your thirty-third week

You were very quickly become a really cheeky little monkey.

Your cheeky little grin

and your naughty little giggle

could completely light up a room.

You really seemed more like a little boy

rather than a baby now

because your personality was starting to come out.

You definitely had Daddy's charming way about you.

You would look to us as you were about to do something naughty,

and then when we frowned or said no

you would giggle and do it anyway.

You were getting to be a particular little pickle at bedtime.

Or more specifically

at the exact moment 

that we wanted to put you into your nappy and sleep suit.

You would roll around

and try to crawl or climb away from us,

with a cute little smile on your face all the while.

Mummy had learned that the best way 

was to get you ready for bed as quickly as possible,

while sometimes singing or waving a pom-pom to distract you.

Daddy wasn't always quick enough though

and he would often have to call in reinforcements 

to keep you still while he dressed you.

You had worked out how to sit up in the bath.

And you seemed to much prefer the sitting up view,

probably because you could see your toys more.

Your favourite part of bath time was having you teeth brushed.

It could have been that you liked the taste of the baby toothpaste,

or it might have been that you enjoyed the sensation on the brush on your gums.

But either way, you didn't like to relinquish that toothbrush when the brushing was done.

You weren't that interested in your conventional bath toys any more.

No, you mostly liked to play with the shower hose.

And you liked to put your fingers in the overflow hole.

And you liked to pull the plug out too.

What a cheeky little water baby!

Mummy had put a treasure basket together for you

and you were really beginning to enjoy playing with it.

The basket was made up of all sort of interesting everyday and natural objects.

Ribbon were a favourite of yours.

And toilet roll tubes.

And a nail brush.

You could happily spend an hour looking at all the objects

and exploring their different sensory qualities.

The cats were really intrigued by your treasure basket too,

and would often come to play with you.

You often looked like you were trying to show the objects to them,

which was really sweet to watch.

And you would reach out to touch them really gently.

And you always had a big smile for them

whenever they came near.

We loved watching you turn into a little person before our eyes.

You were such a genuinely happy and contented baby

and you made us feel so incredibly lucky.

Spending time with you was never boring

because you gave so much back to us.

You were always the very best bit of Daddy's day

when he saw you before and after work.

And it would break his heart 

when he would come home from work 

to find you had already gone to bed.

Mummy just felt so blessed to be able spend all her days with you.

You were such a funny and loving little person.

And you seemed to be learning new things all the time

and she felt so fortunate to be able to share them with you.

Your smiles and laughs,

your hugs and sloppy kisses

seemed to say thank-you for all that we did for you.

Our cheeky, smiley, cuddly little monkey.