My 26 month old

Charlie, at 26 months you are such a good little boy. With reminding, you say "please" and "thank you" and instead of saying "pardon me" you say "pardon Mummy" or "pardon Daddy" depending on who's prompting you!

Your memory is brilliant and you often talk about things we did over six  months ago. You also know our routine like clockwork - who's day it is to take you to nursery, who's day it is to collect you and when it's the weekend. We're currently counting down to our holiday (one week to go!) and you talk about it a lot.

You love, love, love splashing in puddles - which is good because this umbrella summer if filled with torrential rain. Even though you know you're not supposed to splash in puddles when you're wearing trainers you can't help yourself, so we've constantly got to watch you on the walk to nursery. Last weekend when we were at Granny and Grandad's house we took you to paddle in Broadwell (a big shallow pool in their village) and you got the shock of your life when you went too deep and the water went over the top of your wellies!

You are still a very fussy eater, refusing to try new things and not eating vegetables unless they're hidden in pasta sauce. But you're getting a little better, you will now eat cereal and milk quite happily (before it was always a struggle) and love to take an apple with you when we walk in the park. Today you ate it all the way down to the pips, and were so excited by them, "look Mummy, look!"

The bike, you got it two months ago and still don't like riding it. You need to grow about a cm to feel confident on it. You're happy to push it around or have Mama push you, but don't like toddling yourself around on it.

You are still very much a Mama's boy, always preferring to have hugs with me over Daddy and always needing to know exactly where I am. However you and your Daddy have great fun in the evening before bed time, then it's a full on boy hullabaloo!

You are very loving, you say "love you Mummy, love you Daddy" almost daily and every morning you have with me starts with a hug and a cup of milk (not sure what you do with Daddy on the two days I start work extra-early).

So, at 26 months you are continually growing, learning new words and phrases, speaking French! (a French teacher visits your nursery once a week and you quite often say your numbers in French) and generally having a fun time. Yes, we have a few epic toddler tantrums, but nothing that can't be fixed with some calming down time and a big hug.