Six whole years have passed now since the doctor handed me that teeny tiny perfect little human. I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do with you. I had no real experience in looking after babies or children and barely even any that counted in pet ownership (hello, Gus anyone???).
But we found our way. We figured it out and the years have flown by. So let me tell you a few of the things I love about this past year.
- you had your first year of school. You not only survived prep but you rocked it! You made so many lovely new friends, both boys and girls, and your teacher thought you were really well behaved and a good listener. Well played!
- you can read. Like really read. You can pick up normal books from your shelves and read them. You read signs we drive past and things that are written on the television. I can no longer spell things out to your father in the hope of sneaking them past you!
- you are kind to girls. I hear stories of you telling the girls at school that they look beautiful when they are playing dress ups. You can be so kind and gentle to Eve and you tell her you love her every night before bed.
- you still have a day sleep on the weekend and on school holidays. I am ridiculously thankful for this one as it helps me to maintain a degree of sanity.
- you can play big boy video games now. You have been hooked on Super Mario on DS for a while now and since Santa brought you Skylanders you have been hard to tear away from it. I am completely fine with this because I LOVE to play the games with you. You think I am totally cool because I can get us past the tricky levels.
- you have had friends stay over for sleepovers. There may have possibly been threats to call their parents and send them home but in the end everyone had a great time and no one had to leave early.
- you have had two trips away to the beach house with Nanna and Grandpa. We miss you terribly when you go but the photos of you paddle boarding and playing at the beach together with the two second long phone calls tell us that you don't miss us much at all!
- you use big words in the right context. Sometimes we are floored by the adult concepts that you grasp.
- you swim like a fish. Recently you've learned to do butterfly kick which I can't even do. It makes me value even more the many thousands of dollars we have spent on swimming lessons!
- you still like me to rock you like a baby (sometimes). You say "mama" and ask me to sing "rock a bye baby" while you pretend to suck your thumb.
- Stanley the dog is still a big part of your life and you can't go to sleep without him in your arms.
- you are scared of the dark. Sometimes. Mainly when it suits your needs. The rest of the time you are completely fine with it.
- you love to draw. You always tell me that you are "doing the details". This makes my heart sing.
- you can recount the plots of movies in ridiculously vivid detail. I swear that you have watched (and stayed awake during) more movies than I have seen in my life. You are a true movie buff.
- you still think ABC2 is the best TV station around. While your friends might be watching the big boy channels you can't decide whether your favourite show is "Peter Rabbit" or "Ben and Holly's little kingdom".
- you refuse to watch the girly movies Eve wants to watch but within five minutes of them starting you are always to be found staring intently at the screen.
- your love of raw salmon sushi has hit new levels. You ask for it at every possible opportunity and when you do eat it you always save a 'reserve piece' of it so it is the last thing you eat.
- you are still the loudest person I know. Even louder than your Aunty Alicia. This trait is now rubbing off on Eve which means that I often find myself being shouted at by two small people.
- you worry. You are always thinking ahead about what might happen. I spend my days telling you to enjoy what you are doing and not worry what might happen next. Then I worry myself.
- you still think I'm pretty awesome. Even when I'm cranky. You tell me unsolicited "I love yous" which are the best ones of all. When I get dressed up to go out you tell me I look beautiful, or even better, "like Princess Elsa".
- you are not too cool to hold my hand or give me kisses and cuddles at school. You will even call out "I love you" to me in front of your friends. I suspect this will change this year and soon you will be embarrassed. I hope not.
We blinked and you are six. We are scared that if we blink again you will be sixteen and giving us grief with your weird haircut and earrings and asking to borrow the car.
But for now you are still my sweet baby boy. You are so very much like me that it drives us both bonkers. Our relationship is half made up of driving each other nuts and half being each other's super special loving little friend.
I cannot remember my life without you in it. My life since the day you arrived has been exhausting and amazing all at once. You changed everything in my world. For the better obviously. I love you. I always will. Even when you don't tell me I look like Princess Elsa.
xx
* in the usual tradition, here is a photo from each of the twelve months of Oliver being five.
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