Where to start? Firstly I can't believe I haven't mentioned your virtual addiction to race cars! "V8 Supercars?" or "Formula 1?" can be heard several times a day from your mouth. Although not obsessed where you MUST have a car in your hand, you do often carry around several cars at a time.

I feel like a mean mum at times at the moment. You've had the cold and gotten over it quickly. Jude has now come down with it pretty badly so on top of his already demanding nature, he wants more attention which means I cannot spend time with you. You also seem to have moments in your language skills and as I know you can understand what I am saying, when you don't do as I ask, its rather agravating. Your conversational skills are getting there very gradually. You will listen to a question and answer yes or no to the best of your knowledge. Spontaneous language and comments are comming along too but not in a conversational way. We are focussing on getting you to pronounce words clearly with the thought that this might increase your confidence. You still do wail and grunt a lot which does not help us to help you.

So many things are changing and you are growing up. You are now pretty much toilet trained ( for wees) during the day. It has taken about 2 or 3 months but we are there now. You will take yourself off to the toilet if you need to and even put the toilet seat up! You haven't had an accident in about a week and that one was only because you were strapped into your car seat and we'd been driving for about an hour and a half.

What else? You know a lot to the Cars movie off by heart. You will say "I love you" back to me when I say it to you which after you saying 'Mummy" ( which happened the Friday before Mothers Day 2008) was my next wish in your speach progression. You even gave me a gift today of a starflake ornament Jude was playing with by saying "For Mummy!" and you put it up to my chest like a necklace. You are imagining lots and I can only wonder what is going on inside your head.

What can you do?

3 year 5 months

You know the alphabet

Regognise all the letters of the alphabet out of sequence

Know approximately 100 words by sight

Are startign to sound out words. You see a word and know its similar to one you know but you know its not right. ie Bickie and Bike

Can count to 20

Count on your fingers

Count backwards from 10

Know zero

I'm sure there is lots more. You don't say much but you I wonder whats going on under those blonde curls

1st day back at daycare today. I rang aroudn luchtime and was told you'd settled in nicely and was enjoying yourself. I really love the balance in your personality. You can be so independent when you need to be but are never short of a cuddle and a kiss.

You re toilet training at teh mometn wit a reward of watchign the Cars Dvd for ever success in the toilet or potty. OK you may read this later as an adult and think "oh mum!" but jsut wait until you become a parent yourself and you'll see why I'm so excited by your small successes in this matter.

Tonight you were so sweet. I was trying to put Jude to sleep but you wanted to listen to the story too. The problem is you don't sit still so that was stopping Jude from settling down. I sent you out to Daddy only for you to later come in with cars for Jude that you dropped over the side of the cot. Sweet but annoying as Jude really didn't need cars to play with right then.

Oh another thing, I used to thinkyou are shy but now whenever we go out shopping, you happily walk up to people with a "Hello, how you going?"

Lewis you are 3 and 1/4 - you should not be able to read me the shopping list! My goodness, you are even trying to sound out words you don't know but look like words you know ie bickie looks like bike ( not that I even know where you learnt bike from!)

You have been playing sounds lately.  You love using your voice down low and up high and saying things in different voices.  Yesterday you were literally screaming the alphabet as you sung it!

Its been 2 weeks now since we have moved into our new home and you have definitely made it your 'home' .  You really are a little home body - happy just to potter around inside.  You and Jude are playing so nicely (sometimes) now.  You stil have your moments where you don't want to share what you are doing - most usually involving cars or trains.

You are constantly surprising us.  You've been frustrated lately about not being able to get your fingers to do what you want them to do when you are trying to count on them.  You were having troubles gettign 3 fingers to stay up and 2 down.  The other day you were practicing and got it!  How did I know you had gotten it when you were in the back seat of the car?  You started counting to 3 - yes, nothing unusual for you as you can count to 20 - but you did it in Chinese! 

"Yi ( as in  'e'), Er ( as in 'are'), San ( as in 'sun')!"

The weather is startign to turn colder and you often climb into bed with us sometime during the night.  I doubt whether its fromt he cold though, mor ejsut the cuddles.

You have come so far in the last year.  It dawned on me today when we were playing 'Wake up Mummy!" that it was not even a year ago that my biggest wish ( for Mothers day, so that is May) was for you to say 'mum'.  Now my day is filled with "hello mummy" ( I dont' know if I ever got it on video but you used to day teh cutest 'Hew- wo') " pwease mummy"  " thanks mummy" "sorry mummy" "up pwease mummy" " milk pwease mummy".  You tell me the colours of everything, the numbers on everything, are constantly counting forwards and backwards.  You love swimming lessons.  We walked past the pool on the way to get pizza the other night and you were so upset that we weren't going swimming " Wanna go swimming!" when I tried to say not now it was " But I want to!" (which actually sounds a lot like 'I'm ready').  You know about 30 or more words by sight that you have just learnt by yourself from TV.  almost daily we have a game where I have to write words and you tell me what they are.  Maybe thats it - you will learn to read and talk at the same time.

You are such a kind boy.  Jude loves to play with whatever you are playing with and although you really don't want to part with it, many times you will hand over whatever you are playing with for Jude to play with.  There is an exception though, your "racecars".

Thankyou

These are your favourite words at the moment - well, more like 'Fanks Mummy". You jsut coem out with it at random times of the day and I want you to know that it really does make my day.

You really are a clever chook. The little things you come out with. I can't remember any at the moment but I swear you are starting to read at the mere age of 3. You might have a speech and language delay but we think all that energy is being diverted into thinking.

Lewis you are such an innocent. Some kids your age have developed a very mean streak but the thought doesn't even enter your mind. You get upset when Jude mucks up your games and frustrated when things don't work how you want, but never angry or mean. You even try to tell Jude off if he is doing something 'wrong' or not doing as we tell him just because you don't want us to get upset. You are just such a kind soul with clear eyes. May you always stay so innocent