Making Jake laugh

It's been a while since my last update on things that Jake can do, and rather than try to list all of his new tricks (from sitting up by himself to giving high fives, the list is quite extensive!) I want to put together a list of the things that currently make Jake laugh. He has such an infectious giggle that what starts as a smile from him turns into a laugh from me and we can happily sit and make each laugh for ages. After a long day at work, there's nothing quite like it to make the world a better place.

The current list of things that make him crack up include:

• Waking up Mummy in the morning. He normally gets up around 20 minutes before I have to go to work, so I feed and change him and play a bit (more on this in another post) and then go give him to Kelsey so I can go get ready for work. He beams as she grumbles herself awake and then chatters and giggles with her in bed.
• The cats. This currently seems to be limited to black and white cats, as he doesn't have the same hysterical response to our friend's ginger cat. You can always tell when one of the cats has come into the room that Jake is in by a loud screech and a long burst of laughter.
• Cat videos on line. We're still not quite sure how this works, but he finds them hilarious (we think that this shows the average mental age that the internet is aimed at!)
• The jumparoo. If Jake's ever grumpy, putting him in his jumparoo generally changes his attitude straight away. I think it's the movement (he's currently a very rough and tumble baby) rather than the toys around the edge. The laughing always starts when he knows that he has an active audience. 
• Being thrown around. This incorporates all sorts of rough and tumble, from being chucked up the air, spun upside down and squeezed in a bear hug (my current favourite morning activity and the reason why I'm always a little late for work!). 
• Belly rubs. He's always been a big fan of people nuzzling and biting his belly, but this now leads to paroxysms of laughter and some of the best noises. Again, I think the laughter also comes from me finding him funny. 
• Clapping. This is other people clapping at him, as at the moment he'll flail his arms around like crazy in response. At some point they'll connect but for now there's a large level of excitement and gurgling. 
• Certain songs. At the moment, the nursery song Wind the Bobbin up (random lyrics) and Caro Emerald's That Man crack him up for unknown reasons.
• Seeing Mummy or me after an absence. When I get back in from work, or when we get back in from a run, the first sight of the other person gets a big smile and a leg kick, the highest accolade from Jake.  It gives you a warm feeling and an overwhelming desire to scoop him up and give him a hug, which is often followed by belly rubs and rounds of giggling.

It's amazing the amount of time that we spend laughing with Jake and the variety of things that we do to keep him smiling. It's definitely one of the things that makes being a dad rewarding.