To Jon on his third birthday…
Monday, June 28th, 2010
Jon – my dear little “big boy”, your delightful smile and shining eyes can lift the darkest mood.
Playful and cheeky, you are more of a little boy now than ever before. Full to the brim with boyish self-confidence that lets you believe you really can do anything when it comes to climbing; and obsessed with trains, planes and automobiles of every sort.
It’s hard to know where to start when it comes to describing how you’ve changed over the last year. Not so much on the physical side, especially since you were walking already this time last year (just), but on the emotional side, it feels like we’re getting to know a whole new person!
There’s no denying that things have been a little stressful for you these last few months and this brought out the prickly side of your personality. You went from having a very easy life, where you and Mummy just got on with things, to experiencing some major upheavals in the form of the arrival of little Jessica and some nasty sharp molars all around the same time.
We’re really pleased to see that you seem to like having Jessica (“baby-sista”) around and have accepted that she’s a part of the family without manifesting too much in the way of jealousy. It’s definitely been getting easier for you week by week (especially now that the worst of the teething is over) and we love having our sunny, helpful little fellow back.
You’re so much more independent now – some days straining against the adults who want to try to help, or fighting to do things your own way. It can be a bit hard for everyone at these times but we’re learning together on this one, trying to figure out the win-win solutions where we all come out of it loving and respecting each other.
As parents, it’s hugely rewarding to watch you achieve something new. Riding your birthday scooter — little tongue poked out in concentration, putting puzzle pieces together, drawing circular patterns, getting a box of juice out the fridge, climbing into your car-seat by yourself. All so novel and such fun. “I did it!” and “I a big boy Mummy” are two favourite phrases at the moment. 
Your talking is still coming along in leaps and bounds. One sign of this is the way that you can actually have a conversation of sorts with someone outside of the family and they will generally understand some of what you are saying.
The talking, especially over the last six months, brings out more and more of your personality – and we love it when the little statement “That bit funny!” pops out in response to what you see as curious or amusing.
Just in the last week you’ve figured out how to ask questions so we’re expecting a lot more of those!
Of course life doesn’t sit still and there’s going to be a lot more upheaval in your life coming very soon. From the imminent holiday to SA (which will probably be the first one that you actually remember), to our big move to Durham in September – these next three months are going to be a busy time, but we’ll leave that for another chapter!
