Hey! Someone stole my angelic baby

For the first 18 months of his life Louis was that model baby, that before you're a parent you believe is the only thing it's possible to produce.

He was beautiful (this is independently verified, honest), smiled at everything, energetic, perfectly healthy (never had even as much as a cold), ate everything you put in front of him, slept the minute you put him in his cot at 7pm and woke again at 7am and chatted away to himself contentedly for ... as long as you'd let him, to tell you the truth.

Then...

...that baby was stolen and was replaced by the little boy we have now. Grumpy, clingy, bad tempered, not very nice to his brother, hitting everybody in sight, throwing his food, cutlery, crockery, drink anywhere he can.

In short he's absolutely lovely. God it's nice to have another little boy with such a strong personality. Louis couldn't be much different than Eben.

Louis's a real doer, Eben's a really cerebral child.

Louis's a naughty mischeivous little thing, Eben is a rule follower.

Louis's a charmer, Eben doesn't get away with a thing because he just hasn't got the cheeky smile.

Louis is funny, Eben is earnest.

Louis has to be the centre of attention, Eben is aloof (and boy does it attract the girls, if I'd known as a teenager that's all you had to do, I'd have done away with the being centre of attention nonsense)

Eben has always clung on to every last word of explanation you can possibly convey, Louis couldn't give a toss he's on to the next but one thing before you're even started.

The list goes on. The two of them make me extremely proud, Eben is an absolutely lovely child to be around (at the moment), polite, helpful, interested, excited, silly, energetic and a laugh when he lets go a bit.

Although Louis has developed a liking for pulling Eben's hair and hitting him they do actually get on very well. I have to keep remembering Louis is not quite 2 yet and Eben is still only 4.

Of course they have their moments...