Cyril Update...

Cyril update just because it's been nearly 2 months since I've written anything. I'm sure you're all happy about my break from verbal family diarrhoea.

People keep asking me how old Cyril is, sometimes I say 18 months and sometimes I say you know what I have no idea let me do a quick calculation. What has happened to me, this is not something I would normally forget. I actually got asked if I was pregnant yesterday because the person was so shocked that I wasn't able to not only give his age but also list about 5-10 new milestones he reached, haha. Type A or what? Anyway after a brief calculation I decided he was 19 months.

What does 19 months look like for us?

Yoga on Fridays, together, in a small room with 6 other toddlers, let's just say shavasana is hilarious. I go on a Tuesday and Saturday alone for obvious reasons.

New words! Bu for bus, cuckoo for grammy and grampy's cuckoo clock, maaaann for when I shout "Come on" in a really high pitched annoying voice to Hobson. Up, not that exciting but cute. Bye bye also not that exciting unless you hear and watch him, he opens his mouth wider than I've ever seen which he probably gets from me being hyperactive around him 95% of the time. My all time favourite is definitely "HIGH YA!!!" screamed at the top of his lungs, just picture Miss Piggy saying it. Josh and I did this in the truck last Friday because he said I reminded him of Miss Piggy so I yelled HIGH YA! and Cyril has been doing it ever since except when he yells it sounds like "AH TAH!" He has about 40 other words, most of which you would only understand if you spent a lot of time with him.

Books, books and more books. He is finally interested in reading, and not just those crappy books they make for toddlers. I tried to read one to him last night and he chucked it, reaching instead for Goodnight Moon. Another favourite of his is The Big Red Barn, The House in the Night (look up the title, it is an incredible book) A You're Adorable, A Bit Lost, and of course Old McDonald Had A Farm but we say Old Grandpa Karas instead. Half of these book were purchased by his British grandmother, and the other half by my best friend Alex, way to go ladies you have a knack for selecting excellent books!

Food. I don't know what I'll do when he's a teenager. I have to cook daily. I always make a portion that I think I'll be able to freeze and save but then Josh and Cyril sit down at the table and the whole meal is gone. He regularly eats more than I do. His ability to feed himself has gone from strength to strength. He now drinks out of a real cup all by himself and rarely spills. I'm actually shocked every time I watch him. I stopped using sippy cups a long time ago because he was always frustrated by the lack of liquid coming out, another reason I think he gave up bottles so early. When this kid wants his food and milk he WANTS it, he can't wait for a sippy cup to dispense a droplet, he needs a huge gulp immediately.

Food he's loving to eat right now: butternut squash, avocado (atta boy), squash rolls, apples, carrot pancakes (they sound weird but I made them yesterday and they tasted like cake, so yummy), burgers, sausage, chicken, finally, cheese, breadsticks, granola bars, spaghetti and cookie crumbs on the floor of the village hall because mean mama only let him have one!

Independent Play. My friend Robyn says boys are more likely to play independently than girls. I don't have a girl so can't compare but Cyril plays by himself quite nicely. We have a little morning routine we follow pretty religiously. After his breakfast he gets down from his seat and plays in the living room while I wash the dishes. Lately I've been pulling a chair up to the sink and giving him the option of helping mama with the dishes or playing in the living room. Nine times out of ten he chooses to help splash me with the dishes.

Poop awareness. I can't think of what else to call it. Two days ago he started pulling at his nappy. I asked him if he had a dirty nappy, he pulled again so I said let's go change your nappy. He followed me upstairs and actually laid down without crying and sure enough there was a poop in there. I guess this is the first sign of readiness for using the toilet. We're still a long way off potty training but I think I'll need to invest in a little potty soon.

Animal love. Seriously this kid has 10 stuffed animals in his crib that he loves the hell out of. Every night I have to kiss each one. I say, Goodnight Monkey, goodnight Peter Rabbit, goodnight White Rabbit, goodnight Rabbie, goodnight Taggy, goodnight Caterpillar and goodnight Elephant. He now wants Grey Fox and Orange Fox in his crib too, pretty soon there won't be any room for Cyril! (By the way how do you like the names I've selected for his animals, very original)

Pretending to talk on the phone. This is one of the cutest things ever. Whenever I say hello to a person he puts his hand up to his ear and starts mumbling. If I boost the water in his room there are these little buttons you press, when I push a button he puts his hand up to his head.

Lastly, and my favourite, he has started blowing kisses. Every night since he was about 9 months old I have been putting him down in his crib and blowing kisses to him as I leave the nursery. Two weeks ago I noticed he started blowing Rabbie kisses when he left her in the car, or blowing me kisses when I left for yoga at night. Anytime you say bye he blows a kiss, he even did it to the swim instructor last week.

My newest project is editing our photos from America and making them into a little storybook for Cyril and Huck this Christmas. Yikes, I just checked the date, time to get my act together!

Happy Halloween, I doubt I'll get another post in before then!