Dear Little Ollie, 18 months old
I haven’t written you a progress letter for such a long time, but you’re developing so fast at the moment, every night I put you to bed I tell myself I MUST come downstairs and write all that you’ve been up to – but I get distracted with dinner and so here I am on a Friday night sat in the kitchen typing, while your Daddy cooks us up a curry! I can’t believe you’re 18 months old already!
So what have you been up to, well the main thing I wanted to record is just how quickly you’re picking up words. You’re a little slower to talk than Ettie and is started out with the odd word like ‘Mammy’, ‘Daddy’ and ‘shoes’ (which sounds a little like juice so we were never really sure which you meant). But suddenly over the last week or two you seem to be picking up a new word every day. Yesterday it was ‘Milk’ and today you started saying ‘yuk’ for when you’ve done a poo which is hilarious because you screw up your little face too like you are disgusted by the thought of it. I think that has something to do with the fact that you’ve had a really sore bum over the last couple of days. You always seem to suffer with that when you have a new tooth coming and it get so painful and sore. Seeing you cry takes my breath away and its horrible, but I think because we’ve changed your nappy so much this week trying to keep your bum clean, you now know when you’ve pooed and so come and tell me.
My favourite word that you’ve learned recently is ‘Bad-da’ – Buzz Lightyear. Honestly it is the sweetest thing and you say it approximately 100 times a day. It all started last Friday when I seen a second hand Buzz for sale on the internet. I knew how much you loved Woody and the Buzz was like new and so we drive to collect it while you were having a nap. Ettie seen it while you were asleep and so I told her Buzz was for you both to play with, but when we got home and I got him out of the bag, you’re little face lit up so much I think even she realised how much you loved him because she came to me later and said ‘Mummy I can have Woody and Ollie can have Buzz‘. My heart melted a little bit because I love the way the two of you look after each other (whenever Ettie is shouting at me for something, you also come over and shout – when really you have no idea whats going on, you just want to stick up for your sister.
Ettie and Ollie at 18 months old
You and ‘Badda’ have been best friends ever since. He’s the first toy you ask for when you wake up, and you’ve even taken him to bed a few times. Whenever you see him for the first time in a while you shout BAAAAADAA and run over to him and then whenever we see him out and about you have to touch whatever toy he is on. We were looking at bikes the other day in Halfords and there was an electric Toy Story Scooter and you wouldn’t leave its site, pointing your little finger at Badda and Woody shouting their names. I know it wont seem half as cute reading this back as it is seeing it first hand – but honestly it is the thing that makes me smile the most at the moment and Daddy keeps wondering what I’m smiling about even as I write this.
Other things you love at the moment are your balance bike – although you aren’t quite tall enough to touch the floor at the moment and so we have to push you along. ‘Diggers’, ’tractors’ ‘cars’ or anything with big wheels. You love Ettie’s scooter but are just a little too young to grasp the steering. You love jumping on the trampoline with Ettie and call it the ‘Bomber’ which we both think is hilarious. You love shouting ‘pop pop’ when you pump – which is all down to Daddy but you say it with such a cheeky giggle and little sparkle in your eye I’ll forgive your manners 😉
You love balls, bats, throwing things, eating lots, Fireman Sam, singing, dancing, spinning round in a circle until you make yourself dizzy, SWIMMING (absolutely one of your favourite things), splashing, your sister Ettie and bubbles (apparently when you are angry at nursery all they have to do is get the bubbles out and you are happy again.) To be honest you love most things and are the sweetest, happiest, scummiest little boy but woah betide us if we tell you off. If you do something naughty and we tell you off, you kind of look up at us with your head tilted down and little bottom lip sticking out and give us the dirtiest look. Then you either slope of to sulk, or if you’re really angry, you drop down and headbut the floor which is ever so silly. We have to tell you to stop before you hurt yourself. One day you walked your way around the whole kitchen head butting things (including my legs) until you made yourself cry! I think you think your head is a battering ram!
Aside from the head butts (which are ridiculous but quite funny) you really are the sweetest, loveliest boy and I pinch myself every day thinking about how lucky we are to have made you. You have little double front tooth which is suppose to be lucky, the cutest little pot belly and big strong thighs. You have a mop of beautiful brown curls which I never want to chop off but had to cut a little bit from your fringe the other day so you could see (I’ve kept all the cuttings in my locket alongside Etties). You enjoy pointing at all the features on our faces and even woke me up the other morning with a finger up my nose and a little voice saying ‘nose’. You point to your ears, eyes, tummy and willy which you find ever so hilarious 😆18 months old
Then at bedtime it’s Daddy who puts you to bed after we all pile in for a story in Ettie’s room. We can tell when your tired because you go straight to him and ask for a cuddle. Like Ettie you end up coming into our bed at some point most nights now but we don’t mind as you tend to just settle down and sleep like she does. It’s nice having all four of us sleep together and I love it how we all wake up together in the morning. Sometimes Daddy is already awake having his breakfast and you get up (without waking me) and rub to the top of the stairs shouting Daaaaaddy! Then he’ll come and scoop you up. Sometime you decide Mummy can’t have a lie in and you pull me by the finger to get out of bed. You’re quite determined too. 18 months old
We all love you so much our little Ollie, Ettie loves her little brother and is so proud when all the children want to play with you at nursery. You have such fun together and I hope you stay best buds forever. Love you so much, your Mummy xxxxx
Ollie at 18 months old
