Florence Turns 21 Months Old

21 months old. 3 months to 2 years.

I’ve committed to these monthly round ups until Florence’s second birthday at least (as time is so short with three kids and I’m already 2 days late on this one).

I didn’t manage to breastfeed as long as I would have liked with my daughter so documenting her personality, quirks and milestones for posterity relieves me of a little of that guilt.

The jump from 2-3 kids and Florence’s bright but demanding personality (she requires constant stimulation) have made the past 21 months intense but beautifully and life-enrichingly so. Florence undeniably lives and loves with a capital L.

Deeply affectionate, throwing her little arms around us tightly and planting kisses on our cheeks with abandon is utterly adorable. She laughs cheekily if she sees me hugging the boys or stealing a kiss with Daddy, too. That girl loves to love, and loves love.

Her vocabulary and memory retention continue to wow us every single day from recalling names of flowers most recently (‘poppies’ today) to speaking in longer sentences and in Greek too, making her little voice heard in a big, ‘No pasta Mummy’, ‘Funny, Mummy’ and she’s even using the odd swear word in context (usually when she trips or drops something). Help! Mama *cough might need a Swear jar.

She’s also started say Sir after saying Yes so it’s, ‘Yes Sir’ to both men and women and all the time. Maybe she’s referencing Bah Bah. It’s too cute!

What a big personality for such a little person!

Florence’s passion for football and playing in our local playground continues. Fearless as ever, she bounds up the tallest of slides and climbing frames, relishing the fun of sliding down quickly, her cute contagious laugh at fever pitch.

This month, she’s embraced the baby swings she had previously dismissed. A thrill-seeker of a little girl, she squeals, ‘More, more, higher, higher’ as she kicks her little legs mid air in glee as I push her higher, and we laugh together. I think park time is my most favourite time with her. The place I visualise when I see the mention of focusing on a happy place when I feel stressed. That or perhaps a tie with us drawing flowers and family portraits with think, smeary crayons.

Food-wise, her allergies sadly persist so while dairy, egg and soya are firmly off the menu, her love of diverse food be it Greek, Japanese, British or Italian is admirable considering her food choices are limited.

Her taste is more sophisticated than my older kids most days, to be honest. Seaweed thins, veggie sushi, smoked salmon, any fruit crumble, hummus and pita, avocado, peeled cucumber. gerkins and picked onions (chopped), stir-fries, chicken kebab, spaghetti bolognese and homemade chips are her most-loved foods (some given in moderation due to salt content).

…The bond between Florence and her older brothers (now 13 and 10) continues to flourish, even if she often kisses them on one cheek then immediately tries to hit them on their other. Despite this, they are both without a doubt her best friends in the world.

As my teen, Oliver spends a lot of time with his friends, I feel relieved that my middle son, Xander, and Florence have one another. Xander plays football with his little protege sister (he even let her tackle him today) and they often water my folks’ glorious garden and dig the soil or even bake cakes together with Florence loving to stir.

Oliver plays big brother beautifully however, helping with the practical side of raising little Florence, knowing her routine and likes and dislikes. A dab hand in the kitchen, he even rustled up vegan banana pancakes for her this evening. This my friends, is where age gaps come into their own!

While Oliver has less time available for his siblings with the pull of friends, tech and homework demands, his and Florence’s personalities are the most similar of the trio (they’re almost identical in behaviour as babies) and I love catching him gazing at her with great affection and admiration, almost as if he can’t quite believe he has a sister, even now, despite her being 21 months old and her larger than life presence in our family.

He’s so attentive and observant when it comes to her. He was the first to observe when her eyes turned from that blue most babies have to hazel (they have flickers of orange in the sunlight) and I know with all my heart that he will protect her always (and hopefully his brother too).

This week we’re heading on holiday with Florence’s second visit my parents’ birthplace of Cyprus and my cousin Georgia’s Greek wedding for Vitamin D and Sea, fine food, wine and Greek dancing! Opa!

It’s not all precious memory making as a busy mum of three of course and I wouldn’t live up to my blog name if I wasn’t honest with you.  Juggling three kids whilst running my own business and trying to retain a part of my identity outside of motherhood so far, hasn’t been easy.

I’ve been pushed and pulled in every direction, spread thinly across three kids, and challenged in ways which have been searingly hard at times. Worthwhile, of course, without a shadow of a doubt, ask any mother and she’ll say the same, character building of course, but wearily tiring, lonely and relentless on many occasions too. Florence stopped being a fan of sleep at 4 months. Enough said.

The pure joy my trio give me is an antidote to the struggles. That intoxicating unconditional love pulls you through the hard bits but thank goodness we moved back to Yorkshire and found a village in my parents who all of my children adore.

So what does next month hold?

Post-holiday, it’s my second son Alexander’s 11th birthday and possibly a bowling bash then we’re on a forward sprint towards Florence’s 2nd birthday (and my 43rd) and possibly a Paddington Bear themed tea party (for her-ha) or In The Night Garden or Cocomelon as close second and third options. She does watch that national treasure of a bear on repeat though and carries a teddy of him in his signature red hat and navy duffel coat everywhere she goes. We often joke that she loves him like a third brother.

Well one thing’s for sure, we love her as much as she loves him!

Happy 21 months beautiful baby girl!

 

Huge thank you to Zipster Baby for these stunning gifted babygrows which zip both ways and can be with feet or footless.