Today was supposed to have been another landmark day in Olivia's life, but it has ended up leaving a stain on her history of entirely the wrong sort. With term a fortnight away - though some of us are required to report for duty this coming Thursday - Olivia was due to attend nursery for the second of her settling in sessions. In anticipation we'd spent last night completing reams of paperwork and providing a guide to all Olivia's likes and dislikes.

Alas, come this morning and one loud squelching noise from Olivia's direction indicates that all is not well. I'm summoned from one of my remaining lie-ins of the hols and we discover that Olivia's nappy is soaked in what can only be described in industrial quantities of filth. These proceed to ooze out of her throughout the morning, necessitating several changes of clothes and meaning that a toxic stink is coming from the bin.

Needless to say the nursery session is cancelled, and we attribute the whole sorry mess to the catch-all of 'teething', a complaint that we've been blaming for every minor ailment for months, and one that has yet to result in the appearance of any actual teeth. No other symptoms to speak of and Olivia herself seems unperturbed by the carnage that she's wreaking in her nappies.

Let's hope that normal service is resumed tomorrow.