I just love my Mummy

This is what James told me this morning after crawling into bed with me and asking to hold my hand! And again tonight. Isn't he lovely?

James is verging on 2 1/2 and, to borrow a friend's phrase, is VERY two! He's a bundle of mischievous energy, and is constantly finding new things for us to stop him doing; such as helping himself from the fridge (including some smashed eggs last weekend!), new ways to torment Shadow and Cocoa, jumping on the furniture and more. Although I seem to be saying, "No!" and, "Stop!" far too often, we also have some wonderful conversations.

He has developed a fascination with the sky, and likes to go out and see the moon and stars at bedtime. When we couldn't see it the other night, he told me, "We can't see the moon, 'cos it's too far away." This after a discussion earlier in the day when I had to explain that no, we can't touch the sun, it's too far for anyone to reach! And another night, "The moon's probably ouside, Mummy." Yes. Probably! Every time he sees a plane or helicopter, he tells me, "There's peoples in there, Mummy."

He also surprises me by correctly using fairly conceptual works such as 'either' and is starting to get the hang of me, I and you. In a very non-possessive way, he refers to everything as, "My Bec and my Ra", "That's MY mummy!" (when I collect him from childcare) and, "My sister" (or my princess!).

Although he's not asking "Why?" just yet, he loves everything to have a reason, and most of his sentences finish with "...'cos..." If he hasn't got a reason handy (and some he uses are rather obscure to say the least!) he'll say, "'cos....'cos....'cos....." then trail off as he tries to think of something.

He has finally mastered 'Ls' and for the first week, it was funny to watch his tongue work so hard to achieve it. But it seems that in remembering how to say it, sometimes he forgets to put it in until a bit late, so elephants are ephelants at the moment. He can now say 'Elaine' properly, but for some reason still just slurs over the L in Eleanor.

Since he caught gastro from Eleanor just before Easter, we've stopped the bottles, and he rarely asks for them now. it was a good time to make a clean break, as he was having far too many. He now eats much better. Some evenings he'll have a little warm milk in a mug (he likes the one with a fish on the inside to look at best!) and unless he's in the car or similar, he usually uses an open cup now, too.

Toilet training is stop and start, but I probably need to put a bit more effort into reminding him to go; I'm good at forgetting! The other night he let out a little fart, and chuckled away, then without prompting said, "Excuse me my bottom" which had Simon and I in stitches!

He knows some or all of a lot of nursery rhymes, and watching his DVDs is an active passtime; copying the moves, running around 'dancing' and singing along. His favourite bits involve shouting! He's also learning new songs at Heydee Ho, a weekly singing and dancing session at childcare, and sometimes it takes me a while to work out what song he's asking for.

As well as the gastro, we've had a few colds through the house in the last month, and this has obviously stuck with James. About a week after he got over his first cold, we were driving along when he asked for some cough medicine. I told him it wasn't in the car, and anyway, he wasn't sick any more, he hadn't been coughing. Pause. "*cough* *cough*" (they couldn't have sounded more fake if he'd tried!) "I cough." At random times he tells me, "I'm not sick any more." or, when asking for something he thinks he mightn't get, "'Cos it makes me feel better" with a cute turn of the head.

Last weekend he was riding his bike around the house and told Simon he was riding to work. When asked where he was going to work, he answered, "I go to work in bathroom" and off he went, then turned around, "I'm a bit sick, I'm not going to work now. Need some tabbits (tablets)."

After a rare rainstorm last week, we discovered some puddles and James had great fun jumping in them. His shoes were sodden for days, so at the next opportunity we went and got some gumboots - last season's are far too small! They have Thomas the Tank Engine on them, and for a couple of days he wore them everywhere - and pointed them out to everyone else at the supermarket! He's desperate for more 'piddles' to jump in - maybe this weekend, with any luck!

He got right into his Easter Egg hunt this year, and is still getting the occasional egg. Chocate!!!