Noah - 3 Years Old

My boy turned three back in November and I'm still getting my head around where the time has gone. It only feels like yesterday when he was a newborn baby never mind when I was writing his two year and two and a half year updates. So much has changed in such a short amount of time, I didn't realise there would be such a big leap from two to three but there really has been! He turns three and a half in May so I thought I'd better get a move on and get this post published as it's been sitting in my drafts for a couple of months now.

Character
Well, well, well. As they get older and bigger their character certainly grows a long with them too! Noah's always been quite a pleasant, easy going and funny child so there's nothing new there. He will do absolutely anything to make you smile and laugh and has a really caring streak, he's a sweetheart. Most of the time!

He's never really been one for tantrums either so we basically skipped the "terrible two" stage, which was a relief at the time. Turns out he saved all his sass for when he turned three, he's certainly a little "threenager" right about now. He still doesn't really tantrum but he can be difficult when he wants to be! I find myself having to get down to his level and explain why he can't do such and such a thing a lot more than I ever have, which is exhausting when pregnant with his baby sister. 

edit - Since writing this he's gotten a lot better with this! Which is great timing now his baby sister is now here (who he absolutely adores!) He still has his moments but on a whole he's well behaved for his Mummy. His Daddy on the other hand, he can be a monkey for!

Size
Noah now wears a combination of 2-3 and 3-4 clothes and size 6 shoes. He's quite slim but is quite tall with his long limbs. We recently weighed him and he was 2 stone three which is a good weight for his height and age.

Health
If you'd asked me about his health just before he started nursery I would have said everything has been fine but ever since he joined in September it's been one thing after another. He's had numerous colds, viral infections and even a chest infection and tonsillitis! He seemed to get the majority of these just after he turned three in November and even now he's still not fully over them as a night cough still remains. Bring on Summer, it's rubbish this time of year for illnesses and bugs! (Ignore the dummy in this photo, we took this back in November when he was just about to get rid!)

Feeding
Noah no longer has bottles of milk, we knocked that on the head quite a while ago now, a good 7 months ago. He still drinks milk but out of a cup and drinks a lot of water every day. Food wise he has three set meals a day and numerous snacks. He's still a fantastic eater and will pretty much try anything you put in front of him, he's great for that! He's more adventurous than I am when it comes to food, he puts me to shame! His favourite food without a doubt is pasta but he also loves cheese, fruit, veg, beans.

Sleep
The boy who slept through from three months old can be very hit and miss when it comes to sleep these days. I think the fact that he no longer wears nappies to bed, no longer has a bedtime bottle and no longer has a dodo is a big contributor to how he struggles now to settle at night. He still has his beloved kiki and his Ewan the dream sheep but after having a dodo every night for the past three years to nothing must be quite difficult. He tends not to nap anymore as I find that when he does he's almost impossible to get to sleep at night, even a half hour nap can totally mess up his sleeping pattern. On a good day he will settle at 8pm and sleep through till around 8am, with one wake up to go for a wee in the night of course!

Speech
He's getting there with his speech now. I wouldn't say he has ever been properly behind but he's been lazy with it, that's for sure. He'd been stringing one, two or three words together for the past six months or so but it's only been the past month where he's beginning to form sentences. As it's been such a long time coming it sometimes shocks me when he comes out with a long sentence. He still has his own ways of saying certain words which I absolutely love. Noah was obsessed with Halloween this year so two new favourite words that he pronounces in his own way are Yombie/Zombie and Panfire/Vampire! You've got to be really careful what you say around him now too because he repeats absolutely everything!

Potty Training
Noah has been dry both day and night since he was two and a half. He just seemed to get it. It was a breeze and I think that's because he was ready, we never pressurised him and totally followed his lead. I think during our entire potty training experience he must have had about five accidents in total. I wrote a post about our potty training journey which contains some tips which helped us a long the way. You can read it here. 

Milestones and New Tricks
He now goes to nursery, three afternoons a week.
Has made his first best friend at nursery.
Doesn't have a dummy or bottle anymore and hasn't for around 6 months.
Is fully potty trained and has been since two and a half.
Can use the toilet himself and can go all night without waking to go.
He will always say please and thank you. 

