3 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS

Growth & Appearance:

Your face still has the softness of the baby/toddler years, but your height is the contrast to this. I got asked yesterday, by a stranger, if I was doing home schooling, or the no schooling approach. I replied that since school was still a few years away I had not thought it through. She was shocked at the fact you were only three and a half, as you were the same eight as her five year old son.

Yup, you are tall, but still super lean.

Eating:

Like all kids, well I think most kids, you go through fussy stages. But I have never been worried as I know it will pass. What I find funny, is of late you like you drinks in shot glasses. Yes, I know this is odd, but I used them once, as a bribe to get you to eat your dinner and now it is your 'thing'. Three shot glasses of half juice/half water, plus three shot glasses of ribena.

Talking: 

Your speech and understanding. Over the last few months the way you process information is showing such maturing. I certainly makes life easy, for when we explain the reasoning behind something, you grasp it and turn it around with a question for us.

Your counting, and days of the week has also improved out of sight. You asked me this morning what day it was and when I replied 'Thursday', you then said "home from work before my nap". Yes gorgeous, today is my half day at work.

I would like to say your Cantonese is/has improved, especially since your grandparents stayed here for the month of May. However, you claimed " MaMa speak funny", and when she called you by your Cantonese name you kept correcting her all telling her your real name.

Sleeping: 

After the month of May with you being super sick and waking up several times a night, I am so very grateful that you still like to have a day sleep, on average two hours, plus go to bed really easily...most nights. The reverting back to waking is so draining, reminded me of the first two or more years of your life. Fingers crossed, please please go back to sleeping through the night.

(This is your 'zombie monster kiss face') Also the face I like to pull when you do not sleep through the night. 

Development:

I wonder if your maturity has to do with the role you have taken on with Chester? Now that we have been looking after Chester during the day when Tamika works. Being an uncle has made you behave so much older. You are Chester's protector. you are also a little stresser, like your Mummum, around Chester. He has to be buckled in the car seat first, you then like to check his buckle. He has to be strapped in shopping trolleys, at the slightest cry you are yelling out to me to take notice.

I think with Chester around it is teaching you to share and be a little more patient. Which I think is a good thing. Plus, I know you like having him here as you often question why he cannot stay here, Saying he does not have to go home.

Favourites:

I think your favourites have stayed steady for awhile now. You love going to the movies, you ask at least once a week if we can go. You love the library. Going to the park. And Eeeworld (Seaworld, we have six month passes).

But, you are just as happy at home playing with your cars (you love making what you can traffic jams on the window sills and say 'no green light'). You love helping me do anything, even if it is making the bed, what ever I am doing you want to help. I am thinking I am going to have to get you a sewing machine as you keep asking to use mine.

How I am thinking/Feeling:

With you being so sick the past month, it makes me realise just how little you still are and how much of a journey we still have together.

I often think about how funny you are, the laugh out loud kind of funny. I wonder if you will stay this way or change as you age. I also wonder about how gorgeously affectionate you are.

You are shy and stand offish with most people, but the people you love. Wow! Do you love them. At night, if I am not faced your way curled around you, of late I find you will curl around me in our sleep becoming the 'big spoon'. 

33 MONTHS

Growth & Appearance:

I blinked and my baby left and in it's place here is this child. Tall and thin. Some people confuse you for a girl, I think it is the longer hair. But I think you are all boy. Especially how you choose to dress yourself.

Eating:

You are a good/big eater. Yet picky about how things are served. You favourite thing at the moment is going for a work meeting/coffee with your Dad. If I have to work, you love to go to different coffee shops, and act all grown up with your milk shake. 

For some reason baking making you extra happy/crazy

Talking: 

You have discovered shit stirring this month. You speech is incredible and you know every word we use, just some are a little jumbled when you try to say them. For a kid who I was worried about not talking at all after your second birthday, you have more than caught up.

Sleeping: 

For the first time ever you asked to not co-sleep. We were away on holidays and you wanted to sleep in the bunk bed. I felt sad, but settled you in for the night. You lasted ten minutes and you yelled out "Mummum no like" and ran into the big bed.

Development:

Your sense of humour, your independence and your attitude have all gotten stronger this month. You are a force to be reckoned with, lucky for us 90% of the time you are a funny crack up about everything.

For the first time ever Justin and I left you with Tamika for just over three hours. It has always been either one of us with you, while the other is at work. Tamika said you handled it really well, as we promised we would be back before it was dark, and you keep repeating over and over to Teak "no dark yet?". I guess it is a lucky? Or a good thing you adore your sister so much, that you were okay with us leaving you for the afternoon.

Favourites:
Anything that is "like Daddy". You even wanted to grow a beard "like Daddy". Teak's belly is another favourite thing, you love kissing and stroking "baby". Lets hope you love the baby as much when it comes out. But digging and gardening are still your favourite things to do. 

How I am thinking/Feeling:

I am feeling really lucky this month. I cannot believe you are my son. I feel as if you are stubborn for a reason. You needed to be. The only thing that is getting me this month is 'mother's guilt", I often hear 'no work Mummum", this makes me feel bad for not believing in myself and putting more effort into starting my own business so I can work/stay at home with you. 

TWO YEAR OLD!! 24 MONTHS

 Watching the garbage trucks is a highlight of your week.

Growth & Appearance:

Your limbs are so lean and so brown, all traces of your baby fat have gone, it is like you spend all of your days outside exercising.

I gave you another hair cut, but have still left it longish in the back. But I think you miss your length as after I gave you a trim you kept tipping your head back so your hair still touched your shoulders.

