Pause: 2 years 10 months

A big boy
Running with ease
Climbing with confidence
Conversing with charm
Biking fast and sure on red balance bike
Listening to EVERYTHING
Curly gold sunshine hair
Can shout NOOOO to shake your brain fittings
Knows everyone's name and how they are related, where they live
Loves a tv show obsessively -- repeated in the dozens and then abandons them utterly and completely
Could eat cherries, chocolate, crackers and fresh peas exclusively.
Loves cars, trucks, buses, diggers
Enjoys hiding from monsters and crocodiles
Baby Alice is cute and for hugging with whole body weight yet cries too much
Puzzles puzzles puzzles. Especially if they have cars, trucks, buses or diggers
Excellent lunch date
Safety commissioner reminds us to walk on the sidewalk, not get too close to the edge and not to stick fingers on a cage
Infectious enthusiasm for exploring, adventures and co piloting daddy's bike
Loves the concept of underpants. Not using nappies less so.
Blue eyes that startle by sheer size and loveliness
Can change from light mood to temper storm with aplomb
Has taken it as his job to close all open gates in Cambridge
No more naps but will rock a 12 hour night sleep
Darling, sweet, confident, challenging comfortable, friendly, promising, loving, gorgeous boy

two

I am having a really good birthday.
Celebrating the day of the birth of boy, that is.

Simple day: his parents, grandma, home made pizza, grandma- made white cake with chocolate frosting, red balance bike, red balloons (and a giant somewhat scary mylar "2" balloon) cards, books, digger wellies, car garage, playdoh, singing the happy birthday song AND blowing out the candle 5 times, and enough adorable clothes to make his mom happy. Enthusiastic opener, polite and equal attention to all (except the clothes). Time and the park, time at home.

And best gift of all is that all, he is napping. RIGHT NOW!

Happy Birthday, all of us. 

pause: 22 months and 3 days

sweetie grin

Almost two years old and it just gets more interesting. It is so nice to be able to have a conversation (of sorts) and make each other giggle. Our boy is outgoing, strong, remembers the weirdest (and forgettable) incidents for a long time, like buying a new broom or seeing a dog swim in the river.  Remembers people he's met and says bye bye to the taxi, the house, the cat on the street or the checkout lady at Tesco.  He can cling to my apron (literally) or run off with to the swings without a second glance, depending on mood.  He gets car sick after 15 minutes, loves to push his own pram, and still has the prettiest blue eyes.

• understands pretty much everything you say, possibly I am sure even the swear words
• comfortable chatting away: favourite words ''tiny', 'winnow' (window),  'oh dear' and 'wow' and 'what's daddy doin?', 'lewie do it" and 'home'  and noo neeee (for fire truck noise)
• loves diggers, dirt, water (drinking and pouring) swimming, books with diggers, Peppa Pig (daddy pig especially), throwing balls, climbing (especially ladders), spinning things, his friends Kit and Jamie, splashing in puddles in his boots,  sticky tape, going to the cafe in the park, and blowing raspberries on mummy's tummy
• before going to sleep, recounts highlights of his day to himself, processing people he has seen, the story lines of Peppa Pig, particularly exciting trucks or events like mommy breaking a cup.
• likes to choose his clothes and is very particular about his shoes
• loves dried apricots, cheese, toast, peas (frozen and cooked), sausage, noodles, ice cream, apples cooked in butter with cinnamon and brown sugar
• fights naps and bedtime sleeping and loves cuddling
• pushes kids big or small when he is tired or frustrated (we are working on this!)
• is very attached to his parents, his pram and his little man cap
• very much wants a bike or a scooter (shhhh- 2 year bday is coming!)

While they say it doesn't get easier, after spending the morning with 2 friends who have 2- year olds AND 6-7-week old babies, it sure feels easier than that. I need to relish Lewis walking up the stairs, pulling off his own socks and having an opinion about what's for snack.  His smallest independences are all victories. We are still learning so much together. Parenting is getting more fun and more rewarding (like the requests for "hand mummy"), I realise the stakes are getting higher. He is a squirmy, adventurous, curious boy. Keeping him safe and letting him explore are proving a tricky act to balance. 

May I continue to be the best parent I can be and may Lewis forget the swear words, or at least use them only at home.

now we're talking

We are entering a new phase with our boy ... words. Or moreover, pointing and demanding to know what something is called.  It is darling, really, except is becoming a game show of guessing.

Lewis: pointing up,"Da???"
Mommy: Sky? Light? Birdy?

Lewis: pointing to his head "Ha"
Mommy: Hair? Head?

Lewis: pointing to the street "Ca"
Mommy: Cars?

Lewis pointing in the kitchen: "Ma"
Mommy: Mug? Water?

I just keep naming things until he smiles. I had thought it is because I named what he wanted. Now that I think about it, it is maybe just that he is finding my frantic ping ponging of naming exercise humorous.

He can name cheese (cheeeeee) cream cheese (chee cheee), chicken (kik), balloon (baaallo), ball (baaa), dog (daaa).  And anything with wheels deserves a point. Cars, buses, bikes, prams. Over and over and over. And has put together that something like water is in the vases, in the sink, in his cup and all sorts of weird places.  Pots (pa) and pans (pah) have covers (off= ooof and on = ahhh) and putting various their lids on things is enormously fun.

What is enormously fun for me is seeing his brain literally expand right in front of me.  I can see the lights of understanding go on. Wow. And we can talk!  I say things and he understands me.  I ask him to go get something and he does. Miracle.  I can tell him what we are going to do.  (Time for bed, let's go outside, let's have a snack, let's find Daddy.)  It feels respectful and collaborative now that we can *be* together in a different way.  He points to people in photos around the house and names them.  I am pleased to note he has recognised me in a picture, as well as Da and Baba (Auntie Barbara!)

