The best age?

Hayley asked me a few weeks ago "Do you think this is the best age he has been so far?" As I told her at the time, I think every new age he reaches is better and better. Of course as he develops into a little person with his own likes, dislikes and preferences he becomes more capable of expressing those preferences, sometimes in forceful terms!

But now as he starts to speak a few words and understand more of what is going on, he can interact so much more and I am loving that aspect. Just being able to have him communicate what he wants or what is bothering him is a big plus to me and has helped me become ever more confident with him.

For the first time we find that it is Oliver who is saying something and we are the ones not understanding! His pronunciation is improving and his "yes please" is easily understood. He also says "teeth" after his bath to ask to clean his teeth. He stands on a box to reach the sink in his bedroom.





What cracks me up at the moment is that he is currently walks round talking to himself, saying a phrase that we can't identify. Something like "da dooooo" with a really consistent intonation. It's not referring to me. It might be a form of "choo choo" as in a train. He says it a few times a day, even when preoccupied with something apparently unrelated to trains.



He's becoming ever more inquisitive too. Over Christmas Hayley lost her phone. She searched everywhere for it and eventually after 2 days it turned up in Oliver's shopping trolley! Then last weekend I foolishly let him have my contact lenses in their container. They turned up 2 days later in his changing bag.

But what surprised me and made me laugh the most was the other day when I realised his socks had gone missing and only he could have moved them. I asked him "Where are your socks Oliver? Can you show Daddy where they are?" He promptly turned around, walked out of the room to the kitchen where he opened the lid of his pusharound Thomas the Tank Engine, got out his socks and held them up to me. I was quite amazed.

Is it true that a child recognises 2000 words before they speak? I can believe it.

But of course sometimes he can't tell me where something is, so he does something he has picked up from his Mummy. He just stands there, looks at me, shrugs his shoulders and holds his hands up as if to say "search me mate!".

The best age? Yes, probably. But every new day seems to be better still.