You've started nursery...

.... And Mummy is wracked with guilt. Your only doing one afternoon and one morning per week, and in actual fact, I take you late and pick you up early so it doesn't even officially equate to 1 full day, but still I feel so ridiculously guilty. Everyone keeps informing me of how good it'll be for you, interacting with other children and learning new things... But I just can't shift the question of if I'm a bad mother, that I'm choosing to put you in nursery rather than it being a necessity of work? I've not done it selfishly, I can assure you, in fact I spend the hours that your there missing you incredibly and wondering what to do with myself. So much so, that yesterday (your first official morning) I blitzed the house so thoroughly that today I fear if I clean another inch I may risk rubbing away kitchen surfaces or the enamel on the bath. I call a million times to check your okay, and am always assured that you are, when I collect you you always seem relaxed and I'm told of how you played with this and that, how you ate all your lunch and loved playing outside... Surely they don't make all this up??
Yesterday afternoon, after collecting you, we played in the garden, baked cakes, did some painting, walked into the village and had a bubble bath, subconsciously i think i was trying to show you how much i do love you and in some strange way seeking your forgiveness for 4 hours, which in actual fact, you more than likely, thoroughly enjoyed.
Is this an affliction of all mothers, I wonder? An extension of asking to have a shower or use the bathroom when Daddy is around, even though Daddys just go about their daily routine as though it's their right to continue as they please, just jumping in the shower whenever the need takes them, not needing to check that baby will be watched by their other half... Anyway, I digress, but all the Mums reading this will know what I'm talking about.
Yesterday, when I called my Mummy (Grandma), in a rather emotionally vulnerable state having just left you there for the first time, her words of wisdom in response to my feeble "do you think, she'll think I've left her there, Do you think she'll hate me???"
"well I left you at nursery, and you didn't hate me, did you?"

Oh God, I can't remember I might have done??



- love Mummy x

Ocean's Gallery!

- love Mummy x

First birthday, first shoes!

Today, on your 1st birthday, Mummy and Daddy (and Grandma too actually) took you on a little shopping trip and bought you your first pair of shoes, size 3 1/2 G! You were your usual entertaining self, and had the Clarks staff coo-ing over you and your antics within minutes. Other staff members were emerging from the stock room to see the little performer with such a beautiful name. Waving, boo-ing and prancing up and down, lifting you feet adorned with pretty new shoes dramatically high even for a teetering toddler in a tutu, made you hard to resist. You then spent the rest of the afternoon, lifting your feet high in your pram to inspect the new prettiness your feet were fashioning!!


- love Mummy x

Cake smash!

Today you did a "cake smash" photo shoot with a giant cupcake! It was so much fun, and you really took after Mummy and were a proper little actress in front of the camera.... Anyway, the above is the aftermath of said shoot!

- love Mummy x

366 days old!

Wow!

I can't believe that my baby is one year old! It seems like only a heartbeat ago that I said "hi princess" for the very first time as you were placed in my arms. So much has happened in those 366 days, and you and I have grown and changed so much. You've taught me so much about the world and myself, and I've found peace and appreciation in the smallest things, that previously would have sped by without me noticing.

I'm not going to lie and say its been an easy road, the last month has definately been the hardest of my life, but it has been worth it, you are worth it. You've suffered with a terrible stomach virus for weeks, and at some point we've all caught it too. It's not been our best month, and most of it we've spent covered in vomit or poo, but thankfully that's all over now and we can start your 2nd year healthy and happy.

The last 366 days have been a wonderful journey, (in spite of the most recent poo covered and earlier sleep deprived bits) and I'm so excited to continue discovering the world through your eyes!


- love Mummy x

You can stand!!!!

You can stand all by yourself!!! Not just for a few seconds but indefinately. This morning you decided to display this new trick whilst attempting to brush your teeth with my toothbrush!!!
Mummy is so proud!!



- love Mummy x

Ocean's Gallery!

- love Mummy x

306 days old!!

At 10 months you are THE most wonderful little character.  Your squeals of delight at the simplest of things, your constant chattering and one second cuddles, make you more adorable than I could ever imagine.

You give big lip smacking kisses, complete with sound, and enjoy nothing more than a day filled with opening and closing doors, mountaineering backwards and forth over mummy's legs and a good game of peekaboo, all with constant babbling narration.

