Swimming outdoors

Papa took me swimming today. There was a little girl at the Jockey Club with her grandparents, and she was keen to play with me, but I was too shy. Papa thought it was warm enough to swim in the outdoor pool. Although eager to get there, I took my time to get into the water. When I did, I clung onto to Papa, so he swam around with a koala bear around his neck. I was just beginning to enjoy myself when Papa decided it was time to get out: Gugu had organised a playdate with twins Mason and Austin.

Development

It's hot and rainy outside - not very pleasant, so I've not been to play out very much since my last entry. On the one nice day last week, Gugu took me to play golf (see the slideshow). I got back all hot and sweaty, and referred to the droplets as "rain" ;-)

I still go to school every week, and I now have a "best friend" at school called Eugene. I'm very much looking forward to a play-date which Gugu organised with him for me next Monday after school.

I am learning to construct longer sentences of three, four or more words. Yesterday I saw Grandpa sleeping on the sofa, and told him "Yeye room bed". I am still obsessed with balls, but have developed a great interest in "crankies" (cranes) since seeing the Thomas the Tank Engine episode "A Cranky Day". I point them out whenever I see them on roof tops and building sites, which is quite a lot- as there is a lot of construction on route to my favourite destinations;-). Gugu has been so impressed that she went and bought me a Cranky to go with my growing train set.

Whilst Big plans my meals, I get to select the dishes: I like to eat a variety of things :-), but I am still essentially a vegetarian.

My brother Duncan

The big news last week is that I have a little brother, who was born in Paris Wednesday last week at 8 in the morning. Papa says he is much heavier than me at birth, he weighed in at almost 4kg (8lb 12oz) ! Papa named him 'Duncan' because I like the sound so much. Since then, I sometimes refer to myself as "gege", or big brother in Chinese.

My weight has been stable at 30 lbs, but at 92.5cm, I continue to grown taller. I still enjoy my lie-ins in the morning before getting up for breakfast - I am allowed to wake up slowly and get to practise vocalisation and singing. It's getting warm, so Grandpa couldn't resist giving me another haircut. I will soon be able to go swimming outdoors.

Gugu says I am developing purist tendencies: I don't like mixing up my building blocks of different colours; when given a bowl of vegetables, I like to separate the peas from the corn. I like comparing things and remarking when they are the same. Green locomotive Percy has never been a favourite since Santa gave it to me for Christmas, but when Gugu bought Duck, the two locomotives are both getting some attention because they are the same colour.

I go to the park more and more because it's warmer and because Gugu says I need to run around outside more, and learn to kick a ball. I still have lots of fun around the house: I am mastering my jigsaw puzzles, and enjoy wearing big peoples' shoes. The grown-ups now get angry more often because I'm doing things they thought I grew out of long ago: throwing things, standing up in my chair, emptying cups of water on the floor or carpet. I occasionally throw tantrums too! Thankfully I didn't invent the "terrible twos";-)

School's out

School's out for Easter, so I've been wearing Grandma and the Gugus out at home. If I'm good, which I usually am ;-), my social calendar is rather full. I am also invited when Grandma meets her friends for lunch (and I get spoilt with presents), I go swimming with Papa every week, I get taken to the playground, I often go for rides in the car with Grandpa. Recently, I have enjoyed two play-dates chez Max, organised by Big [Gugu], so I am putting my taught manners to good use. I am learning to share, and to give presents.

Although I am still a little Charles de Gaulle sometimes, I can also say "yes" enthusiastically - usually when it comes to food:-). I have been bought a potty, but usually 'do a Charlie' to it. Still, I have a few more months before I move up to a class for bigger kids. I now routinely string two or more words together; I can pick out any one of 5 different types of balls. I hum made-up tunes to myself. I like to chime in to "She Loves You", "April Showers" or "End of the World".

I was sooo pleased when [little] Gugu put my name up on my bedroom door this week. She bought all the wooden letters separately from a shop in London. Although I cannot read yet, it will help me recognise my name when I learn to spell. Papa joked that he could spell "Dorothée" with the same letters.

New words

My language development is progressing, new words are coming thick and fast. As I am now officially 2 years old, so I learned to say 'two' and 'deux'. Papa says I'm not a baby anymore, but I still mostly refer to myself as Baby, or Booboo [Bear], as Papa likes to call me.

Weeks ago, I said my first two-syllable words "turtle" and "hello". Now I can use two words together, which I usually use to indicate possessions or to ask for something. A current favourite word is "non", which I now use routinely and emphatically like a little Charles de Gaulle. I also learned to say 'Gordon'. Gugu was so impressed she rushed out to get him for my collection :-) I now like to run Gordon under bridges, or even better to attach my magnetic trains to metallic objects.

Since last week, I get given fresh cow's milk to drink now instead of formula; Little Gugu reports that I am another centimetre taller, at 90cm. She has it marked on a wall-chart :-)).

The weather's been a lot better again, so I've been going out more often to the park to play. Gugu took me swimming today instead of Papa, but she says I should feel more comortable with her next time.