This was a big month for Henry, and for us too really because playschool was a go-go! We love Henry, but we have been dreaming of getting some days to ourselves for a long time. The good news was that Henry seemed to have a lot of fun too and although he cried after realizing we had gone, he apparently soon perked up and made some friends. This was a Friday. Starting from Monday the next week, daddy had to take him on his way to work. For a few days Qilin cried when he was being left but within 3-4 days he was in control, often after talking himself into it on the journey there. Daddy reasoned with him that mummy and daddy had to go to work and Henry not only understood but agreed.

The timing is all a little perfect actually. Only recently has Qilin been successful in his toilet training, rarely getting caught with his trousers, umm, up! He can now survive the day and his midday sleeps, only using a nappy in the night-time. Sure, we occasionally have a little accident, but for the most part he is in full control. Life without a nappy is liberating for Qilin, giving him the chance to drop trousers anytime and sit on mummy’s head, a habit he’s become very fond of, or chase his parents around the flat, bum first making farty noises - we are so lucky.

The toilet has become a popular place for a story, with Henry usually demanding some made-up tale of short yellow snakes (a favourite) to keep his mind off the task at hand. Go near the flushing handle and you’ll get a warning, worse if you sneak a look to see if he has finished. For the fast no.1 option. Qilin is mostly in control. He stands on a little blue stool and lets loose - with us in control of the direction of his hose - and we soon hope he’ll be taking that responsibility too.

Henry notices numbers and will point them out whenever he sees them with a wild guess. He may usually get them muddled up but at this stage we don’t mind. He is interested in them and they register in his mind as something important. He seemed to prefer number 5 for a while there, but it changes all the time. The same is true of his obsession with cars, as favourites get replaced all the time. Regardless, Qilin LOVES cars! He is now naming them by brand (Subaru, Corvette, Audi) and especially likes to crash them together. So it’s fair to say Henry will definitely grow up to be a astrophysicist... or perhaps a Formula One driver... or a story book writer... or a snake charmer. Or an astrophysicist who writes stories driving cars over snakes.