Dylan at 16 months - SuperChild

Our boy Dylan is now 16 months old.  He is basically a genius.

It was only a few months ago that he could not sit up from a lying down position.  He could not walk, and cruised along the sofa instead.  He couldn't say anything other than grunts and squeaks.

These days he is a fully fledged young man.

He can walk.  He prefers to walk in the streets without holding on to anyone's hand.  He demands to walk up AND down stairs (and allows you to hold his hand for this).  He can almost run too, but only if you chase him.

He can talk.  He has about as many words as your average teenager (about 30).  He knows lots of colours, he knows a dozen animal noises, and plenty random words such as door, sock, duck, football, yo-ho (he's a pirate), etc etc.

We had one of Dylans friends round who is the same age as Dylan, and also called Dylan, and I was shocked to find that other Dylan could dance way better than our Dylan, and could also feed himself with a spoon.  So the very next day I gave Dylan a spoon and of course he didn't need much showing.  And I taught him a few dance moves too, which he picked up straight away.  Is there anything my child cannot do?!

He's incredibly smart.  He understands pretty much everything I ask him.  Things he will do if you ask him:

• Put his used nappy in the bin
• Blow his nose
• Clean his mouth
• Clean his hands
• Get any object (football, book, tissues, TV remote, sock etc)
• Go to any room
• Give mummy hugs
• Give mummy kisses
• Find Ducky, or Mr Penguin, or Mr Geoffrey Bearhead.

For example, tonight when I got home from work we had a bit of a play.  The Mrs ran him a bath.  So after playing I asked him if he wanted to go to the bathroom and have a bath?  He replies "yeah", and then trundles off to the stairs, climbs each one to the top, and then stands by the bath eagerly awaiting some splashy fun.

He doesn't like being taken out of the bath.  So I asked him if he wanted to go downstairs to watch Iggle Piggle (in the night garden), to which he replies "yeah" and then puts his arms up to be taken out of the bath.  And being the perfect baby he was happy for me to dry him, dry his hair and get him completely dressed whilst Iggle Piggle was on.  When he was ready I asked him if he wanted to go and brush his teeth and then go to bed, to which he replies "yeah", and again goes off to the stairs, climbs up and gets to the top.  He loves having his teeth brushed because I think that he thinks the tooth paste is food.  And he LOVES food.  However today for the first time I decided to let him brush his own teeth.  And he did.  I then run the tap and put him to the sink and he rinsed the brush under the running water.  I passed the tooth brush cup to him, and he then puts the tooth brush away.  All of this he just did as if he'd done it 100 times before.

Then of course, being the perfect child, I put him to bed and he will now sleep right through till around 8 in the morning.

The perfect toddler.  Who is basically a walking talking adult - just a very short one.

Dear Dylan, thank you for taking my genes :p

Next week I am sending him off to university.

How amazing is your child?

How being a dad does change you

Long gone are the days of living for the weekend.  Sometimes I still miss it all.  Finish work on a Friday and rushing home.  Going out to get absolutely smashed and return home at some point on a Sunday.  So its fair to say that being a dad really does change you.

The biggest change in me has been the things that I value.  Nothing rates higher than being able to look after my boy.

I value the importance of keeping my job more than ever.  And now I am even working on developing my career rather than just earning an easy buck on sales commission.  I'm a believer that money can make you happy.  It gives you all the little things that you want from day to day, reduces stress at times of need (when your washing machine breaks, or Christmas speeds back round again).  It allows me to provide security for my family.  To be able to rent a nice house in a nice street, and have a fridge full of branded foods.  So I work harder than ever with a view to earning as much money for my family as possible.

But its not just the money any more.  By the time Dylan is old enough to understand what I do, I want to have a job that makes me proud.  Earning good money in a sales role is something anyone can do from leaving school.  I want Dylan to know that I have worked hard and to have me as a role model when it comes to employment.

We are now only 3 months away from having our second boy.  I remember being 3 months away from having our first.  I was unsure of how I would cope being a dad.  I was unsure how I would manage with the huge change in lifestyle that was ahead.  But this time around I am a lot happier as I know my life isn't about to be turned upside down.

So if you are about to be a dad, try not to worry.  Although things will change, they are mostly positive changes.  You get new things to care about, a new drive in life to succeed and do the best you can.  It is a huge motivator to make the best out of life for you and your family to be.

I do still miss the good old times.  But I don't feel like I have missed out on my youth.  I absolutely smashed it.  I do still get the odd night out.  I still see my best friends.  But I now live for the weekend for a different reason.  Because the weekend is when I'm home with my boy.

To dads and dads-to-be.  Have a merry Christmas and a nappy new year!