Rachel’s chatter has really come on in leaps and bounds recently and she’s becoming such a confident and pretty little thing.

On Friday night, she sneaked out of her bedroom and came down to the living room to see us both. Knowing that she would be instantly returned to bed, she switched on the brightest, most cutest smile you’ve ever seen. With her purple pajamas, curly hair and toothless grin, she managed to bargain a few extra minutes down the stairs with us.

To give her a decision in how long she stayed up, I showed her my watch and asked her to point to where the big hand should be when she went to bed. She pointed to “7″ (giving her about 15 minutes), and so we allowed her to sit and banter with us until time came. Because she’d chosen the time, she went to bed without an argument!

Which brings me to this morning. I had the morning off work because I had to drop in an all-important post-vasectomy sperm sample. (Possibly the most un-erotic moment in my life, but let’s not get into that!) When I walked into the living room, she was all surprised to see me and asked me why I was home. I explained that I had to see the doctor after my operation to make sure everything was OK. She said - with a serene and genuine look on her face - “Well, I hope he tells you that you’re well Daddy!”

I just love how Rachel’s coming on at the moment, she’s such a bright, outgoing and clever little girl and she’s developing in the way I always imagined she would.