To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.

-Brandi Snyder

Ellis has a best friend.  Six months into this relationship, I still find this fact surprising. I guess it never occurred to me that someone so young could forge such an intense relationship with someone outside of the family.  But he has one in X.

Ellis talks almost non-stop about all of the things he has done or is going to do with his wee friend.  If we are going somewhere, each time we set foot out side of the house, Ellis asks if X will be at our destination. I often have to set aside a second snack to take to X when we see him next (sometimes a week later), because Ellis doesn't want him to be left out.

Both of them are equals in imagination, spirit and ability to cause mischief.  One day, whilst X's mum and I were downstairs chatting E and X went very quiet. I walked upstairs to find two small boys, the bed, the floor, the wall and the bed canopy covered in diaper cream.

As with so many things in toddler world, the relationship is a passionate one. When they are getting along, they are the best of friends, brothers even.  In fact, X recently told his mum that his new baby brother wasn't his brother, but that Ellis was his brother. They run with squeals of joy to greet each other and hug every time they enter the same space.

And like brothers, when the tides turn, love turns to loathing.  Sometimes even a sideways look is enough to set one of them off and then on top of the other.  We have recently seen Ellis' rugby tackling aptitude and X can run like the wind.  They are like magnets...desperately attracted to one another until the poles get too close...

No matter how bad the fight, Ellis still asks when he is going to see X again. Through thick and thin they are friends and I am so glad that Ellis and X have their relationship. Who knows were their lives will take them in future, but for now they mean the world to each other.

submitted for:

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Some other things:

• I have updated my "Love Love Love" links on the left hand side bar.
• Thank you for all of your emails last week and all the questions about wrap slings.  I'm planning a bit of a post on the subject soon, and sorry I haven't been able to answer questions.
• For all of you photographers, in case you didn't know already, Adobe has a free Beta version of its Lightroom software available until the end of June.  I am in love with what it can do with photographs and the ease of the work flow.  I don't think I'll be able to afford the new version, but it is great software to have a play with. I thoroughly recommend Dawn Gordon's presets available here.