your thirty-third month

We seemed to have been saying it for a while now

but your vocabulary and use of language just amazed us.

It seemed like you were making huge improvements to your speech

with each day that passed.

With ever longer and more complicated sentences and words

coming out of your mouth

and leaving us wondering how on earth you were learning all this.

The health visitor couldn't believe how chatty and articulate you were

and we loved that we could have proper conversations with you now.

You were obsessed with singing

and were slowly beginning to actually carry a tune

instead of just shouting the words.

With songs you really loved

you would even hum musical bits in between the words

which sounds kind of crazy, but very cute.

Television themes were your favourites,

followed by Twinkle Twinkle which was definitely your party piece.

You also liked singing some of the songs

that Mummy had put onto our videos,

it was so funny listening to you sing lyrics that you couldn't possibly understand

but hear you singing them with such conviction.

You were going through a bit of a phase of being a pickle at dinner time.

Breakfast and lunch were fine, 

but something about dinner

saw you trying to push our buttons.

You would refuse meals that we knew you loved,

or eat as slowly as was humanly possible.

You would want milk,

and then not want milk.

And want a different bowl.

You were gradually getting the message that your games weren't getting you anywhere,

but it wasn't half hard to keep a straight face sometimes

when you could be so funny when you were being stubborn.

Your thirty-third month saw you come down with a case of croup

which was so incredibly horrible and scary for us.

For the first time ever, you slept in bed with mummy,

because your breathing was so laboured and we were so worried.

Listening to you gasp for breath in the night

and then wheeze as you slept was awful,

but being woken up to your cuddles and kisses was very sweet.

You didn't let it totally dull your spirit,

but it was the first time that some kind of bug seemed to really get you down.

You were loving autumn

and we took you out on a few adventures to really enjoy it.

You especially loved squelching in the mud,

and kicking though the fallen leaves.

And your vivid imagination saw you

seeing elephants in the shapes of the trees

and gruffalos around every corner.

You made us see the world all sparkly and new

and so full of beauty and magic.