Dear Matilda Mae

This week you will be 21 weeks old. I cannot believe that you have already been with us for so long.

You are a very happy little lady most of the time. Your personality is beginning to shine through in everything that you do. You have the most beautiful smile and I love it when you beam at me.

At almost 5 months you are still exclusively breastfed and still sleeping with Mummy and Daddy (mostly Mummy) in their bed. You can be a bit of a wriggler but most of the time you are a warm little bundle snuggled up, huggled up tight. I love our night time cuddles as the days seem to fly past in a flurry of toddler havoc. Night time is our time and those few precious morning moments when I wake up to find you gently nudging me and waiting for me to open my eyes so you can dazzle me with your smile. You are a wonder and I love you with all my heart.

You are a big little lady for your age, weighing well over 16 pounds. You comfortably wear now the clothes that Esther wore when she was 16 months though I have to say that mostly I have been buying you new clothes as you are very different in colouring and character from your sister.

You are a very cheeky little girl. You can be stubborn too especially when it comes to falling asleep. You like to be cuddled and rocked and ssshhed for ages before you finally drop off for a few minutes and then need the same soothing process all over again. But once asleep you are a good sleeper and as far as I know you are sleeping through most nights from about 8pm to 5.30am. I am guessing that will change very soon when we try to move you to your cot.

You are a strong willed baby and you know what you do and do not like. You love to be worn in a baby carrier but you do not enjoy being in your pram. You love to be on your feet and spend long periods of time bouncing in your Jumperoo.

You are very dribbly at the moment and love putting anything and everything into your mouth. You have started to become interested in food I think and often gaze longingly at us as we eat. Sometime your little mouth opens in anticipation and you reach out for whatever might be being eaten. I think it will not be long now before we give you a taste of some solid foods of your own.

You spend a lot of time being cuddled and held. You spend some time in the car travelling from one toddler class to another. But we have started doing a few things just for you now and that will become more frequent once Esther and William start preschool next term.

You love songs and being sung to. It always makes you smile. You love interacting with your siblings and do not seem to mind their over enthusiastic full bodied cuddles.

You love the camera and try very hard to eat it when you are not posing the other side of the lens.

You can sit up unaided for a few seconds at a time now and before we know it you will be on the move.

Time is passing so quickly now.

I am trying to cherish every day.

You are a wonder Tilda Mae, a funny little thing, and I love you with all my heart.