Mayhem Turns Three!

There is no greater gift for us as parents than to see our boys grow up, we feel so lucky and privileged that both our boys are healthy and developing so amazingly.  It’s been such a busy year since Mayhem’s 2nd Birthday, moving from Spain,  visiting the UK and back to Portugal. It’s all whizzed past so fast it’s hard to believe that our youngest boy, Mayhem is about to turn three and spend his 3rd birthday in Portugal just like his big brother Chaos did. How lovely to be able to reflect on how much he has grown this past twelve months…

Dear Mayhem,

Although we may have changed where we live, some things remain the same. You continue to be loving, cheeky, full of personality, opinionated and consistently assert your very strong will.  You know what you want and go for it, no matter how much we try to reason with you, it is rare that we can talk you down when your mind is made up. You are fearless. You whizz along on your scooter, you love to jump into the pool and climb onto rocks. You even lead your brother in this respect and often do things Chaos would never have thought to do by himself, hence the very messy blue paint incident!

Cuddles are most definitely your favourite thing and you like to give lucky Mummy gets ‘loads’ of cuddles and kisses. Daddy is soon becoming your favourite though and you always want Daddy to take you to the toilet (lucky for Mummy), oh and carry you when you are tired; Daddy gets all the good jobs!

You continue to refer to yourself in the third person, despite many, many attempts to coerce you into referring to yourself as I, no way. ‘Mayhem do it by myself’, ‘Mayhem do it’, ‘Mayhem…Mayhem…’ is by far your most used word and you must refer to yourself at least 100 times a day…no joke!

You are full of cheekiness and laughter, you still laugh at any slapstick style humour and your squeaky laugh is so infectious. As is your crinkle grin, which can’t help but make the grumpiest person smile.  Although that said, you have your own grumpy face, especially when you are tired and refuse to nap and give us ‘the look’.

Chaos your sidekick has now started school and you miss him, although as soon as he gets home you start squabbling over Lego.  Lego’s no longer only for Chaos, you want to join in and of course, you always want the very pieces that your brother has or wants.  You want to do what Chaos does, say the same things and be just like your big brother. Even though you bicker and argue as all brothers do, you are a little lost when he’s not around and are so very close and loving together.

You are growing taller before our very eyes, developing and learning new things every day.  We love it when you pull your shorts up to show us low long your ‘big boy legs’ are and how very large your feet are getting. You never used to like tv, well we don’t have a tv but sometimes treat you and your brother to watching something on the laptop. Chaos is glued to the screen but you could never sit still. All that changed though after a few weeks of CBeebies and constant rain during our ‘Summer’ visit to the UK (that’s Lancashire for you)! You will now happily sit through an episode of In the Night Garden or Teletubbies.  Ickle Pickle is your favourite.

You are still so shy with strangers who try hard to get a ‘hola’ from you, but in contrast so very bold and loud with people that you know. So very loud! You have started to enjoy stories  and will listen to a whole book (sometimes) at bedtime. Mainly though you ask questions. Lots of questions.

You still continue to love your meat. Your ability to consume a whole plate of chorizo in seconds is quite astounding. Daddy and Chaos have no chance.  At two and a half you were in Trevelez, sampling the finest Jamons and loving every single mouthful. Oh and you love food in general, especially ice cream…doesn’t everyone!

Since you were two you have thrived on exploring Andalucia; including Granada, Malaga, Cordoba, Ronda, Costa de la Luz, Costa del Sol, Costa Tropical, Gibraltar, England. We have enjoyed very minute of travelling with you and your brother, so much more fun with you tagging along! Who said travelling with children was hard work?

You have always helped in the garden, with the olive harvest, potato harvest and fig and chilli picking, feeding pigs and chickens. It’s brilliant to see how excited you get when there might be an egg…’there might be?’

Although you love to ‘help’ you are only little…sorry a tile fell on your head whilst we were building an outside toilet, we should have known that you would be underneath trying to help, you love tools and are fascinated by their workings, adamant that it doesn’t matter how incredibly sharp they are. Scissors, sharp knives, secateurs, chainsaws…it’s no fun when they’re not dangerous!

You have had to endure yet another year of endless check-ups, scans, x-rays and blood tests but we finally mastered how to nail the tests without you having a screaming breakdown. Sweets and lots of them. It used to be impossible and awful for us all; you had to be held down, it felt like torture when your blood was taken or you had an x-ray, it wasn’t the procedure that was painful but watching you get so very distraught. We tried everything, talked you through it, did practise runs, pulled funny faces, did dances, tried cartoons, games…everything but nothing worked. Then as if by magic giving you a two handfuls of sweets worked. You were so surprised to have so many sweets, enthralled by their colours and variety that you forgot to be upset.  It worked a month later for the next test, as soon as we went into the hospital you asked what caramellos (sweets) you would get, then calmly led down and had your bloods taken without even a whimper, caramellos in hand!

That was the first hospital good news, the second was even better. This year in June your Cardiologist confirmed that your heart was now normal. After so, so many check-ups, blood tests and reviews following your surgery to remove a tumour we finally feel as though we have the all clear and can stop worrying about your health and enjoy family time together. The best news ever!

We are so thankful to have you in our lives, after almost losing you it feels even more important that we tell you that we love you so very much.  We feel incredibly protective of you, no matter how stubborn and brave you are, no matter how you refuse to take a nap now you are a ‘big boy’, sometimes you have to give in.

You are and will always be our youngest, our baby, our precious boy and we love you so very, very much.  Happy third Birthday Mayhem!

Lots of Love, Mummy, Daddy and Chaos xxx

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