PATRICK YOU'RE TWO

I can't believe I'm writing this given it only feels like yesterday we eagerly anticipated your arrival, wondering who you'd be and how you'd change the dynamic of our little family of three. Nothing could have prepared us for you though, my fierce, wild boy - the child that ultimately had we had you first, I'm not sure we'd have considered a second. You're testing but you're worth every single challenge you throw our way, and believe me there have been many. I knew during your first year that your personality was shining through and as predicted, over the last twelve months it's grown even more - you've come completely into your own and turned from a baby to a toddler (welp!)


The past year hasn't been easy, you're like to do things your own way and that's prevalent. Sleeping was for sure the biggest challenge and it pushed me right to the brink on numerous occasions, I still don't have the answers as to why you wake up fifteen thousand times a night and while we do get set runs of a week or so now, more often than not, you'll still disturb at some point during the evening hours and that will always be hard. I try not to compare you to your brother, your personalities are so far removed from one another but sometimes it's difficult, your both my babies and there will be always be qualities that each of you have, that I wish the other possessed too.

Speaking of Noah or 'wower' as you've always called him, you have the classic textbook sibling relationship, you both fight as fierce as you love and I only have to watch your face as he walks out of school to know how much you idolise him. I put a lot of your confidence down to having Noah as a big brother, he's always been there for you and he's the first one you want to see if you've got a scrape on your knee to show off or you've eaten all of your dinner. You adore him, and though you like to break his towers and ruin his train track, the feeling is definitely mutual.

Your speech is second to none and you love nothing more than to use your voice to be heard. There isn't a chance anyone could forget about you. New situations definitely spook you a little, but you're won over in moments and quite the outgoing little boy which surprised me, given how reliant you are on adults attention, I assumed you would shrink inwards when you're put in unfamiliar surroundings but that's definitely not the case, hopefully that continues as you're due to start pre-school in September. It'll be strange not having you by my side 24/7, I've loved having just you and me time this year and it's really strengthened our bond. It's no secret you were always a Daddys boy, as well as his mini me, I think it's because you know generally when Mummy says no, he'll say yes.

Now you're two and it's time I have to stop calling you a baby, even though deep down you'll always be my baba. You've always felt older than your years and never really followed the traditional developmental lines, the highchair was out of the window at 11 months as soon as you demanded to eat at the table with a spoon and fork yourself, baby toys are of zero interest to you - you want lego, stickle bricks and blocks, I'm not sure if this is a second child thing or you're just determined to grow quicker than my heart will allow - but please slow down baby boy.