Eating:

You are your father's son, you eat everything and anything. The few things you do not like you are quick to let us know. You will not take food off other people, your Grandmother kept trying to feed you last week and you got very annoyed at her. You think you are a big boy and do not want help for anyone, you rarely want help and then it will only be from myself, Justin or Tamika and no one else.

 No we did not let you eat your whole birthday cake, this was our way of letting you cut the cake

Talking: 

Still not talking, I know you understand everything, but you just choose not to talk. I will show you alphabet flash cards and nine times out of ten you get every single card correct. You know your alphabet and you understand me, so I am not concerned about your lack of talking.

 You love your alphabet cards.

Sleeping: 

You really reverted this month. No longer napping in your 'big boy' bed and no longer sleeping through the night. You wake during the night and will only go back to sleep in either the 'neck-scarf' position or cling on koala position. This started when I returned to part-time work, so I am hopeful you will settle back down and return to sleeping through the night.

Development:

You are a child of routine, you love things done a set way, yet you are an adventurous child, you level of fear of danger is almost non-existent. Climbing up and diving of the headboard of the bed. Getting your Dad to flip you over in the air. The older you get the more you want danger in your games. This scares me.
You and your Dad have started up your swimming lessons again and you love it. New swim school with new terms, but now after three lesson you already get the new words, you just have to remind your Dad.

As with the routine, you are more than a little OCD like me, things out of place upset you, you will get up your Dad for leaving his things laying around. When your Grandparents stayed last week, they stressed you out completely by leaving their shoes at the door. I had to pull them out of the bin a couple of times.

Look at Justin's Mo for Movember!

Favourites: 

Your love of cars is just getting stronger. You even will pick books at the library about cars. You even know some car models. Tamika drives a Jeep and you will point at the same model in the street and say your version of Tamika.

If it is not cars it is the garden, you think my veggie patch is just a giant mud play ground. You will play outside for hours running around getting sweaty and dirty. Your energy and love of the outdoors is amazing.

 The OCD in you is strong, look at those cars neatly lined up.

How I am thinking/Feeling

Two, wow, I knew that time would slip by fast. Being a mother to Tamika has taught me how precious every moment with a child is. This was the reason I did not want to go back to work, I just do not want to miss out on time with you. I have never been a mother who wants time out from my children, I never got Tamika babysat (bar for work) and I am the same with you. I am lucky Justin agrees. Someone offered the other day to look after you and Justin replies, "why? we like to be with Jarvis', this made my heart swell as this is exactly how I feel. Time goes past so quickly why would I want to be apart from my children?

With every stage of your development, I remember how much I love that stage in a child's life. You are a crazy, stubborn, loving child who brings me so much happiness. Happy Birthday Jarvis, thank you for letting me be your Mumma.

22 MONTHS

Two and half weeks late but here is Jarvis's Monthly Update

Growth & Appearance:

My mullet man, your tips are going blonde! What? How can I have an Asian blonde child? Okay, well maybe not blonde, but they are definitely a light honey colour. At some point I guess I will have to cut your hair, but for now you are wearing the long tussled hair very well.

At first I thought your new teeth were too big, but now I am use to them, I think they go well with your huge grin.

You have gotten taller and your feet have grown, you have gone up a shoe size and a nappy size this month.

Eating:

You are a good eater and we have never had any trouble with your food in-take. You let us know if you do not like anything by throwing it off your plate. You are a little gobble guts like your Dad. I am scared of how much you already eat. I think our food bill is going to be enormous.

Talking: 

Talking is still not happening. You have added nup/narrh (no) and up. You are attempting to say bath. But you whisper baaa. The same for pasta, it is a whispery pa. You have started calling cars, real and your toy cars, broom broom. Which is odd, no one has every called them that to you.

Sleeping: 

You have done so well with your night sleeps, since moving into the new house. You go down every night around 8:30 and sleep through until 6:30. Yes the magic that all parents hope for. You are now sleeping through the night! Oh, my I feel light a new woman. It is amazing what three weeks of uninterrupted sleep can do for a person.Your cot is right next to me, and on the odd occasions you reach out for my hand during the night. But you hold my hand and settle back to sleep.

Development:

You now use the toilet all of the time at home, okay, well you still love peeing in the yard. I am just not sure how to start taking you out of the house without a nappy, you pee so much!

It seems as if with this new house has come a new maturity, my baby is long gone. You are so much fun to be around. The only thing that seems to upset you of late is when Tamika visits and has to go home you get upset with her leaving. I think this is tied in with Justin being away for two weeks.

You are developing strong habits. You like things done a set way, if Justin or Tamika do not do them the way you want you get really frustrated when trying to communicate with them.

Favourites: 

Your love of books is as strong as ever. You also love colouring in/drawing and will sit quietly for ages doing this. It is with these two activities, it is the only time you are still.

You have not spent as much time in the yard in this new house as there is not much shade. But when we go up the back to dig in the dirt, you are one happy mud covered little boy.

As far as toys, it is Matchbox cars all the way with you. They are all over the house. I believe they hurt more than Lego when you stand on them.

How I am thinking/Feeling

For two weeks of this month it was just the two of us in the new house. So it was strange and yet familiar. It was hard to see how much you missed your Dad. His motorbike jacket, sigh, every time you saw it, you would stroke it and rub your face on it and say “Daddy”, broke my heart.

We kept busy, unpacking, gardening, walks, swimming, library visits, through all of this you were my happy chatty companion. When it is just us, you talk (well not talk, but chatter) so much. You are with me 24 hours a day, seven days a week and I never tire being with you. I am not a parent who looks forward to a break from her children, I hate any separation. I think it is worse with you as I know from Tamika, how quickly you will grow up and become independent.