Number Two Is Growing Up

Friday was Carl's last day as a pre-schooler. Because he turns 4 years old in February, he will be joining the intake of kids moving up from the Jip & Janneke pre-school to the Hollandse School after the Christmas holidays. It's hard to believe that he is about to start 'real' school. The past four years have flown by and he has never shown any inclination to be "all growed up" as he puts it. When he wants a cuddle he still sidles up to me and whispers "I'm your baby bear" in my ear, and if he's feeling particularly generous he exuberantly shouts "You're the best mummy in the whole world...and all the planets too!"

Carl and a few of his class mates who are also being moved up to group 1 next year celebrated with a farewell party. I made cupcakes, another mum put together a goodie bag, another a present for each of the teachers. The three women who work in his class are really going to miss him and were a bit tearful at him leaving. Very early on he had developed the habit of holding their hands tightly, looking deeply into their eyes and saying "you're my friend". You could hear their hearts melting across the room.

There are certain physical charcteristics in women that Carl definitely prefers, even at his tender age. He LOVES Asian women. Every day he would shower Serin, the Singaporean woman at Jip & Janneke, with compliments. Everything from "you have beautiful hair" to "you have a beautiful dress" to "you have beautiful toes". He also appreciates a generous bust size. Whether it's because he was breast feed or just a general appreciation of the female form, since he was 2 years old Carl has told me during our cuddles "I love your boobies". For the last six months I've been trying to dissuade him from saying this and I suspect at pre-school they have been working on it too. A while ago he moderated what he said to "I love your whole body" which is I guess a bit more acceptable. However often he sneaks in a little add on at the end when I'm giving him his last cuddle in bed at night: "I love your whole body Mummy.....

....and your boobies too".