I can't always guess or translate his insistent "ba!!!!!" and enthisiastic pointing but I can try.  I can listen to him and hear what is is saying behind the words. What I want him to know is that I am here and I hear him.

freeze frame-14 months minus 3 days

My boy is a boy ... no longer a baby. Whew!

Thank god for that. While it doesn't get easier, but different, I am so enjoying him at this moment in time.

• Favourite word still BA! But said in different tones along with pointed pointing to get his point across.
• Also knows Ba Ba (bye bye) -- often said along with a wave long after you are gone from the person you left, but still counts. 
• Eats lots but enjoys baby plum tomatoes, yogurt, peas and peanut butter toast more than anything.
• Made friends with the salad spinner but still wary of the hoover and the hand held blender
• Loves to stand on the window sill (with Mom holding him tight!) and look out at the world
• Almost exclusively walks with the occasional crawl when he wants to get somewhere fast
• Fascinated by wheels. Sigh. Hello gender stereo type.
• Adult used pots/pans/phones/remotes are by far best toys
• JUST started to like cuddly friends, which I LOVE
• Will give kisses - wet and sweet
• Much more hair than he had - wispy and light brown but still pretty much a baldy compared to his pals
• Blue eyes seems to be keepers -- which is a lovely gift from his paternal Gran
• Enjoys a bit of In the Night Garden on mom's lap
• Balls -- kicking/throwing/eating = all good
• Flirts shamelessly for smiles and coos with all people out in the world
• Has zillion dollar smile and gabillion dollar giggle
• Takes up almost all the real estate in his parent's bed and hearts

pause: 10 months, 2 weeks

• 8 teeth!
• says mama, and I "know" he means me!
• crawls very fast without using knees (all hands and feet)
• stands all the time, but must hold onto something
• refuses to lie down for nappy changing. (see stands all the time)
• points at Every. Thing. And grunts crazily until you give him the object of his pointing
• starting to use a baby fork, even if only to stab blindly and wildly at the highchair and then fling it at a parent
• loves blueberries, cheese, cherries and whole plums (minus the pits, naturally) and natural yogurt
• wants to drink out of Your Cup, no matter what you have
• made friends with the exercise ball
• now scared of the salad spinner
• knows not his physical boundries and climbs atop of other babies when mingling. Not all the babies love this. 
• loves being chased around the house
• can put round peg in round hole but all other shapes make him mad
• pushes upturned laundry basket around the house as his "high tech" walker
• likes to take muslins and "clean"
• naps are a crap shoot and can last 1.5 hours or be refused entirely
• has fallen asleep at the dinner table in his high chair. twice.
• washing machine is the best show in town
• claps at most things
• waves bye bye, but about 3 minutes after you actually leave and are down the road
• Mark claims he has said monkey and woof woof, but one time only and never to be repeated
• facinated with cupboards, doors, lights
• starting to be a b-o-y not a baby!

pause: 8 months and 4 weeks and 1 day

I have been a really crap memory keeper.  I still don't have a wedding album, most of my photos from the last 10 years are boxed and/or stored various places in the world.  And I have not done ANY real record keeping of baby milestones. I was home recently and went through many of my keepsake boxes in my parent's basement.

a) wow, I wrote a LOT of notes in grade school
b) wow, I can't believe how much of my childhood stuff my parents KEPT... and moved ... and moved again.

I would very much like to be the kind of parent that has lovely scrapbooks of tickets and locks of hair and cute appropriate first photos -- all labeled and dated and official.  And I am afraid it isn't going to happen.  Not now anyway...

In theory, I am that person, but I somehow can't be arsed as it seems so tedious.  Can I blame not having a basement to store things?

Instead, maybe I can capture moments in time of what it is like for Lew in his life on this day.

8 months and 4 weeks

• loves toast, yogurt, water and cheese. (who is his mother) and vegetables (who is his father). and breastmilk (the kid has good taste)
• 3.5 teeth -- 2 bottoms and 1 front and 1/2 of the other front... fangs imminent
• crawling fast and furiously, pulling up on furniture, learning to fall gracefully on his nice padded bum instead of crashing with his head
• loves people -- smiles at all strangers and loves attention. a serious ham-bone and loves other babies -- and of course his mom and dad
• takes 2 naps a day, usually at 10ish and at 2ish. Bath at 6:30 ish and bed at 7 and sleeps with a few wake ups until about 7
• peek a boo makes him seriously CRACK up
• loves music and watching (hearing?) people sing
• not all that interested in stuffed animals, but likes balls, wheels and things he can shove in his mouth, which is actually pretty big
• First noise (not really a word) was BA - then MA MA (which is CLEARLY a word) and we get the only occasional (sorry Mark) DA.
• Is scared of the vacuum cleaner and my exercise ball
• Has been very squirmy but starting to chill out and sit nicely on a lap
• Goes to sleep listening to lullabies
• Hates hats
• And bibs
• Will not let you feed him
• Has a heart melting smile
• Likes to hold hands and lots of cuddles
• Books are OK as long as they have stuff to feel
• Makes friends everywhere he goes -- each line of each shop ...
• Leaves no corner unexplored, especially where we haven't baby proofed
• Is genuinely good company
• Has blue eyes which if they remain, will be from his paternal grandmother!
• Is currently called Lewberry or Lewbear
• Gets very busy sorting things (in his own categories unbeknownst to anyone else)
• Has very light brown hair and very fine and what looks to be his uncle g's hairline
• Shrieks inexplicably 
• Grabs glasses, pulls hair and bits of flesh
• Drools constantly
• Is adored by his parents
• Emerging to be an exciting, curious, loving, sweet, sociable boy -- just like we ordered!