Where is the time going? Just yesterday you needed me all the time. To eat, to dress, to sleep.
Now, every day, you need me a little less.
Oh you still need me. For one thing, you are not getting the potty very well yet. So you need a lot of cleaning.
And you can’t exactly cook. But you certainly feed yourself.
And you’re starting school. In preschool right now, but gearing up for P1 in September. And you are rapidly learning your numbers and letters.
We had your ‘meet and greet our new friends and teacher’ day at school last week. You headed right in without a backwards glance. Not even a wave.
I expect you’ll do the same in September.
There have been some issues with you and social interaction and communication. The word autism has been used. But we have decided to not get your diagnosed yet. You are being assessed for extra help in the classroom, which hopefully you’ll get.
You have two best friends at school now, who you do everything with, L and C. They will both be in P1 with you, so that’ll be fun!
Your very first birthday party was this past Saturday. It was so much fun watching you with your friends in our back garden. Maybe we’ll do it again next year.
Keep growing my son.
Love
Mummy
*I did say there would be an occasional personal post. 😀
That’s right, Mummy is going to try and keep up with these. But no promises!
Today you are 25 months. You spent most of the month between 24 and 25 months ill. But Mummy went postal (sort of) at the GP and you now have been referred to ENT. So now we wait.
When Mummy says she ‘went postal’ what she means is that she was very firm as the GP once again said ‘we need to see how he is in a month or two’ Mummy pointed out that GPs have been saying that to her for about a year. So the GP looked closer at your file and counted antibiotics since January. 6. That’s about 1 a month and is many too many. So the referral was written.
You are also probably going to be referred to Allergy, once I get you in to see the head GP. He spoke to the nice Laura Lady, our Health Visitor, and agreed things seems allergy related but wants to see you himself before he’ll send a referral. Fair enough.
Your 2 year check was fine. You, of course, didn’t say a word until the very end, but you did stack blocks and engage with Laura a bit so she was satisfied. You wouldn’t step on her scale so she took Mummy’s word that you are 28 pounds and about 3 feet tall!
Major milestones this month have included drinking from an open cup: –
And climbing on playground equipment: –
Since you missed so much nursery being ill you’re having a bit of trouble at drop off but Mummy and Daddy know you’ll settle again soon. And they are moving you to toddlers! My good big boy!!
You may note that Mummy has started to call herself Mummy regularly. That’s because you *finally* call me Mummy! Not all the time. But more than you used to. And when Mummy complains that all you seem to say is Mummy Mummy Mummy all day, remind her how long she waited for you to call her anything at all.
Yeah. Okay. So today as I start to write this you are 17.5 months. Mummy’s late again. She’s sorry.
And by the time I got back to it, you were nearly 18 months. As of, well, tomorrow. Sorry again.
Why is she late? No time again. You’ve been ill, again. You’ve pretty much been ill for 6 months. No wonder you’re sleeping like crap. I doubt you even know what feeling well is like. Poor wee boy. Right now as I type this you’ve got a double ear infection and a red throat. Oh how you hate having your throat looked at.
Now you have inhalers which you hate. And had to use a nebulizer at the GP’s. Which you despised. It’s not been a great month for you.
Although lot’s of good stuff has happened. You’ve definitely found your feet. You now own a pair of proper shoes. You’re attending daycare a full day and half day a week. You’re adding to your vocabulary.
You and mummy go for walks at City Hall:
You’re thinking about climbing up on things. In fact Daddy said you actually tried to get up on Mama and Dada’s bed yesterday, but couldn’t quite figure it out. I keep recommending you get up on a sofa, because they are lower, but you seem to really want to be on the bed!
Which reminds me of watching your cousin, I think it was Sara, leaping up and grabbing the sheets on her Mama and Dada’s bed, to pull herself up. You should try that.
You are getting very good at asking for what you want, by pointing. And you have about 6 words.
Mama is going to measure you tomorrow but she knows you weigh 26 pounds as of last week. And your belly is disappearing so your trousers don’t stay up! You are beginning to be shaped in a cross between your Uncle Jeff and your Dada when they were your age. Tall and skinny, with all your height in your torso. Makes it very hard to buy you clothes when you are 2T from the waist up and 18 months from the waist down!
And it’s nearly Christmas. Granny Grace and Grandpa Tom will be here for that. And then 2 weeks later Grandma and Pops with the dark hair will be here to see you. We are not letting Grandma out of our sight this time, no side trips to London to get ill!