Favourite Things
He has a never ending list of favourite things but here goes nothing! Superheroes, toy figures, collecting things, bling bags, surprise eggs, chocolate eggs, his family, unboxing videos on youtube, being silly, his wellies, toy story, his baby sister, daddy, playing outside, ooshies and imaginext toys, sweeties, tomatoes, jumping on the bed, bath time, seeing family, making friends, going to the park, Marvel, DC, Marvel Live, the cats, dens, going shopping, the toy shop, cuddles and kisses, fruit, dancing, He-man, play fighting.

Least Favourite Things
Bedtime, Mummy dropping him off at nursery, singing, brushing teeth, loud noises, being told no.

Noah at Two and a Half

When Noah was younger I blogged monthly about his development but when he turned two I switched to every 6 months. You can read all about Noah's two year entry here but today I'm here to write all about him now at two and a half years old. How is he two and a half already, seriously?! 

Character
Of course his character can't change too much over the months as his character is who he is but there are parts of his personality that become stronger and others parts which decrease. For example his temper has decreased tenfold and he no longer has tantrums. He never really had them often to begin with but he would often get frustrated when he wanted something he couldn't have and that would lead to a little melt down. 6 months on and he has a better level of understanding now so when he gets to the point of frustration I can simply explain it to him, he understands and he calms down, nipping it in the bud before it's even begun.

Other traits which have changed is his humour. He's funnier than ever and he'll literally do anything to make you laugh or smile. He always has a warped sense of humour, just like me. If you trip or fall over well prepare for a round of hysterics!

I've found he's a little more independent now and tries his best to do most things himself although he does still need Mummy's help with a lot of things. He's also very inquisitive, caring, gentle, thoughtful but also stubborn and has a short fuse too. If I had to name one trait that sums him up it would have to be cheeky. He's the cheekiest child I've ever known! 

Size

Noah is the same weight he was 6 months ago and weighs two stone exactly. He wears a size 5 shoe and is currently wearing a mix of 18-24m and 2-3yr clothes. He's a string bean and it's no wonder as he literally never sits still.

Health
On a whole he's been great but when we went to Forest Holidays a few months ago he came down with the flu. It was probably the worst cold he's had to date and it was so bad we contemplated coming home. Thankfully it only lasted a few days and then we were able to enjoy the rest of our break away. He's also had a few niggles with teething as his top molars and he's had a few bumps and bruises too being the clumsiest child I've ever known! 

Feeding
Noah is a bottomless pit! He has three meals a day and countless snacks. He still drinks 12oz of milk a day and drinks around 8oz of water too. His favourite foods are; cheese, tomato, bread, pasta, chicken, apple, pear, chocolate, tomato sauce, beans, broccoli, biscuits, raspberries, blueberries, crisps, sausage, omelette and so on! 

Sleep
Last week we switched Noah from his cot into a bed and the process has gone perfectly. He fell out the bed and was a little unsettled the first night but we put a bed guard on the next night and ever since we've had no issues. We thought he wouldn't ever sleep and would be messing about with his toys but he's been good as gold. He doesn't even get out of bed in the morning and waits for me to go in to get him. He will usually sleep 8pm-8:30am. He still likes to nap but I don't often put him down for one any more as I find he's harder to settle at night when he has one.

Speech

Noah doesn't speak in sentences yet but he does know a lot of words and can communicate quite well despite it. I'm just waiting for it all to click into place and for him to be able to have proper conversations with me, I can't wait for that!

Potty training

I recently blogged all about our potty training journey and you can read more about it here. We first introduced the potty when Noah had just turned two and he understood what to do with it but he would have accidents in his pants if he wasn't prompted so I knew he wasn't ready just yet. I waited another month or so, reintroduced the potty and we've not looked back! I can count the number of accidents he's had on one hand and I think that is all down to waiting until he was completely ready. He's completely dry in the day time but we haven't tackled bedtime just yet as he still drinks a lot of milk before bed. 

- Edit. A week later and Noah became dry at night time too, while on holiday in Majorca! A great way to remember it! 

