It's not a competition...

Recently tot has become obsessed with the idea of winning. Whether it be sitting on the potty or running down the street, everything has become a race where "I won!" is always the outcome! I don't know where he has got this competitiveness as I'm not aware that we have encouraged it, but I don't necessarily think it is a bad thing. His friend that goes to pre-school had a sports day this summer where "everyone was a winner" and everyone got a prize whether they ran the fastest or the slowest. I think that this is really nice for little ones as they would get upset if they see their friends get prizes and they don't. However, I think a bit of competition is healthy and reflects real-life and the whole "everyone's a winner" philosophy is sometimes a bit too politically correct for my liking. I remember sports days as a child: I remember losing and seeing other girls with loads of badges while I had none and this just gave me more motivation to do better. I will always remember coming first in the obstacle race one year (I shooted the netball in first time before everyone else) and I remember how proud I felt as my mum and dad were there watching me win!

Yesterday tot totally surprised us with the phrase, "it's not a competition!" This is probably the biggest word that he has said out-right with no prompting or copying from us and we were very impressed! His speech has come on so much in the last few weeks. He is forming proper sentences now, it is quite amazing. He says too much to note it all down but these are some examples:

"Mummy, there's a little zip on this cushion" is what he has just said to me as he sits next to me on the sofa watching Rainbow!

"What's patterned to that?" (patterned is happened!)
"What me doing now?"
"What's this tiny thing?"
"I have an idea" (from Dora the Explorer)
"It's not funny/It's a bit funny" (from Peppa Pig)
"Mummy broke bath, ask Grandpa to get new one from shop" (I broke the plastic panel on the bath and told him that Grandpa would be able to get us a new one, and days later he was still saying this when he saw the bath!). His memory for little details is quite amazing. Like how he remembers all the Thomas engines - has done this for a long time now. Most of the engines have numbers as well so it has helped him learn his numbers too.

Other cute things that he does:

Instead of yesterday he says "last morning"!

When he comes out the front door he stands there and says, "Welcome to Fintan's!"!

He has wonderful facial expressions (again learnt mainly I think from Thomas and friends). He can do puzzled where one eye shuts more than the other and he has a lop-sided smile - I think this one is the funniest, and there is also angry, happy and sad faces!

This week he had his play food out and he was playing with it quietly in the lounge and asked me to come through from the kitchen and told me he had made lunch for me : he had put some pretend carrot, tomato and bread in a bowl for me - so sweet! He picks up books on his own now and pretends he can read them and tried to get Jacob to sit down and listen the other day saying "Sit down Jacob, I'm going to read a story"! He is such a sweet boy and totally astounds and amuses me every day.