So it’s been a busy, if not well, time my small boy.
And Mama had better post this before you wake up from your nap. Or you may be 19 months before she does…
Yes. This is late this month. By quite a few days.
Why? 2 reasons: –
Mama has been very busy with you and work and the house and things; and
Mama feels like she’s been rushing these in order to get them up on your day, rather than take her time and really write what she wants to write.
So this month, she is taking her time. And it will be late. I’m sure you’ll forgive me. 🙂
You have changed so much in the past month. You’ve gone from being my baby to being my toddler. You walk. You ‘tell stories’ in babble speech. You play games with your toys. You have tantrums.
Right now, as I write this, you are playing on the floor in front of the computer. You’ve been entertaining yourself for about 15 minutes, tapping a bit of plastic on various things and listening to how they sound. You did the floor, the window and the coffee table. 3 taps and move on. Very scientific!
You have become very stubborn. Mama and Dada are trying to get you to drink milk out of a sippy cup, rather than a bottle. Water you drink no problem and, in fact, seem to like drinking that way. But milk? Not happening. Even if it is time for milk, such as mid afternoon, and you are wanting it very very badly, you will not drink it out of a sippy cup. You’d rather skip your milk (which you love) than drink out of that evil evil cup. Mama will win this battle. It’s just a matter of when!
Your sleep is still not great. Napping practically doesn’t happen at all, unless you fall asleep in your stroller and stay that way once we’re home or if Mama or Dada has time for you to sleep in their arms. Daycare says you fall asleep in a bouncy chair for them, but Mama has tried and it’s not worked.
Nights are slowly getting back to normal. You settle much easier most nights than you have been. Unfortunately you haven’t been sleeping through. You wake somewhere between 10 and 4 and will not go back to sleep unless Dada or I bring you into bed with us. This is fine for getting more sleep for all but certainly not ideal.
Speaking of daycare, you are thriving there, finally. Just as Mama was thinking about pulling you out you started to enjoy it. Now you cry only when Mama comes to get you. We aren’t sure if it’s because you missed her or because you’re disappointed you have to stop playing! In fact, starting in November you will be going all day on Monday’s!
Mama, you see, has picked up another client and really needs a bit more time to get everything done. So Dada and I talked about it and decided one full day and one half day a week would be ideal. And so it shall be.
This month you had your first haircut.
And did I mention the walking?
You’re getting better at it every day. It really is amazing to watch. Mama thinks there will be running before too long.
And then she’ll have to remember these wise words:
“Small boys are like dogs. They need one good run every day.”
Yes, yes, Mama is late with this newsletter this month. Why? Well, gee maybe because a certain young man has been sick with one thing or another for pretty much 3 months. And the last 2 weeks have been the worse. Even worse than the chicken pox.
Since May you have had:
Chicken Pox
Surgery
Ear Infection
Ear and chest infection
ear and chest infection
viral infection with a highish fever
Mama and Dada are exhausted, as are you, since you can’t seem to sleep through the night right now. Mama thinks you fall asleep fine and then your nose gets stuffed up and you just can’t clear it, so you wake up and cry and can’t resettle yourself. Mama has been cursing the people who took Medised off the market for under 8s. Not because it was deemed dangerous for younger kids, but because parents were abusing it, giving it to well babies just so they’d sleep.
So there is nothing Mama can give you to dry up your nose. Nothing but essential oils and other crap that just isn’t working.
This too shall pass. This too shall pass.
So, what have you been up to this month? Well, you surprised Dada and Mama when you picked up your comb and combed your hair! And, in even bigger news, you are now sleeping in PJs and a duvet rather than a sleeping bag. You managed to kick your way out of your sleeping bag twice, so Mama changed you. You having been sleeping a bit better since then. Not a whole lot. But a bit!
Your teeth are coming in in droves, although only on the top. Mama thinks she sees one poking through on the bottom, but she isn’t sure!
Your walking is coming along slowly, but surely. And you actually, finally settled into daycare. And then you missed two weeks being sick. You’re going back tomorrow, though.
You can point to your nose and your belly. And say Mama. When you feel like it!
Mostly you’re just getting taller and bigger a little bit every day.
And Mama loves you more and more every day.
