You’ve become more and more adept with your hands. A few weeks ago Matt brought you Magical Mister Mistoffolees the cat. When we attached her (see poem) to your toy bar, you reached for her – first sticking out your arm, fingers flexed, then batting her reliably and now you’re able to grab her feet and any of the other toys on the bar. You have one toy that turns, with four different parts (a ball with a mirror, a cylinder, etc. [drawing] that we hang from the bar and you’ve become frustrates with it because you really want to look at each of the component parts but you’re not deft enough – yet – to hold it still (if I hold it still you like to play with the parts separately).

At each new stage you seem already to be striving for the next. The promise of sitting up (aided for a second or two on your own before you sag forward or top to the side – which, amazingly to me, doesn’t seem to bother you) has made leaning back (except when you’re tired) less fun and being able to grab, while sometimes satisfying, brings with it the seeds of discontent as you can’t get Mister Mistoffelees ‘ ear (or Maizy’s nose) in your mouth (or back in your mouth).

You can, though, use both hands – one grabbing, one guiding, to move things towards your mouth, and in the last couple of days you’ve been rolling to the side and REACHING towards toys/objects you want. You’ve also just found your toes, which you find quite interesting to hold on to.

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A few weeks ago you abandoned your “ah gya” sounds for a yell which you modulate in order to converse. Some mornings, especially you’ll talk back and forth for a long time, and I get the sense that when I sometimes get your language right, that’s when you laugh.

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Wonderful moments: your grin when we come get you in the morning, the feel of you against me in the night, belly to belly.