Dear Addison - Two and a Half Years Old

Dear Addison,

I'm not quite sure where half a year went since your birthday but here we are. You have grown in a lot a ways but especially upwards. Still tracking on the 50th percentile line as always and you will probably end up around the same height as me - around 170cm. You hair has also grown a LOT, especially when comparing photos from a year ago! It reaches more than halfway down your back now and is quite wavy, also like mine. Since it is so long we need to tie it back and this proves to be a daily battle, a sticker rewards chart is about to be implemented I think.

Speaking of sticker charts, toilet training is back on in full force. After a good run just before you hit two, you decided you wanted to be back in nappies and we followed your lead. You have now decided that undies are the way to go and quite often use the toilet at home, and you are pretty good at preschool and only have the occasional accident, here's hoping it continues!

You have sprouted all of your teeth now, the 2 year old molars arrived just after you turned two, the bottom ones first.

You are a pretty good eater right now, quite happy with routine. As with most toddlers you have a sweet tooth and would eat treats all day if you could so we make sure to offer plenty of fruit and veges. You most requested dinner is 'Chicken and Peas' which we can fulfill in various forms. You enjoy pasta, noodles and cous cous, and potatoes when they have the skin taken off. You love sauces and gravy and dipping your food in things. You eat the tops off broccoli and cauliflower and really enjoy cucumber. You also really like kidney beans which you call 'jelly beans'. Weetbix is your breakfast of choice although you rarely eat it all. You are good at telling us when you are full and know the rule is that once you are finished there is no more food. You still graze but are getting better at eating at set meal times.

You are thriving at preschool, you go for 3 full days a week while mum studies. You have been going since March and are now very comfortable with the teachers and other children there. You tell me all the other children's names and can identify their parents faces when they come to pick them up. You spend a lot of time outside in the sandpit and riding the bikes. You also love playdoh, stories and duplo and have made a couple of close friends there. Sometimes one of the amazing mums comes in and does some face painting which you have really taken a shine to!

This beautiful tiger was painted at her besties 3rd birthday and she spent the whole day roaring like a tiger!

Another favourite is dressing up. You are getting pretty pro at putting on and taking off clothing (including nappies) and I regularly find you after your (occasional) naps with very interesting clothing combinations and you are very adament in your days outfit. I have been stashing away a box of dress ups that I will continue to add to because I love that you are enjoying imaginative play.

You love being in the shed with Daddy and he is so patient with you and teaches you how to use the real tools. He is so excited of the many years to come and is already planning out projects that you can do together.

Other things you love include: being outside, being a doctor, climbing, fluffies, doing whatever mum or dad is doing (or eating, or wearing), playing with Dolly, playgrounds, water play, sandpits, playing with the hose, not wearing clothes, reading stories, going to the library every week, telling us what to do, pretending to go to sleep in the middle of the day, doing everything yourself and just generally being cute.

There is so much more I could say about the beautiful girl you are, we are loving being your parents, you push us everyday to be more patient and you show us what it is to love someone with all of your heart.
xx