13 months...

My darling boy,

You are hardly a baby anymore! You have learnt so much in the last month or so that you are definitely growing into a boy and my baby is almost no more. I do get rare moments though, when you want Mummy snuggles or you'll lie with me to have your bottle, so I still see glimpses of the little babe you were. It makes me sad though, that you've grown so quickly!

I missed out on writing you a letter for 12 months too, so since the last letter (11 months) you have grown immensely!

The biggest thing I guess is that you are now walking, and quite a pro at it too. I can see it won't be long until you're running my boy! You took your first steps in early May, walking from one side of our tiny kitchen to the other, and then you walked 'properly' between Daddy and I on the 11th May, and have hardly looked back. Even though it was about 6 weeks ago now, I still remember so clearly how proud you were of yourself for taking those steps to Dad. And it was very very special for Daddy too. You have been confidently walking now since just before your 1st birthday, so about 5 weeks! And now you are fast! You race around the house, throwing a ball and chasing it, or trying to run away from me at times too!

For your first b'day you had a special day with Mum and Dad (Jai had to go to school). In the morning we all woke up and you had a great time opening your presents - and even mostly had the hang of ripping the paper off! You received a trike and trailer, a pop-up tent and tunnel, a couple of DVDs (Hi-5 being your fave!) and a musical piano (more presents were to come at your party). Mummy and Daddy took you to McDonalds for lunch and then a play at the park. You were more interested in the magpies that were eyeing off your lunch, and the playground than actually eating though!

We celebrated your first birthday on the 26th May with a lovely afternoon tea in the backyard with some family and close friends from church. We took your tunnel and tents, and your trike and some blocks out the back too, so you kids were highly entertained. You had a great afternoon playing and eating cheerios and cake and then opening some presents. You received another ride-on (musical car this time), lots of clothes and a stack-em crocodile. People also brought along special notes and memorabilia to put into a Time Capsule that Mummy made you (but that is still not finished or sealed - oops!).

Just before your party, Daddy attached the baby swing to our swing set, and you have developed a love for it since then. Every afternoon when Jai gets home from school (except a few this last week because it was soooo cold!) we go outside and you and Jaidyn go on the swings. You giggle and smile as we push you up and down. Now you are even going in for a high-five when you reach me coming forward each time. After a while of swinging, we then drag your ride-ons outside (Jaidyn has got out his old one from when he was a babe!) and you both zoom around the backyard on them. Then you like to go and 're-arrange' Mummy's peg box (which is temporarily on the ground coz I need a new one!). You pull the pegs out, then sometimes put them back in again. And you like to take them for walks around the back-yard, so Mummy is forever picking up pegs (not so easy when I'm heavily pregnant!) from all over the yard when I need to hang clothes. I've really come to enjoy this time together of an afternoon, and I know both you and Jaidyn love it too.During the day while Jai is at school, you love to zoom around inside on your trike or car (you're really quick!!), watch your Hi-5 DVD, crawl through your tunnel and tent (which reside in the corner of the dining room) read books or play with your toys - that you seem to throw from one end of the house to the other mind you!

You are now having only 2 sleeps a day and you're pretty spot-on with routines with these. We've managed to make sure you're awake to take and pick up Jai from school too, which works really well. Usually you'll go down for your first nap when we get home from school drop-off, between 8.30 and 9am. You'll usually sleep for 60-90 minutes. Then we usually do all the errands and stuff that Mummy needs to do, have lunch and you go down for a nap again at about 1pm. Mummy likes to have a nap at this time too, then we both wake up in time to pick up Jai from school. It works well. Mind you, Mummy will have another baby to juggle sleep times for when Jai goes back to school, so that will be another whole story no doubt!

You seem to finally be sick of eating sandwiches, which is somewhat of a pain in the butt! So I now have to be a little more creative and try other things for lunch. This week you've had scrambled eggs, tin spaghetti, vegies or cheese and yoghurt. I think I'll have to whip up extra left-overs and vegies and maybe some little pasta meals for you. Hopefully you go back to sandwiches some day, even if not every day! You eat 2 weetbix or a piece of toast for breakfast (sometimes both). Morning and afternoon teas consist of cheese (your favourite!), yoghurt (your other favourite!), fruit, fruit bars, sultanas, Jatz biscuits and whatever else we have on hand. You usually eat vegies or left-overs for dinner, plus custard, fruit or yoghurt for dessert, and you are still really good at eating it all up at night time. You have one bottle in the morning and one at night, although sometimes you're not so interested in the night one. I usually still use formula for these bottles, but sometimes you'll have cows milk instead, which you don't mind. You are still very adamant about eating at about 5pm and get rather stroppy around this time if I don't feed you. Then you and Jai pop in the bath. We have a good routine for this at the moment, will have to wait and see what the new baby brings to it!

We now have less than a week until the new baby arrives. It could happen any time now. You still like to blow raspberries on Mummy's big belly, and it often gets in the way of your feet at change time or when I'm feeding you in the highchair. You can reach my tummy with your feet through the highchair and think its great fun to kick! I wonder what you think about it - if anything, and if you'll notice that its gone (well mostly!) once bubs comes along. I also really wonder how you will handle having your time taken away by the new baby. I'm sure you'll be rather trying at first, but Mummy will have to give you lots of special time while the baby is sleeping! I often also wonder how I will go, being a Mum to two babies! Its going to be tough, but I know that the Lord will sustain me through it! You just have to try to be good ok!

Speaking of the baby, we moved your cot into Jaidyn's room a few weeks ago, so the baby can have its own room for a few months. You are really loving sharing with him and Jaidyn mostly loves it too, except that he seems to do a lot more cleaning now - as you like to pull the books out of the bookshelf, and his toys and shoes out of their places too. Poor Jai. We have to stagger your bedtimes (you usually by 7pm, then Jai at 7.30pm) so that you are asleep when Jai comes to bed. If not, you think its playtime and chatter away to him. You are so cheeky.

Your behaviour has been somewhat trying over the last couple of weeks. We are not sure whether its more teeth coming in, Daddy going back to work after 3 months at home, just a 13-month old thing to do, or maybe a combination of them all! You are frequently referred to as 'the terror' these days, and Monkey and Monster feature more prominantly too! You are into everything, don't listen to 'No' and have no fear either. You have recently learnt to climb up on the couch and the dining chairs, so we need to make sure the chairs are tucked under the table or you'll then climb up onto that too!

You have been in the wars a lot too. A week does not go past these days when you don't have blood or a bruise of some sort. You did a real doozy the other day at Karen & Mark's when you faceplanted on the cement, getting a blood nose, splitting your bottom lip and scratching your upper lip too! Mummy was a little queazy, so Daddy had to take over! It does not stop you or hold you back though, and you usually have a little cry then get straight back into it! I can see I'm forever going to have my hands full with you young man!!

My life is most certainly made interesting and much richer because you are in it my darling. I love you more and more every day, and can't imagine life without you in it. You are so very precious to us all, love Mummy xxx