Peter Pan

Remembering

I was watching Felix play this morning and it got me to thinking about the other kids when they were Felix's age.

By 18 months old all 7 of the other kids were speaking in sentences (they were all very early talkers). They were running around, playing outside on the swings and on their little bikes. A couple of them were even well on their way to being potty trained. They would line up their toy cars or tuck their dolls into their bed after kissing them on the head. They were starting to use imaginary play and having tea parties with their stuffed toys or making pretend phone calls to Granny.

Was I proud of them? Incredibly proud! They were beautiful children and have grown into amazing adults (and teenagers)!

Slowly and Steadily

After sitting reminiscing for a while I started to think about what Felix is doing at pretty much the same age.

He has learned to ask for a na-na (banana) this week and can make the sound 'oo' in the word push. He now regularly signs the words for Daddy, eat, breastfeed, up, banana, more, dog and cat. He waves goodbye, claps his hands, does the actions to 'twinkle twinkle' and then bounces up and down and grunts at me that he wants me to sing it again (and again and again!). He can climb the ladder on his playground, crawl from one end of the house to another in less than 10 seconds, he pulls himself to stand and can take a few steps when I'm holding his hands. He can roll a ball and he can take turns. He can even blow kisses.

I asked myself if I felt sad that Felix wasn't doing as much as the other kids were at the same age. The answer was a resounding 'No'. He is developing at a slower rate, but he shows the most intense determination and persistence. He is slowly learning all the same things the other kids learned, but we are able to enjoy those milestones for that little bit longer than we could with our other kids. To be honest, if you asked me how old the other kids were the day they picked up a tiny sultana and could put it in their mouth, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Felix tried and tried before he finally succeeded and I will always remember that day. It was one of our many celebrations.

Am I just as proud of Felix? Absolutely!

They Grow Up So Fast

You often hear people with older children say, "Enjoy your children when they are young. They grow up so fast!" One thing my husband and I love about Felix is that he has stayed little for a bit longer than the other kids. He is tiny in size, weighing 7.8kg at 17 months old (but he makes up for that with his huge personality!) His slight delays in development make each milestone that bit more exciting. We are relishing every bit of progress Felix makes. He really is SO clever! We felt a bit sad the other day when we saw that he has grown a little bit taller. He is growing up before our eyes.

Just like Peter Pan

Felix will grow up and become a man. He will most likely work, enjoy social outings and maybe even get married. He will learn to cook and clean and do his own shopping. However, one thing is certain, Felix will always have the innocence of youth. He won't endure a lot of the stresses that we, as adults, put ourselves through. He will always love ice cream and will be eternally excited about Christmas. He will love his family and he will give the best hugs. What a wonderful world it would be if we were all a little bit like Felix!