forty-four weeks new

You seemed to be growing up so fast all of a sudden.

It was weird to think that only a few months before

you had been content to just lie on your play mat

and you existed on a diet of milk alone.

Now you were on the move

and exploring the world around you,

and you would actually shake with excitement

when you were put in your highchair ready for a meal.

You were pulling up more and more,

and while a lot of the time you'd get as far as your knees and give up,

you were definitely more than capable of standing.

You would even get brave and only hold on with one hand.

You were definitely getting stronger on two legs all the time.

You were "talking" all the time now,

experimenting with noises in your mouth

and practising them over and over again.

You would shout "yea-yea-yea" a lot,

which always made your big brother giggle.

And having already mastered "Daddo"

you were now working on "mama".

It was so cute to see you staring at Mummy

and saying "mama" in your cute little voice.

She had always been "mumma" or "mummy" with your brother

so it was sweet that you had your own name for her,

even if your brother liked to correct you every time you said it.

Your brother continued to be your biggest source of delight.

He was always the reason for your biggest, loudest, belly laughs.

When he ran around in circles

it caused absolute hysteria

and you would often sit laughing at him

only to find you had wobbled over from laughing so much.

He always laughed when this happened,

which just made you laugh even more.

You bond just amazed us,

it was such a priviledge to watch the two of you together.

In fact getting to be your parents was just such a privilege all round.

We felt so incredibly lucky that we got to be the Mama and Daddo

to such a lovely little lady.

You were always so content, so smiley and so good.

You were so wonderfully cuddly

and so very inquisitive;

the perfect mix of loving and brave.

We loved you with all our hearts.