Love
Mama
PS No pictures this month because I haven’t had time to download them from the camera. Maybe I’ll add them later!!!
Right now you have an ear and chest infection and are on antibiotics. Luckily you take medicine very well.
You are getting into things more and more, keeping Mama and Dada hopping: –
You’ve got a new pushchair, to save Mama some energy as we go up the hill to daycare. You seem to like it very much, as you sort of lounge in it.
But mostly you’re becoming a toddler. Insisting on doing things yourself. Not wanting to waste time with nappy changes. Hating to sit on some one’s lap for long periods (unless you’re very sleepy). You want to be out and about and doing doing doing. You want to be walking, but aren’t quite sure how that works yet beyond a step or two (unless holding on!). Mama can just tell that as soon as you figure it out? You’ll go straight to running.
Although you’ve never crawled on hands and knees, you have no problem getting around:
You’ve also started to eat exactly what Mama and Dada eat, or you won’t eat at all. The other night we had a curry and started to give you something out of a jar. You refused to eat it, peering interestingly at Mama’s plate. So she gave you a small piece of Chicken Tikka. And some Na’an. Chapati? Pilau Rice? Ate.It.All.
You’ve now had stuffed cod, salmon in garlic and soy, lamb stew, beef stew, pickles, chips and one small piece of corn crisp. You wanted more of the last but Mama had a fear of you choking on it. 🙂
Unfortunately, you are having a tough time settling into daycare. You cry when Mama or Dada leave you, although they say you do play a bit and seem to be getting better, there is still some crying off and on. It probably won’t help that you’ve missed a few days due to being ill this month, but we’ll start again next week.
You’ve also got 2 new teeth poking through. Upper right and left, one over from your incisor. So you’ll have a gap. And nothing to chew against, as you still only have the two front on the bottom!
The biggest news of all? And the reason Mama is actually glad this is a day late? Because today, this morning, for the first.time.ever? You looked right at me and said Mama.
This has been the fastest and bestest (sic) year of Mama and Daddy’s life. One year ago yesterday, at 1036am you entered the world, squalling and peeing on me.
As everyone knows, you spent the first nine days in SCBU getting your breathing straightened out.
Daddy and I were so happy when you finally got to come home.
But then, tragedy struck….you fell out of Mama’s arms at 3 weeks and spent two more nights in the hospital with a concussion and what turned out to be broken ribs. This led to the Saga of The Lump which is still not concluded as of this writing, although you have a new surgery date of 21st June.
And then you began to develop and Daddy and Mama looked on with glee as you smiled, and rolled over and sat up and stood. Now you’re cruising and getting ready to walk all by yourself.
And all through it, you’ve made Mama and Daddy laugh with your antics and how pleased you are with yourself when you learn something new.
Your favourite things are: –
Bouncing. You bounce on the bed. You bounce in your cot. You bounce in your playpen just using your knees and your bottom.
When Daddy swings you around in the air.
When Mama sings the Adam song during nappy changes. “A is for Adam, he is a little boy. A is for Adam, he likes to play with toys. A is for Adam, my lovely baby son! Adam Adam Adam’s number 1!!!!!” to the tune of ‘C is for Cookie’.
Ducks. All sorts of ducks. In the bath. To play with during nappy changes. Sitting on Mama’s lap.
And your next adventure starts in just under a month when you begin at daycare two half days a week.
Mama is so excited for you and kinda sad. Its time for you to go off and have adventures without her. And she knows you’re going to have fun. But she’s going to miss you.
Well, I was hoping to start this letter with the words ‘and The Lump is gone’ but it was not to be. We got to the hospital yesterday to find out that your surgeon was out because his daughter was very ill. The surgeon that was covering was not comfortable removing The Lump since he wasn’t familiar with the case. You are, theoretically on the top of the cancellation list and should, hopefully, be able to have it done in just a few weeks. Mummy and Daddy will be ringing a lot to make sure that happens.
Otherwise, its been a fairly busy month. We spent a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa’s for their 40th Wedding Anniversary. Your aunt, uncle and cousin were there as well: –
Daddy and I were hoping seeing your cousin crawling would inspire you, but no such luck. Although you have been trying to pull yourself up on things. Mummy and Daddy think you may skip crawling all together and go right to cruising around.
You’ve also this month taken to shaking your head no, but just because its fun. You don’t actually seem to be saying no!
But of course the most exciting thing this past month is this: –
