JBB

JBB is all at once trying my patience and being totally gorgeous.  He is most definitely a toddler and is demanding his own way on many things.  I try to give him a choice most of the time but there are some non-negotiables (like holding hands in car parks and brushing teeth!!).  

I have been super proud of how he has taken to being a big brother, he is great - he loves Boo2 heaps.  It is amazing to see how he treats him and talks to him - he is really kind and loving to him.  He says 'Oh sweetie, what's wrong?', 'It will be okay, sweetie' when Boo2 is crying.  Every morning he comes to see him and says 'hello little fella' and gives him a kiss and a hug.  I'm proud of how he speaks to Boo2 because he has obviously learned how from us - that makes me feel like we are doing a reasonable job. 

He doesn't really have his afternoon sleep much anymore, which makes him very grumpy (and me a bit grumpy too) but 'quiet time' is also a non-negotiable - he spends this in his room and it is always a bit of a battle.  I hear him singing songs in there or telling stories, sometimes I hear him call people on his pretend phone.  Even though he is supposed to me quiet - it makes me smile when I hear him.  My younger sister says he has a  case of FOMO (fear of missing out) - I heartily agree.

He has remained a pretty cautious kid but day care has really helped him to come out of his shell.  I took him to the indoor park the other day with some girlfriends and their kids and he really joined in - previously, he would have hung back and asked me to go in with him - last week, he barrelled in on his own and played up a storm with the other kids.  Even though on one hand, I feel guilty about him going to day care, on the other, I think that he has a wonderful time and it has really helped him to socialise.  Last week, he got put into the kinder room for a little bit as he will be making the transition soon and he was so proud of himself, he told me about it around 10 times.

He loves playing with other kids - he absolutely adores all of his cousins.  He had a sleepover at my older sisters place on Saturday night and is still talking about how much fun he had.  I am looking forward to when Boo2 is walking and they are able to play and have fun together.  It makes me so happy that they will both have a built in mate for the rest of their lives - wonderful.  I just hope that we can help to nurture a lovely sibling relationship between the two of them.

He's at the age where he says funny things and I am sure that JourneyMan and I have bored many people telling him about the cute things that he says and does.  He is addicted to porridge at the moment and we always have a couple of flavours on hand.  He likes to say 'Which one my want, Mummy?' then he pauses to think 'Ummmmm, that one' - it's a little ritual every morning and it makes both JourneyMan and I smile. Interestingly enough, JBB has all of a sudden I have gone from being 'Mummy' to 'Mum' and now, strangely 'Mumma' - I don't know why.

On the other hand, he also can be so frustrating I want to scream.  I will ask him to do something and he says 'no' (over and over again).  I tell him to stop doing something and he won't.  When he goes to bed he wants his cars, his trains, his dummy washed, his nappy changed, his water bottle filled up, he asks for a cuddle, then to be tucked in, then another cuddle and then to be tucked in again.  In essence, he is a toddler asserting his independence and most of the time I am proud of that (sometimes I just want to tear my hair out).

I can't believe that this little boy who I nestled into the small space in my neck, he was so tiny when he was born, is turning 3 next month.  What a wonderful 3 years it has been and how time has flown.