Tom Kitten Turns 1

Well, with his birthday month almost out I had better post about Tom Kitten at 1 year old.  His birthday coincided with our trip down south and so recording the day got away from me.
 

Way back at the start of May Tom Kitten turned one.  As his actual birthday fell on a weekday, we celebrated the weekend before with a small gathering of our closest friends - whose younger daughter just happens to be Tabitha's best friend!

So, Tom Kitten, for the record here is a snapshot of you at 1.

You are still knee walking.  You take the occasional step here and there but knee walking or crawling is still your preferred method of getting around.  The child health nurse said she hasn't seen anything like it.  It is certainly a very individual 'walking' style.  Your other option is yelling out for perambulation by Mummy!

You have a number of words.  "hewo" - hello.  'Ta' - thank you.  'Mama' - Mummy.  'Dada' - Daddy.  "Nana" - banana.  "T" - sister.  "Da" - dog or cat; or actually any object you are particularly excited about.

You are our mountaineer.  You think nothing of climbing right to the top of the sofa and standing there while Mummy works out whether the best course of action is to sprint to you, or to walk very, very slowly so as not to give you a fright.

You love Noah Puss.  You crawl all over him, and lay your head on his tummy.

You are a great eater.  The oddest food you really like are pickled gherkins.  Five is the most you have eaten at one sitting.  You also really like bananas, jack fruit and cheese.

You have the most wonderful smile.  When you think something is really funny, or you are just being cheeky you screw you face right up, shut your eyes and let out the biggest grin.

You put everything in your mouth.  I mean everything.  Just this morning you ate a crayon.

You love your sister.  You want to do whatever she does.  Sometimes this is to her great frustration.  Other times I delight in watching you play together.

You love water.  The shower is a favourite hang out.  You often have upward of four showers a day.  You will crash in on anyone who takes one; and then there are the necessary ones because you enjoy your food so much.  You like to pretend your cooking in the shower - you take the tippy, fill it with water and stir away with one of the 'toot toot' whistles.  You also think it is funny to inhale water from your sippy cup and spit out all over you.  I am always mopping up puddles, and changing your clothes - it really is an advantage to be in the tropics.

You love lift the flap books.  They are about the only book you will sit still for.  You are a ball of energy, always on the go.

You are almost always very happy.  When you are not happy, you are very, very angry.  There is no middle ground.  When you get angry you let out a high pitched scream, turn bright puce and throw yourself on the floor and wail.  This usually happens when (a) your sister takes something away from you or (b) you don't get something you want fast enough.   If you have this kind of dynamite temper at 1, I don't know what to expect from you at 2!

You don't sleep through the night anymore.  You haven't for six months.  Just a hint, bub, Mummy and Daddy are getting a little worn out.  Your normal bedtime is 6:30pm, you have a feed around 2-4am, and then you are up for the day at about 5:30 am.  You still take a nap in the afternoon.  You sleep with two comforters.  They must both be there.  You hold one in the hand you are sucking, and rub your face with the other.  Comforter ejection from the cot always produces shrieks of protest.  You will root around the cot to find them if they go missing.

You are still feeding three times a day, and once more a night.

Ah, baby boy, you are my loveable bundle of trouble!