Wow, guess what?! Elsie has just eaten some toast!! She had a feed first thing this morning, and then some lentils and vegetables at about half eleven, and she still seemed to be hungry so I gave her a slice of Rob’s toast and she just ate almost the whole thing – chewing and swallowing and everything! She really seemed to enjoy it too.

We have just had the most delightful breakfast, as I drink my nice coffee and eat my banana bread with honey whilst chatting to Rob (mostly about how amazing Elsie is!) and cuddling my baby, I think life is good, it really is. On the happiness formula program on BBC2 at the moment they said the secret to a happy life is meaning, but that having children doesn’t always make people happier. But I can’t imagine anything that would give my life more meaning than taking care of Elsie – she is such a source of joy and fulfilment. There are lots of things in life which give meaning (work, fun, friends and family, cheese and wine, Easton ale, Wuthering Heights, Tony Almeida…!) but surely nothing so fundamental as a baby that needs you, and who smiles her big gummy grin and makes her monumentally cute R2D2 noises when she comes downstairs in her dad’s arms wearing only her vest, so you can see her gorgeous chubby arms and legs – as Elsie just has! Ooo… all a bit sentimental this morning!!

This is the three of us at Sarah’s Under the Sea birthday party a couple of weeks ago - I think Rob looks well fit in this picture!