. Esther likes to stand up on the seesaw and she also likes to try things that should really only be attempted by older, bigger children. William has no fear and slips down slides head first quite happily. Esther is more safety conscious on the slide and always comes down backwards on her tummy. They have also discovered the joys of soft play and love climbing and sliding and swimming in balls! Out on the grass they can now confidently kick a ball and are learning to throw too.

At home we have started doing some simple crafts such as crayoning and painting. Esther loves drawing and has more patience for it than William. Both of them still have a tendency to eat their implements rather than use them for art but we are making steady progress and I am certain this will be helped after Easter when we start at the local toddler group and rejoin Twins Club. They will be able to experience more structured activities with other children and I think that they are more than ready for this.

As part of their routine Esther and William love tidying up. One of their best friends is our hoover, Henry. When he comes out to do his thing both babies excitedly exclaim, Hey Henry! It really is very cute. They love cleaning their tables with wipes and William has been found cleaning a toy car. Sometimes William’s eagerness to tidy cuts short a game or activity. With Mega Bloks for example he likes getting them out just so that he can put them away again, joyfully shouting BACK! with each brick that is returned to the bag.

Every day with Esther and William is wonderful at the moment. They are learning so much and changing each and every day. I feel so honoured and proud that they are mine. Both David and I love teaching them things and sharing things. They are a delight to be around but they are exhausting!

And with adventure comes injury. William fell and bit through his top lip this week whilst clambering on a climbing frame. Esther gave William a black eye by hitting him with a plastic steering wheel. Esther grazed her face when she fell on a walk at Center Parcs.

But I know that this is part and parcel of life and a toddler, though it does not stop me feeling like a bad mummy at the time. Especially when there is blood. So much blood!

My children are just wonderful and I love them both, soon to be all, very much indeed.