I've had a preview of the future...

Well it's a cliche, but don't they grow up fast? One year ago, this is what P looked like:
and this is a photo we took two days ago where P looks like a little boy.
That's probably because he is rapidly transitioning into a little boy, a toddler. He still is only taking at most two steps at a time, but he walks so well holding onto our hands it won't be long before he's off and running.

I have to admit although I wanted a baby so desperately when we were going through all that ttc and miscarriage crap that I didn't really enjoy the tiny baby stuff so much, but now my enjoyment of P- and probably therefore his of me- just is increasing at an exponential rate. He is such a joy- he snuggles, he cuddles, he laughs, he plays, he babbles incessantly, he points at the sky, at birds, at random things in the supermarket. He loves it when I do silly things- put a shoe on my head or hang a spoon off my nose- sing songs and dance. When he falls and bumps himself he holds his arms out for a cuddle. I get to kiss things better. It is all so wonderful.

But there is also an emerging toddler-personality. He screams when we take things off him that he shouldn't have. He hates it if we close the gates so he can't crawl all over the house. He is major destructo of everything and everything within reach. He will happily munch on stale bits of bread he finds in mysterious places on the floor but pushes away the healthy lunches we make and screams and bucks in his high chair until we let him out. He has started biting me to get my attention. He needs to check that his doodle is still attatched every time you change his nappy and gets upset if we clean his hands when they are subsequently covered in poo. He howls at the day-care drop-off.

But on balance, he is the most wonderful wonderful joyous creature in all of creation. He is my most amazing achievement. He is the pinnacle of my life so far. My baby boy is growing into a little boy so fast I feel if I blink he will be a surly teenager. And if it keeps going this way, I can't wait to continue the journey.