Florence Turns 23 Months Old

Writing my penultimate monthly blog post before Florence turns two feels rather surreal to be honest as it’s hard to grasp that almost twenty four months have gone by (predictably in a flash) since her birth which is why I’m grateful to my past (super exhausted) self for starting up this monthly tradition of charting Florence’s life here (and on my social media handles) as doing so has forced me to pause and reflect on her personality quirks, growth, and our experiences together as a family of five.

This monthly record has become a digital memory book if you like and an important part of this online family archive I started back in 2011 when Oliver, my first child, was just 10 months old.

But back to Florence. In just under two years, this little person with a big personality has unknowingly changed, disrupted (ha) and deeply enhanced all of our lives.

She’s been the catalyst for change in us all.

She was the reason we moved from the South to the North (again) so we could be close to my folks (we needed back-up once two kids turned into three and we ran out of arms); we’ve recently bought our forever home in Harrogate (which is currently a building site) and we’ve thankfully all settled seamlessly back into Yorkshire (something I wasn’t sure would have been as smooth running with my older children but kids sure are adaptable).

Whilst I won’t continue writing these monthly posts as time is short, I will of course, keep documenting our lives, as my boys and I still to this day, look back on old posts and videos of their childhood (and mostly laugh our heads off), and while my blog and social handles evolved into a business early on (an accidental career), writing about my family is and has always been my number one priority and passion.

So, what’s new or not so new in Florence’s case over this past month? Little Miss continues to love ice lollies above all other food groups 😉 and thanks to the Indian summer we’ve experienced here in the UK, she’s still getting to enjoy them in the midst of October.

Taking advantage of the warmer weather means we’ve been outdoors most days, either in the garden or nearby playground, alternating between kicking russet leaves around like we’re in a music video, or practising our kicks (important if Florence will make the Lionesses team one day-hehe)!

We’ve popped to parks like Harlow Carr (who kindly gifted us an annual membership) to marvel at their flowers, we’ve spotted deer at the bottom of the garden (surprisingly) and have baked crumbles, brownies, biscuits and flipped pancakes with Florence being chief stirrer!

   

Florence’s vocab is expansive now and includes some Greek words too (Mum and I try and speak Greek to her when we remember). I love how expressive and hilarious Florence is. That glint in her eye and sweet, cheeky smile never fails to warm my heart. She really is one happy kid and her joy is utterly contagious!

I just love the way she says, ‘This one nice’ whenever she likes something (usually food-that’s my girl), or when she tries to calm me down with, ‘Don’t worry Mummy’ when I’m truly worried she’s about to fearlessly jump off stairs or a wall, or she’s about to haul herself down the biggest slide in the playground (I am trying not to mollycoddle her as I often did with the boys but it’s not easy)!

It’s not all anxiety on my part, however, as she always makes me laugh when she berates her brothers with, ‘Naughty Oliver’ and, ‘Naughty Xander’ whenever they displease her (usually when they’re witholding food)! When she’s bored of a cartoon, book or even me talking to her, she’ll turn and say, ‘The End’ signalling it’s time to wrap things up! I wish we could do that in real life, hahaha!

…The obsession with Peppa Pig now overrides her love for Paddington Bear (so I think we might be switching to a Peppa party for next month’s celebrations); singing nursery rhymes such as Little Star and The Wheels on the Bus continue to be her faves; choosing her own clothes (the brighter and bolder the patterns, the better) is a first here, and she’s settled into a nursery near our new house, without so much as a single tear shed. The first time we tried her at nursery back in April last year was pretty distressing for us both, as whilst it was a wonderful set-up, Florence (nor I) were ready for her to start.

Now that we’ve bought a house in Harrogate, finding a nursery near there to settle her in before we officially move in, was important to me. Starting with one day a week and building up to two will give me a little space to get some more work done and hit the gym (in daylight hours)!

I actually arrived to collect Florence from nursery last week during snack time and there she was, gently rubbing a little girl’s back, comforting her about something or other. It was the sweetest moment. Florence is such a caring and affectionate little girl. She demands cuddles from her Daddy and brothers before they go to school and loves that our lives revolve around her!

Above everything, she loves being outdoors in the fresh air (whatever the weather). Second to that, has to be eating and especially all of the good stuff such as smoked salmon, avo and olives-hashtag spoilt toddler.

Visiting the library with my Mum, her Yiayia is always a highlight of her week, as is dancing whenever the beat takes her! She really is living her best life and teaching us all to follow her lead and do the same.

 

What precious days these are. Truly.