The Wonderful World of a Toddler

There is something magical about those precious newborn days and I treasured each and every milky snuggle and windy smile, but right now I am loving the wonderful world of toddlers.

As a baby, I impatiently awaited the next milestone, and for Dylan to learn a new skill or 'trick'.  Nowadays, he is surprising me every day with how much he picks up and how well he learns.  No two days are the same, and his cheeky personality is shining through more all the time.

It was only three short months ago that he sat immobile and played with his toys.  Now his days are spent exploring and he only sits still to eat or sleep.  He toddles from room to room, rearranging the house and finding the greatest pleasures in the simplest of things.  a plastic bottle or empty box can bring hours of entertainment, and one man's rubbish is clearly another's treasure!  Our new house has given him more freedom and space and he can
wander much further before reaching a stair gate.  He has been keen to assert his new independence and often makes camp in the oddest of places with a book or a puzzle.

His language is developing at an astonishing rate, and it seems so recently that his vocabulary consisted solely of a drawn out 'muum' or the repetitive 'dadada'.  He now loves nothing more than to repeat his new favorite word 'circle' and he attempts so many different sounds in an effort to mimic our words.  His language is varied and he can now clearly say duck, sock, car, moon and plenty of others.

He has been practicing his animal noises as we read his favorite farmyard books, and can mimic a cow, dog, cat and lion as well as a brum brum for car and the 'wah, wah, wah' that Daddy has taught him is the noise of a baby.  He can recognize several body parts and proudly grabs with two hands and a huge grin when you ask him where his tummy is.

He has recently mastered the stairs although still asks for a hand if he wants to go down.  He is picking up speed as he wanders around and it won't be long before his little legs learn how to run and he is off!

One of my favorite changes however, is watching him learn affection.  He is the most sociable little boy with a wave for everyone he meets and he loves to blow kisses in response to just the smallest amount of attention.  He has learnt to come up to me arms open when he wants a cuddle and loves giving us kisses.  He  asks to be picked up when he wants reassurance and loves to gently stroke and kiss small babies(let's hope this lasts when we have a little squish of our own!)  He shows lots of love when playing with his friends and wants to share toys and kisses with his playmates.  I love that cuddles are back on the menu now he is bigger and he seeks me out for them making them all the more special.

Every little thing that he does is amazing as I cannot believe how much he has grown in 15 months from the tiny newborn to this independent  stubborn and very loving, cheeky little man.  He is no longer my little baby but a walking, talking toddler and I love to watch him take in his world with wonder and enjoyment, learning so much as he goes along.  I can't imagine there will be another stage in life when he will grow and change so rapidly and so we are making the most of every minute with our gorgeous little man. I can't wait to see him take on a new role as a big brother and I am confident he will love having a little baby to learn about and teach.  I do miss the days of my baby boy but these toddler times are something pretty special.