Milestones and new tricks
Noah is now completely potty trained.
He's in a toddler bed instead of a cot and had no problem transitioning. 
He knows most his colours; red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, black.
Can almost count to 10 though not in the correct order!
Likes to re-enact his favourite parts in his favourite films (Rex using his head to open the the vent in Toy Story 3 / Pumba charging the Hyenas on the Lion King.) So cute to watch!
He can use my mobile phone and tablet better than I can! 
He seems to understand absolutely everything! 

Favourite things
PUDDLES! Chocolate, Spiderman, Elmo, the cats, animals, ice cream, raspberries, his new bed, cars and trains, story time, kiki, kinder eggs, surprise egg videos, the iPad, colours and numbers, toy figures, visiting family, his cousins, dancing, movie time, baking, going on an adventure, Blackpool, visiting farms, dip dip, roast dinners, playing in the garden, his best friend Elise, Mimo, Paw Patrol, being silly, learning new things, stickers, toy story, paddling pools, playgroup, SUPERHEROES, youtube videos, swings and the park. 

Noah - 2 Years Old

Noah turned 2 back in November and with the madness of his second birthday, Christmas and New Years I am only just getting round to writing his 2 year update, but here it is!

Character

Turning two has certainly given Noah more confidence and independence. He loves to do things for himself, in his own time and in his own way. He knows his own mind that's for sure. He isn't too bad when it comes to tantrums as of yet but when he does have one there are two different types. There are the frustration tantrums which usually arise when he doesn't understand why he can't have his own way. These usually result in him crying out of frustration. With those type of tantrums, I usually get down to his level and talk to him, tell him to calm down and he usually does. We wipe away the tears and 2 minutes later he's over it. The other type of tantrum is rage and thankfully these ones don't happen very often. With these tantrums I usually just ignore it, don't give him rise and again he's usually over it within a minute or two. Like I say he isn't bad at all when it comes to tantrums, he perhaps has 1 or 2 or week but when they do happen we have thankfully sussed out the way which helps him through it. Every child is different and once you've found something that works for you tantrums can be a lot less stressful for both you and your little one.

There isn't a day that goes by where he isn't performing and trying to make you laugh. He is always moving 100 miles an hour and never wants to sit still. He's into everything, especially things he shouldn't be in. He's very clumsy too and probably has an accident every day!

Anyway, apart from all that he is just the same as he's always been, funny, inquisitive, hyperactive, silly, caring, considerate and very polite.

Size

Noah now weighs 2 stone! 2 stone at 2 years! He's at the 70th percentile for his height and around 50th for his weight. He's tall and slender but is solid too. He wears a mixture of 18-24 months and 2-3 year clothes. Most 2-3 is still too big for him but a lot of the 18-24 is too small, so he's in the middle really. It just depends on what brand of clothing he's wearing. He wears a size 5 shoe but I really need to take him to have his feet measured again soon.

Health

Just before Christmas (a week before in fact) Noah had his worst illness to date, he contracted Hand, Foot, and Mouth. It all started when we were at the Christmas party at Playgroup. Noah was so out of sorts, he felt hot and he was crying a lot, he really wasn't himself. When we got home later that day he developed a really high temperature and I noticed a few spots on his bottom. He struggled to sleep that night and then in the morning I noticed lots of sores and ulcers in his mouth. He couldn't eat, drink, have his bottle, have his dummy, it hurt for him to speak. He just cried and cried and cried and it was heartbreaking to not be able to do anything. He would lead us into the kitchen by our hand and tell us he was hungry but there was literally nothing he could manage to eat. In two days he probably had 2 mini milk ice creams and that was it. By the third night, I resorted to using a syringe to get milk into him and thankfully he managed it. It felt great to be able to get something into his belly. Those 3 days were the hardest few days as a parent for both Nick and I. It's heartbreaking when your child is in pain and is grabbing your hand and putting it to their mouth for you to make it better but there is nothing you can do. Thankfully it only lasted those 3 days and once the ulcers had gone Noah certainly made up for the lost time when it came to eating, drinking and sleeping. I can't tell you how much of a relief it was to see the back end of that horrible illness.

Feeding

Noah is still fantastic when it comes to food. There's not much he won't try or eat and we hope that won't change. His favourite meals at the moment are chicken stir fry, roast dinner, spaghetti and meatballs, and tuna pasta bake. He still loves his fruit and veg too. He has 3 set meals a day, with a snack here and there. He also still has his milk, 12oz in the morning and 12oz at night.

