Dearest honey bun,

13 is such a wonderful number, because every day with you at 13 is a day filled with laughter. You’re so funny you crack us up every single day with your antics and babbling. Oh, how I wish you would stay 13 months forever.

You love anything round and you’re totally obsessed with balloons. You snatch little children’s balloon-on-a-stick whenever you see a kid with one when we’re out. It’s becoming embarassing; I have to apologise to older little children on your behalf. In your first gym lesson you made an older girl cry because you grabbed her rubber ball. I still can’t believe you did that.

Because of your obsession, we’ve started to blow balloons in the house and now the house looks like one of those Singkids Play System playgrounds with balloons and balls everywhere. You say “ball” the first thing you wake, and “ball” even in your sleep. Oh, but now there’s also “up-ple” (apple)  and “bb-berd” (bird) that you say non-stop every day. You  love to crunch apples and chase the birds and dogs when we’re downstairs.

You have zero sense of fear, we’ve come to the point we are scared to bring you to the playground. Have you seen the way you climb up slides and stairs not meant for your age? You do it so well the neighbours are awed and tell me they cannot believe you just turned one. Yes, we’ve all seen you go down the slide at the playground downstairs all by yourself. I was thrilled and flabbergasted at the same time. You, my son, are the only one capable of letting me experience this. I’m not sure I should say ‘thanks’ or ‘no, thanks’, but you’re definitely one gungho fella!

Speaking of gungho, there was this time you saw your older siblings jump from the sofa onto the playmat, and you decided you would do the same. Once again, I experienced that feeling of  being flabbergasted, watching you jump off the sofa, laughing and squealing at the top of your voice. You didn’t care if anyone was waiting to catch you, you didn’t mind if no one did, you just JUMPED. Gawd, are you 13 months or 30 months?

At 13, you do the funniest things. You blow raspberries on my thighs, you laugh (in such an exaggerated way) when we laugh, you imitate people around you, you do what we tell you to do – sit down, lie down, stand up, throw away the rubbish please, change diaper, go and bathe – it’s totally amazing you understand so much. You snuggle up with kor kor and jie jie when they are fast asleep, and you say “WOOOOOOOO” in all kinds of pitch and volume when its time to sit on your trike / glide on kor kor’s Y-Bike / wear your shoes / play ball / read a book.

It’s been so fun with you every day. Stay this way, ok? I love you to the moon and back, Nat, please stay at 13. Please?

With all my love, and then some more,

Mama