Little Pickle is Three!

I started a tradition just before LP’s 1st Birthday and decided to write to her every year. Today, LP turns three.

28th August 2014

Dear Little Pickle,

Three. How are you three already? It feels like yesterday you were born, this tiny little ginger person, 6lb 4oz of pure perfection. You were, and still are, one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen and I love you as much as I did in that moment – even when you frustrate me, throw things and demand yet another episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – I still have an overwhelming love for you.

Somewhere over the last few months you’ve developed a random American accent with everything that you say. It is so cute but strange – that a little Surrey toddler with two English parents can have a gorgeous American twang! Your vocabulary is amazing. To be honest, everything you do and everything you learn amazes me. You don’t have many ‘baby’ words anymore. Your Grandad is still often ‘Yar-Yar’ but I have a feeling that he may actually be called Grandad by the next time I write to you. You used to say ‘Strawberry-berries’ but they are now just strawberries. You do call Henry Hugglemonster ‘Honeymonster’ which is incredibly cute and I find myself hanging on to your cute LP words as little signs of the baby LP we used to know.

But you’re really not a baby anymore. You walk, run, dance, sing and even jump at times. You climb the slide with ease and are happy going down it repeatedly. You have lost a lot of the fear and nerves that you used to have at things like soft play and new places and you are really now only slightly apprehensive when you first go somewhere new – then you’re off and exploring.

You have now been a big sister for over a year and you are, on the whole, good at it. You give toys to your brother, give him food and drinks when we ask you to pass him something and always hand things back when he drops them. You like to help with him and at times you give him cuddles and kisses without prompting. But at other times he gets into your space, plays with your toys and generally just irritates you – at these times you do lash out and push or hit him. It’s hard for you, you’re still learning patience and learning to express yourself and your brother is still just a baby – a toddling one.

You love Mickey Mouse and sleep with Minnie Mouse every night. You loved your dog with wheels for a long time and then had a stage of sleeping with every teddy you owned but for now Minnie has the crown of most favoured bedtime companion. You sleep really well, going to bed by 8pm every night and sleeping until gone 9am most morning. You love your sleep and I haven’t tried to get you up earlier unless we’ve had plans – there’ll be plenty of time for getting up early when you start nursery in September.

Listening to you sing songs is one of my favourite things – You can sing the Mickey Mouse Rainbow Song perfectly, you sing your brother Twinkle Twinkle when he’s tired and you even sing along to songs in Disney movies. You are picking things up so quickly now although you are still so teenie and people always think that you are younger than you are. You have size 7 feet, are 90cm tall and still very much in age 2-3 clothes – I only recently got rid of your 18-24 months things. All good things come in small packages and you are absolutely perfect the way you are.

You love Tinkerbell, her sister Periwinkle, Curious George and Mickey Mouse. You also love to snuggle in the star blanket and watch TV – our afternoons of a movie, milkshake and sofa snuggles are some of my favourite things and a routine I won’t be changing any time soon!

You have been potty trained for quite a while now and are great at telling us when you need the toilet. Accidents are few and far between and you only have a nappy at night now. I think the only reason you’re still wet at night is because you sleep for so long.

You spend so much of your time giving Daddy and I cuddles and kisses. You are incredibly affectionate and you have just learnt to say ‘I miss you when you’re at work’ to Daddy and I. You found it hard when I went back to work last month, it was a huge change for you but you have dealt with it amazingly.

Every day I look at you and feel so lucky Little Pickle. You have lit up our life for three whole years now and we are so incredibly proud of you. You are a great big sister, a lovely friend to your little chums – Amelie and Emily mainly now, and you even love the cats and stroke them so nicely.

Happy Birthday Pickle,

With love,

Mummy and Daddy

xxx