Your persistence over the last couple of months to pick up every spec or crumb from any floor or surface, and therefore my need to chase you round stating "DIRTY!" in my nicest but firmest mummy voice, before the umpteenth grain of god knows what is ingested that day, has now resulted in your first word!!! (well that other than Mamma or Dada)

"DURTEEEEE!" which I must confess you say with some conviction, as you hold up in the air for all to view, the evidence that mummy has not vacuumed once again!!!

Your crawling at quite a pace these days and get yourself to standing upon any solid surface, including up walls, and even the mirrored fridge (which leaves quite an artistic smear of little handprints for mummy to admire until she finally gets round to cleaning it)

You take after Mummy in the fashion loving, bursting wardrobe stakes and never fail to squeal and point at your array of beautiful outfits when we open your wardrobe for selection each morning.... Mummy has nearly the same level of enthusiasm, although the ironing of said garments is rather a chore (tiny clothes are quite awkward).

Your such a little water baby, and can now swim underwater for a good 2 seconds, you have learnt the commands and now close your eyes tight and hold your breath just before you go under, but the best bit is that when you emerge from the swim, you give yourself a little round of applause! I swear you'd take a bow if you could!!  You get so excited waiting on the side of the pool for the little class to finish, (little class, ha, your in the big class at 10 months old!!) squealing and pointing, you'll be jumping in as soon as you can walk over yourself!

You have 4 teeth, the front bottom two came first and now your matching top pair have appeared, and if at all possible they make your little smile even cuter!  And your hair is GROWING... I mean I can't quite get it in bunches, or even fashion a slide just yet, but it is definitely growing!!

So many wonderful developments and memories in just 306 little days, tomorrow is going to be magical.

- love Mummy x

Your Christening - 4th December 2011

The 4th of December 2011 was your Christening day, and what a love filled, happy day it was.

Grandma had waited 30 years for this event, and had lovingly kept my Christening gown for you to wear, and how perfect you looked in it.  You took the whole day in your stride, and didn't even cry when you had the water poured on your head.  In fact i think you quite fancied getting in for a swim!!

You even managed to show the congregation your emerging personality by blowing a rather vocal raspberry at the vicar, right at a pivotal moment, thankfully he saw the humorous side.

Your cake was delicious, and not a piece was left by the end of the celebrations.  It was in fact the bottom tier of Mummy and Daddy's wedding cake, re-soaked in sherry and re-iced, after spending the last 2 1/2 years safely taking up half the freezer!!  I have to say it was worth it though - YUM YUM!

You've been keeping me so busy!

I've been missing in action from my letter writing recently, mainly due to how busy life now is (who knew an 8 month old could live such a demanding social calendar!).

Today, however I feel that we reached a milestone which I just have to record. Not crawling, although you are now doing that (that story is yet to come) and not even the fabulous day of your christening, no, the momentous moment, is that I came to your nursery after your nap and you were sitting up in your cot waiting for me!! It stopped me in my tracks, and made me realise you are fast on your way to becoming a toddler!!!! Although, in my eyes you'll always be my baby girl!!!


- love Mummy x

A day at the office with Daddy!

Moscow

- love Mummy x

Shadows, swimming & waving bye byes!

Today you had your first swimming lesson at Aquababies, and it turns out your a water baby just like Mummy was. You did some splashing, just like you've started to do in the bath, you swished on your tummy and Mummy held you so your head didn't go in the water, although, as the instructor put it you did "keep trying to look at the fishies" (there weren't any actual fishes otherwise Mummy would have had a heart attack - but we won't get into that) and here's the really good bit, you did a little dunk under water and didn't even cry!

"Ocean, ready.... go!". That's what we say and you hold your breath!

You've also becoming endearingly fascinated by your own shadows, this seems to have developed from your earlier obsession with reflections, and I'm not just talking about in mirrors, you will smile, your biggest, gummiest grin at the stainless steel light switches or the taps whilst in the bath, as if you've just seen your favourite toy, it's completely and utterly adorable! But to revert to my original point, you now love nothing more than sitting in the sunshine and playing with your shadow. Sticking your arm up and down in the air, trying to grab the shadow that appears and watching it miraculously wave back at you.... Which brings me nicely onto your new trick!

You can wave!!! This is no childish finger bending wave, or whole handed side to side waft, oh no, this is a royal affair, as if waving to the queen! People are even starting to comment on it's regalness (i know thats probably not even a word, but when you have a daughter with such a royal wave you can get away with it)!