Sleep

Sleep has been a bit hit and miss lately and we have put it down to the 2-year sleep regression. Every age-linked sleep regression he has had so I'm thinking this will be no different. He's like a teenager in a toddler's body, he wants to stay up late at night and then sleep in in the morning. Some nights can be a battle when we put him down as he just doesn't want to sleep or will just start playing up. We will get there. He still enjoys a 2-hour nap in the afternoon too which is great but he doesn't always have one because sometimes I have to keep him up if he's had a lazy morning due to a bad night. I hope we can get back on track soon.

Speech

Noah isn't speaking in sentences yet and he doesn't put many words together but he does know a lot of different words. He's not as ahead with speech as some toddlers his age but he's also ahead of others. The way I see it is they all catch up with one another eventually and they will all get it in their own time. Noah recently stopped calling us Mama and Dada and now calls us Mummy and Daddy instead. I find this really odd because no one referred to us as that, so I don't know where he picked it up from! I know that in the next few months the switch will flip and he will be chewing our ear off.  

Potty training

We have introduced the potty recently and when we are at home we tend to keep Noah bare-bottomed. I'm unsure if he is fully ready yet but he has no problem using the toilet or potty when prompted. We are going to keep at it but we aren't pushing anything, just taking it easy and in his own time.

Milestones and new tricks

Noah now knows a lot of new words.

He is learning to count (2,3,2,3) and knows a few shapes (star, circle, moon) we work on these every day but it's hard to teach a child who has the attention span of a gnat. 

We've started potty training.

He can now walk a lot longer without needing to be picked up or go in the pram. Last week he walked an entire mile! 

Favourite things

TOY STORY, Woody and Buzz, the outdoors, going for walks, jumping in puddles, dogs, cats, Milo and Hadley, Teddy and Baby, animals, stickers, cars, dancing, Peppa Pig, fruit, play dough, playgroup, spending time with his family, hide and seek, chase, the park, helping Mummy, snack time, kiki, jumping on the bed. 

Noah - 22 & 23 Months Old

I don't know where these past two months have gone, they seem to have flown by. I ended up being late with Noah's 22 month update so I thought I would combine both 22 and 23 month together, a sort of bumper edition.

Noah turned 23 months old last week and I can't believe he turns 2 years old in just under a months time. It's such a cliche saying when we say "they grow up to quickly!" but they sure do. How is it possible that I was 8 months pregnant 2 whole years ago? I still remember those little feet wedged between my ribcage, those somersaults in my tummy in the middle of the night and every ache and twinge. I remember it and I miss it. 

Anyway, let's get to it! 

Character
Well Noah has turned into a little imp, that's for sure. He doesn't have tantrums as such but he will just cry if he doesn't get his own way and I find it so frustrating. He is really pushing his boundaries now but I am always watching him and correcting him. Sometimes he will be mischievous with a smile on his face and he knows he shouldn't be doing what he's doing but because he has a smile on his face he thinks he can get away with it. Little monkey! Although he is going through this "terrible two" phase a little early he's still the cheeky, funny, caring, gentle and sweet little boy that we know and love, just not all the time! 

Size
Everyone always comments on how tall Noah is and he is when stood next to most children his age but he still wears 18-24 month trousers so he can't be that tall. As well as being tall he is slender in places but also stocky? He is almost 2 stone and he's solid! He is size 5 on his feet and he wears a size 5 disposable nappy at night. The majority of the rest of the time he's in a one size fits all cloth nappy.

Health
Health wise he's been fine but he is still cutting in those 4 canines which are just taking forever to come through fully. I think that the teething has been contributing to his mood, sleep and appetite so I hope they hurry up! 

Feeding
Noah is still a machine when it comes to eating and isn't fussy in the slightest. He's recently eaten salmon, prawns and muscles and enjoyed the lot. He is still drinking 24oz of full fat cows milk a day, drinks water and has 3 set meals and snack. 

