The wonderful world of Toddlers

It's been a while since my last entry. It's been a busy month. recovering from surgery, planning a family holiday to Hawaii, work and looking after my family have kept me very occupied! My little baby boy, is now unequivocally, without doubt a cheeky toddler, and a funny little one at that. He is strong willed, bold and has his mothers batty personality. Like me, Cooper has developed some unique idiosyncrasies, including the need to put everything he plays with back exactly where he found it, or when he has finished with his food, he will pick up any little crumbs or left overs and place them back into the bowl so his tray is clean. I'm sure though like many things, that this is just a phase, and soon enough he'll be dropping his clothes, towels and toys on the floor only top be harped on to pick them up and leaving the table with his plate, knife and fork behind for his mum to clear!

It astounds me how quickly toddlers decide that they no longer need their parents to assist them to get things done. Now Cooper is walking, climbing and insisting he feeds himself he need only point at what it is that he wants, grunt or make a sound that sounds something like the name of the object, I get it for him and that's that. Not only that, but just recently he will tell me "no, all done"when he has finished with whatever it is that he was eating or drinking. He cheekily tells me "shoosh" and puts a finger to his lips when  we get ready for a nap  and don't even get me started on the dancing that takes place when we put the iPod on.

It is these moments that make being a mum (or dad) the most precious gift in the world.  There is nothing that can describe the joy that comes with watching your child develop, learn and play, especially when they discover something new that their ilttle bodies are capable of.

Cooper has recently discovered jumping. It's the cutest little site to see. He swings his whole body in a motion with his arms but his feet don't ever leave the ground, whether it be jumping into a pool or just at home around the house - but the grin that follows is priceless.

Development wise I was told recently that  by 18 months old Coopers vocabulary should be somewhere between 10 and 30 words, naturally when I heard this I panicked. Cooper although communicating what he wants well, through pointing and understanding when you ask him to pick up his toys, or bring you a specific book, he does not have 10-30 words. After speaking to Coopers child care educators they assured me Cooper was developing perfectly and that this kind of goal just creates more guilt and panic amongst parents, and it's not like we don't already put enough pressure on ourselves. Cooper, like most boys is a physical little thing, able to catch a ball, throw, kick and run as well as any 2 year old. He has developed his motor skills at a rapid pace and as such I suppose his verbal ability has come in second. Some research suggests that children fall into 1 of 2 categories, physical or verbal early on but eventually even out over the next 2 years. I suppose we will just have to really focus on reading with him if we hope to have 30 words by December!




Cooper and Simon reading a book