Each child is different

GM is almost 35 month old or one month shy of turning 3 years old.  A lot has happened in the last 20 months.  I feel blessed that I am in the position to witness and participate in each milestone.
Being an active child, I enrolled him in baby gym class when he turned 2 years old which meant Mommy too had to attend his classes.  This class was very good for his motor development skills as well as his social development.  He got to learn to play with other children of his age in a safe environment.  He also got a "workout" appropriate for his age and I could see his self-confidence increasing as he progressed.  His physical development was also good - getting stronger and though he looked like he was slim, his weight hovered in the 15kg range of lots of muscle and little fat.  Often people mistake him for being around 5 years old and ask which kindergarten does he go to.  My standard reply is: " He still hasn't reached the minimum age" :).

His diet also began to change with more solid foods of mainly organic vegetables, proteins and less processed carbohydrates.  As far as possible, I aimed for a more natural diet using good fats such as butter and not margarine.  I would always have vegetables for lunch and dinner and fruit included in breakfast.  Since I am blessed to have my own organic farm, most of his vegetables came from the farm fresh.  Now, he eats vegetables without any problem something that I often see children avoid.  He also eats a variety of fruits - bananas are all from the farm, but the other fruits, I try to avoid genetically-modified varieties.  I always make it a point to know the source of the fruit and vegetables.  I avoid fruits from Thailand since most of it is grown in a high pesticide environment and with added hormones and preservatives.  I tend to avoid produce from China due to their high usage of pesticide and chemicals.  My aim was to make his "insides" strong with good development.

His verbal communications skills is still not very good but he can express what he wants or doesn't want.  Since he is tri-lingual - Malay, English and Spanish - he mixes all 3 languages when he speaks.  His vocabulary in all 3 languages is improving although his pronunciation is still not precise.  He understands more than he vocalises.  We avoid "baby-talk" and pronounce words normally.  Until he can express himself more, I do not intend to send him to nurseries or pre-kinder or daycare.  I worry about him not being able to voice himself should anything untoward happen so for the moment he is always with at least one of us.

As he approaches turning 3 years old, his speech development may not be as advanced as some other children but his physical and motor skills development are more advanced than others.  Each child develops at their own rate and all you can do is to support that development.  Hence I do not worry as to why he cannot speak fluently yet.  All in all, I am thankful that he is growing strong and healthy in a loving environment with strong familial ties.