27 months

Rabbit,

Your language has escalated dramatically this month. So has the decibel level at our house. You babble on all day.


I am learning your language. “Booi” (ball), “bar” (muesli bar), “tool” (little), “stick” (sticker), “wee-bwee” (strawberry), “daah” (car), “moolk” (milk), “doosh” (tissues), “tside” (outside).

There are more and more sentences: “Pot bait choc-choc cake” (Spot Bakes a Chocolate Cake); “Mum white book” (mum writes in her book); “white book nawty” (it’s naughty to write in picture books) (grr!); “daddy big daah” (daddy’s big car); "Ja-ja sit daddy daah shop" (Jamie's sitting in Daddy's car going to the shop), “wide ‘tool bike” (ride my little bike); “wide big bike” (ride my big bike); “big geen twee” (big green trees), “bump-dee!” (bumped head!).


You are a regular mimic. We have a constant echo in the house. The last few words of every sentence are repeated back to us. You copy your Dad and quite often I’ll see you both leaning against the kitchen cupboards drinking. Cups in the same hand. Heads tilted back. When you and I are sitting on the mat playing, you’ll sometimes try to adopt the same position that I’m sitting in. Which is very amusing when you end up falling over.


You adore your books and I could probably write a whole entry about it: We have to take a book with us everywhere and you’ll sit peacefully in the back of the car “reading”. This month you’ve had to take your favourite Wiggles book to childcare as well as your teddy. Last week I deliberately didn’t give it to you when we got out the car and breathed a sigh of relief when we walked up the steps to the childcare center without it. And then you remembered! And we had to go back and get it. You have a pile of books in your cot when you fall asleep and quite often I’ll hear you in your room “reading” to yourself when you should be falling asleep or when you’ve just woken up. And, finally, you gather your books into a pile and carry them around the house with you. You’re quite adept at stacking them and I think you’ve even realized that it works better if the big ones are on the bottom.


We’ve joined the library and I borrow new books for you each month. One of the books this month has pictures of people riding motorcycles and bicycles. I remarked casually one day that they all had hats on and that we must wear our hats when riding a bike. Well! You have a new ritual. You must put on your sunhat before climbing on your bike. The hat now hangs on the back of the bike so that it’s easily accessible.


At childcare they tell me that you join in the fun a lot more these days. I think that your language development is making you more assertive. You love Krystal, your carer, which helps too.

You are big on singing and dancing now. At playgroup you love it when we sit around in a circle and sing songs. At home, you try to sing along to “Bob the Builder” theme song and everytime you go to sleep you ask me to sing “Baa baa” and sit in my lap singing along to Bah Bah Black Sheep with me. Kinda.


You are on the go constantly. You rarely sit. You sometimes refuse to sit in the bath. You must kneel on your chair when you’re eating. It’s a real battle to get you to sit down at all! You are still existing on a largely fruit diet. “Peachgaitsh!” goes the cry. Peaches and Grapes: peaches and grapes for breakfast; peaches and grapes for dinner; peaches and grapes for tea; peaches and grapes for snacks anytime.


You still love the Wiggles and prefer to watch them over almost everything else. Strangely, you have also developed a liking to tennis. You whinge if I don't put the Wii tennis on if you catch sight of it. And you go around the house "hitting" the air and generally doing a pretty good imitation of playing tennis. Funny what appeals to you!


You are getting to be a good hugger. Quite often I feel your arms and legs wrap around me and squeeze a big hug. Beautiful. And on a rare occasion I get a kiss on the cheek these days. You love to sit on my lap and play with things – puzzles, your pirate ship, books. Anything really, if it’s in my lap. I love those times when we sit there playing and talking. Yes, talking. Conversations. Gotta love that.


Love you!