It's been an up and down week for Ola and James Jordan with their three-year-old daughter Ella, who has been both perfectly behaved and a right little terror!
The former Strictly Come Dancing stars told HELLO! all about little Ella's sometimes challenging behaviour in their exclusive parenting column below, and also filled us in on their concern for their daughter's hearing, which they got tested last week.
WATCH: Ella goes to Build-A-Bear for her birthday
Read about the Jordans' family news here…
Ella has a hearing test
Ola: We took Ella for a hearing test as we've been worried about her hearing lately after her chronic ear infection that left her hardly able to hear. She often says, 'Eh?' when she talks to us.
James: The ladies were really lovely at the clinic. There was one lady in the room doing all the testing and the noises, and then another lady with Ella. They put these buds in her ears to check both ears were working properly – it was actually really clever and they do it through play, by putting toys in boxes and things like that.
Ella was so good. We thought it might be a nightmare because she's been so naughty recently but she listened and did what she was told.
Ola: With Ella, when you keep her busy and give her something to do, she's alright. It's when she gets bored, that's when she's naughty I've noticed.
MORE: Exclusive: Why Strictly's James Jordan is teaching Ella, 2, to fight back
Ella with her dad James
James: The test showed her left ear isn't anything to worry about. Her right ear definitely has glue ear. They don't want to put grommets in at the moment so they're going to check her again in about three months and see how it is.
Ola: But I still feel she struggles to hear...
James: Yeah she does. They asked us if her ears get better sometimes and bad other times, which they do. Glue ear is very common though; they said it's in about 80 per cent of children her age.
I have a small canal between my ear and my nose and I was worried that Ella has the same but they did a compression test on her and said her canal is normal size for her age which is good. Even though we have to go back in three months, the test has put our minds at ease.
Ella gives mum and dad the run around
James: We took Ella out to Dinotropolis at Bluewater with her friend Tod, which she loved. But outside of the soft play she was so hard to control! We were trying to walk around the shops, but Ella just runs everywhere – it's quite tiring.
Ola: She was trying to get Tod to run with her but he's a good boy and stood next to his mummy. She's a wild child.
James: It's Ella's birthday in a week so my sister took her to the Build-A-Bear shop there. She made Chase the dog from Paw Patrol, which she absolutely loves. My sister has three kids and she said to us, 'Oh my god, Ella is another level!'
Ella with her cousin Rose
Ola: Ella was running everywhere. She ran into one of the shops but didn't see the glass and ran into it, so she has a huge bruise on her head now. That didn't stop her though – she kept on running away.
Then we went to Wagamama's and we couldn't control her in the restaurant. She was standing on the chair, she didn't want to sit down, she was shouting, stamping her feet on the chair, sitting on the table!!
James: You can't tell her to do something. It's so hard because unless I actually physically move her and make her sit… Should I have a screaming child sitting there or let her run around?
Ola: People were looking at us like, 'Control your child' but if she really doesn't listen, how do you control her? I hate it, it's so embarrassing.
James: You know what, inside I have this rage where I can't believe that this little tiny thing is not listening to me and getting one over on me. If an adult gets one over me it would wind me up, but a three-year-old? She's already got sarcasm. She looks at you like, 'Yeah, what you going to do about it?' It drives me mad. I thought I had a strong personality but Ella's on another level, isn't she?
Ola: She knows what she wants. James: I think she'll do well in life – or she'll be locked up in prison [jokes] – one or the other!!
The terrible twos!
Ella gets excited about her birthday
Ola: Ella turns three on Monday...
James: We wanted to get her a bike so we went to a shop and spoke to a guy who suggested we get her a balance bike instead of a normal bike to start with because a lot of kids struggle with the pedalling motion.
Next minute, Ella has got on a bike with stabilisers in the shop and comes around the corner pedaling! He went, 'Oh, get her a pedal bike'. It really made me laugh, but at the same time inside I was like, 'That's my baby'. I was so proud.
Then the meltdown happened with Ella because we didn't take the bike home. We've ordered one for her birthday.
Ola: I can't believe our little girl is nearly three. I said to James, 'I can't believe she's going to go to school soon'. We need to start thinking about where she's going to go.
Party time for sweet Ella
James and Ola's parenting pays off
James: After last week's disaster with Ella scooting off away from us and not listening – and us telling her off – she went on her scooter again this week and was such a good girl. She stopped at every road and when I said 'Stop' she did stop. She said, 'Daddy, I'm waiting for you'. She didn't run away from me.
It just makes it more pleasant – I don't feel like I'm stressed that she's going to go into the road or anything. I was very pleased she listened to us… and then we got to Bluewater and I couldn't control her!! I might get one of those child leashes [laughs].
Like this story? Sign up to the HELLO! Family Hub newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
