your forty-eighth week

Time was flying by so fast.

And in four short weeks you would be one-year-old.

It was strange 

because Mummy and Daddy could no longer remember what life was like 

before you arrived and stole our hearts.

But you also still seemed so brand-spanking new.

So pure and so perfect.

It really is true that time flies when you are having fun.

Because a year is normally a reasonably long time,

but your first year was flying by in a heartbeat.

We had been waiting a while for your first clear and definite word.

And in your forty-eighth week we got it.

You stood up in the bath,

waved at Darcy and said "cat".

Mummy would have thought it was a fluke

except you did the exact same thing

when Wentworth walked into the bathroom a minute later.

Mummy was so proud and excited.

But also disappointed,

because after weeks of having Mummy and Daddy at bath times

you chose one when Daddy wasn't home yet

to say your first proper word.

One of your new favourite things to do 

was to terrorise the cats.

You loved to crawl up the hall at great speed

to get into our bedroom

because the cats liked to hang out in there.

Then you would go in search of a tail to pull

while screeching at the top of your voice.

This would spook the cats and they would go crazy,

which just made you smile and do it more.

You had been a really lucky boy

and had been bought lots of books as presents and with Christmas money.

And we were trying to make sure that books played a big part in your day.

So each morning you would read a book with Mummy

all snuggled up together after your milk.

And then you would have another story at bedtime,

either from Mummy again

or from Daddy if he was home.

It was completely heart melting to see you enjoying books.

You definitely remembered some of the books

as you would anticipate the page turning

or get excited about particular pages

with a tactile area or a glittery shape.

Sometimes you would get books out to play with by yourself.

Or even better,

would crawl over to us with a book that you wanted us to read to you.