"Tickly eyes"

I seem to have a lot of fun with Oliver at bathtime and bedtime, which is nice at the end of what can sometimes be a stressful day.

I've already recounted the "mystery of the sponge" game. Another of our regular games takes place when I lie him on the "big bed" to get him changed ready for his bath. Once his trousers are off and he is lying on his back on the bed, I tell him "I'm going to tickle you, because I know... that you've got tickly feet" and I tickle his feet. He chuckles and wriggles. Then I say "And I know... that you've got tickly knees" and tickle his knees. He laughs a little more. Then comes what he has been waiting for. "And I know... that you've got tickly thighs!" and I tickle his chubby little thighs. He roars with laughter until he almost has to gasp for breath (when I obviously stop). "Tickly eyes again!" he insists.

The other night he was sitting in the bath, daydreaming, staring into space over the side of the bath. So I leaned forward until my face was directly in his line of sight, which broke his reverie and made him laugh. "Again!" But it's a bit hard to recreate that sort of thing.

And after his bath when I am putting on his pyjamas on the changing table, we have Daddy running around the nursery flapping his arms ("Is it a bird?"), swooping with arms outstretched ("Is it a plane?") and finally diving, super-hero like down to within an inch of Oliver's face ("It's Super-Daddy!"). More laughter all round.

I am sometimes wonder how he goes to sleep after all the excitement. It's not exactly an exemplary "wind-down" time. At least he goes to bed happy.