Sleep
This is the biggest change we've had in the past two months. Noah has always been a great sleeper and has most of the time always gone down without a fuss. Around a month ago his Scout toy started glitching as he was trying to settle and it really frightened him. So much that he was stood up in his cot hysterical. We ran up wondering what what was happening and could hear this awful noise coming from Scout. We took it away and then the next day put new batteries in the toy and demonstrated to Noah that he was all better now but he's not had it in his room since. After that incident his sleep just seemed to go down the pan. It started where he would cry when we were putting him down and just be fussy but then all of a sudden he started being scared of being in his room on his own. We tried everything, multiple night lights, lullaby music, bedtime stories, cuddles, door open, door shut, staying in the room with him, bringing him into our bed, converting into a toddler bed etc but it had zero effect (he got on great with his bed but we've switched back to the cot) but nothing seemed to work and his cries at night were pure terror. I think these sleep issues were a combination of many different things and the main reason is that his imagination is developing tenfold at the minute and I've read that this can sometimes result in night terrors or new fears. We had weeks of broken and bad night sleep and I honestly don't know how people do it. Thankfully we are back on the right track now and he is starting to sleep through again and he still has his nap in the afternoon. 

Speech
Noah has learnt a lot more words in the past two months but he isn't saying two words together yet. I can see he's really trying to communicate verbally with me at the moment and he often gets frustrated that he can't properly express himself yet. New words lately are; boat, bee, dodo, choc choc, star. 

Milestones and New Tricks
Imaginative play! This is probably the biggest milestone Noah has reached these past two months. I can really see his imagination blooming and he often plays make believe. He will lay on the floor, pretend to be asleep and snore. He also pretends there's a bee and will run around shouting "oh, bee, bee, bee!" and run for a cuddle like he's scared! So cute.

His speech is coming on a lot as he is saying more words and using them more frequently. He's also learnt for example that Nick's guitar isn't "dada" it's "dada's!" 

Favourite things this month 
Vehicles, cars, ambulances, aeroplanes, helicopters, trains, trucks, tractors. Animals and farm animals. Music especially One Direction, The Weeknd, Little Mix and Bruno Mars. PEPPA PIG! Toy cars. Being outdoors. Running, jumping, dancing. Playing make believe. Painting, play doh, baking, stickers. 

Noah - 21 Months Old

Character
This month Noah has certainly been testing his boundaries more. He's starting to have little tantrums here and there which so far I've been able to nip in the bud. It's usually when we have to come in from being outside or when we are leaving somewhere and he's not ready. I suppose it's just his frustrations and not knowing what to do when he doesn't get his own way. Other than that he's just his usual self. He's very funny, caring, silly, inquisitive, clumsy and very social. 

Size
I think he's had a growth spurt lately as he seems taller to me. When standing next to children that are a good year older than him, he is taller. I think most people look at him and think he's about 2 and a half but he's still a baby. He seems a little stockier lately but he still has his gangly arms, haha. He wears mostly 18-24 months clothes but still fits in most 12-18 tops.

Health
Noah had a cold this month but it was a short one thankfully and only lasted a couple of days. He still has 12 teeth but all 4 canines are currently cutting through at the same time. He's managing it well but he has been a bit off his food because of it. 

Feeding
As mentioned above he's been a bit hit and miss when it comes to his food this month which is unlike him. I think it's because of his teeth and hopefully he will eat as normal once they finally come through. 

Sleep
Sleep wise he's been fine, his usual. He usually sleeps 8-8 or 8-9 and has a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. He now sleeps with a duvet and pillow but is still in his cot as he's still comfortable in there. No rush to convert into toddler bed while he's still happy. 

Speech
He has learnt lots of new words this month; bear, ball, park, moon, bubble to name a few. I find it interesting to see which he's interested in learning and which he isn't. He hasn't put two words together yet but we did think he said "Dada car car" the other day, not to sure though.

Milestones and new tricks
He attempts to say so many more words now.

Noah now says "nee naw nee naw" when he spots a police car, ambulance or fire engine.

He now sleeps with a duvet. 

When he see's dancing on TV he now tries to copy the actions. 

Favourite things this month
Tractors, fire engines, ambulances, lorries, vehicles! The park. Stickers, books, magazines. Babies and other children. Playgroup! Dancing, jumping, running really fast! Baking, arts and crafts, play doh. Hide and seek. Cbeebies. Teddy and Baby.