Tonight Andy and I sat, drinking a bottle of cheap bubbles and talked about Louie like we usually end up doing once he has gone to bed (obsessive much?).  Also about how lucky we are.  Our situation this year has been amazing, both at home all day with our boy - Andy working in his office but able to share in so many daily moments, the wake-up smiles, outside baths, the firsts.  All those days, those first special days, are ours.  I am so grateful to be able to stay home with him.  Even though some tough days I look up the situations vacant.  Frazzling, wakeful days where I think going away to work sounds perfect.  But then a day comes along like today where I suddenly see how much you've grown, how wide-eyed and switched on you are, and I thank my lucky stars these days with you are mine because they are fleeting, almost gone.  Soon these days will belong to someone else, a teacher or carer.  They'll see you roll a grape around in your mouth and spit out the skin.  It'll be them you look over your shoulder at, proud with your latest achievement.  They'll pick you up when you bury your head in your hands crying with frustration over some annoyance.  And I have to be ok with that because it's important you have lots of people in your life, people who love you and help you to grow.  But right now these days are ours.

You are a toothy little monster now, 5 proper teeth out and one just breaking the surface.  It's been a tough month or so with all that action in your mouth...you have been unbelievable brave, trying to smile through the pain but unable to stop the grizzles from escaping.

But yay!  Today you seem happier and I think we have a respite from the teething.  You are now concentrating your efforts on laughing which you think is a pretty hilarious, bewildering thing.  You listen to us laugh and then copy "HARR HARR HA", with serious intensity.  Sometimes you make yourself cry with trying to laugh so hard.  But sometimes you burst into spontaneous giggles and shock yourself.

You are also starting to move more on the ground.  Having figured out that mind-power isn't getting your Moose-y toy any closer to you or grizzling hard in the hope that one of us will hand him to you, you've decided you'd better try this moving business.  Dad is on the case with his training Boot Camp, propping you up on your knees and helping you to face plant toward Moose-y.  You're getting there.

You loooooove food.  You've only every turned away avocado, everything else is tasted, grimaced at, then eagerly scoffed back.  When I give you custard your little arms and hands go into hysterics, flapping away like crazy and you break out the jazz hands all over the place.

Cuddles are ok by you now.  You'd never admit it but when I cuddle you before putting you in your bed you wrestle me a bit then snuggle in and coo.  And a couple of times when you wake in the night I've been able to cuddle you back to sleep.  Heaven for your mama.

Your dad is insane crazy about you, every time he hears us chatting in your room he downs tools and comes in to mess you up and get you hypo, rolling you around on the bed, chucking you into pillows, tickling you with his beard.  Then he goes back to work leaving me with a red faced, shrieking, over-stimulated little boy.  But that's cool, you totally love it.

Love you my Muffin Man xxx

Happy birthday Louie!  Today you officially graduate into the world as a three month old, you are no longer a sleeping, shitting, crying grub...now you are sleeping, shitting, crying infant!  Although to be fair, you do keep the crying to a minimum, thank you my happy boy.

You LOVE books, it's hilarious, you seem to read along with me and laugh at the punch lines.  And you LOVE your dad playing the guitar to you, totally riveted.

You seem pretty happy staring at your hands in your cot, batting at toys in your bouncy chair or just hanging with your mumma.  Sometimes I worry if your days are too monotonous...are you bored?  I don't know what I expect you to want...a night out with the fellas? But I just want to make sure I'm doing the right things with you, helping you to learn and develop.  After all, you're a graduate now.  What am I supposed to be doing daily with a three month old?

Any clues lovely readers??