Blink and you'll miss it

"zoom! - what was that? -"

"That was your life mate."

"Do I get another?"

"No sorry that was your lot"

* Basil Fawlty in "Mrs Richards", an episode of Fawlty Towers.

Children grow up quickly, and not in a smooth linear way either.

When we enetered 2009 Oliver was still sleeping in his cot-bed with the bars on and wearing nappies.

Today, half a year later, he is out of nappies, sleeping in his full size bed with no-bed-guard and is dry through the night. He sees himself to the toilet and earlier this week surprised me by running up to a tree in the park, dropping his trousers and standing there taking a pee against it. (A proud moment for any Dad to behold, surely.)

I've always called him "the little man" but day by day that's how he appears more and more.

Of course, he's still my little boy too. The other day he told me, "I don't want to be four Daddy". I'm not sure why he said it, but I do wonder whether the weight of being the big brother is sometimes a burden for him. With such a tearaway sister as Lucy, we encourage him to set her a good example and the vast majority of the time that's what exactly what he does. But I try to make sure he knows he can be my baby boy too. I know that all too quickly he'll want to be a big boy all the time, so I treasure the few times he still wants to be my little boy, just as much as he was before the little lady came along.