Is it a buh? Is it a air-lo-pluh? No, it's a baby, talking!

The baby is trying to say a lot of new words. He has 'car' down pat now, he even pronounces it properly - unlike the initial 'ka!' he came out with, it is now a fully developed 'car'. So now he is stretching his wings. He points to balloons and says 'ba', he points to the garden and says 'gar' (and then gets mad if you won't open the French windows and let him out - conversely, he yells in delight if he sees you get the keys out to unlock them). Outside, he points up over his head if you ask him where the sky is and when birds fly overhead he says 'buh!' Even better in his opinion, though, are the airplanes, which fortunately for us are not right overhead but pass fairly regularly in the distance. Undaunted by the long name, the baby has tackled this new word with enthusiasm. 'Air-lo-pluh', he announces, beaming, each time one goes by. Sometimes he says it and we have to look about us, but he is always right, he has spotted some minute speck of a plane in the sky somewhere and is pointing at it.

After the recent chaos of lost passports (and the stress of getting replacements), the latest tummy bug plus a fall causing a split lip which took us to A&E for an excruiciating combination of stress and boredom (luckily it was nothing very terrible, but gosh lips do bleed, don't they...), the time has come for a well-earned holiday. To America (wish us luck with a six-hour plane journey and a one year old child), for a small road trip round parts of New England which we are very much looking forward to.

But as my mother pointed out, will the baby realise he is inside an air-lo-pluh? That could be the highlight of the trip as far as he is concerned!