Well, what do they expect from a Princess!!!

- love Mummy x

Mummy turns 30!!!!

Today mummy turns 30, which i know probably sounds incredibly ancient to you, but i promise that actually (or at least people keep assuring me) its not really that old!

Every year as I'm approaching another year older, i can't help but think of my earliest memory regarding age. I must have only been 9 or 10 as i was still at junior school, and i can remember as clear as if it were yesterday walking up the big Victorian staircase to my classroom, where we must have been discussing the Millennium. I can remember concentrating hard as i climbed the steps, to calculate what age i would be, eventually concluding with the grand old age of 18.

18, i thought to myself....I'll be dead old!! (how naive of my youthful spirit)

So now as i turn 30, a whole 12 years older than i was at the Millennium, and probably 20 years from that day i remember so clearly, climbing those stairs, I pledge to myself and you, to always retain some of that little girls spirit and stay young at heart.

Our daily routine

Your in a really good routine now, which makes life so much easier....

7am - breakfast bottle
8am - breakfast (usually consists of baby cereal mixed with fruit puree)
9am - nap time (45-60 mins)
11am - bottle
12pm - nap time ( you have 1-2 hours, depending on what we're doing)
2:30pm - bottle
3pm - lunch (vegetable puree)
4:30 - nap time (usually just 30mins)
6pm - bathtime
6:15 - bottle
7pm - bedtime

Then Mummy crosses her fingers for a full nights sleep.


- love Mummy x

Thankful Thursdays.

This weekend we visited the Apple Orchard (my nickname for a store that sells the latest computers, which will no doubt seem pre-historic, in years to come when you read this - but are currently the hip and happening things to have), and bought a new computer. It has a fantastic video editing suite which I've started to use, to start putting together some of our many home movie clips. And I can't believe, how much you've grown and changed already.....

So this week I am grateful for the many moments and memories that we are lucky enough to have frozen in time, and that will I know, always lift my spirit and warm my heart.


- love Mummy x

Just a simple bag of lettuce!

All that money spent on the latest toys and all you really needed to keep you entertained for 20 minutes was a pre-washed bag of lettuce leaves! Mummy is sorry that she's neglected this up to this point!!!

- love Mummy x

Your favourite bedtime story.

Snuggle Bunny's tired. He's had a busy day. It's time to finish playing and put our toys away. Snoozy Snuggle stretches and rubs his sleepy eyes. Do your eyes feel sleepy too, before your beddy-byes? Now let's wash and clean our teeth as Bunny's bedtime nears. Can you lend a helping hand to brush his fluffy ears? Snuggle loves a bedtime hug and gentle tickles too. If you ask him nicely, he may hug and tickle you. Snuggle Bunny's cosy. He's tucked up nice and tight. It's time for you to snuggle too - sweet dreams and kiss goodnight!!

- present from Grandma, read by Daddy.

Yummy Mummy Style.

This week its all about "bows on your toes". I'm loving these gorgeous socks so much that i've re-ordered in the additional colourway. In fact, these are now the ONLY socks that Ocean wears, (im personally not a fan of pre-walking babies in shoes) and I think they are on the same prettiness scale as frilly bummed tights! (which incidentally are as pretty as pretty gets) They stay on reasonably well, as long as little feet aren't being thrashed about too much, and come in 0-12 month (baby) and 12-24 months (toddler) sizes. Just in case you dont fancy putting bows on your little boys toes (although they are sooooo cute that you very well may be tempted - just dont let Daddies see) there are some super stylish options for boys too, including cowboy boots!!

Yey for Trumpette socks!

Thankful Thursdays.

Today I am grateful for My little Ocean.


- love Mummy x

Lincoln, Austin & Princess Elle!

You've had a fabulously busy weekend with your little friends, and Mummy has had an equally fantastic time. You and I, did our longest car journey yet, Friday lunch time, and despite a precarious nappy change on the passenger seat, at the side of the road due to a inconveniently timed stinky poo, precisely 4 minutes into our 2 hour journey, you were a little angel and slept the entire journey, whilst Mummy sang along to the Adele, 21 album (thankfully my warbling does not disturb you).

We had a leisurely (this may be a slightly over indulgent description, but it was as relaxing as a lunch can get, with a 4 month, 10 month, 16 month and 3 year old) late lunch in the sun with Lincoln, Austin, Princess Elle and their Mummies. There were lots of giggles, Elle's "pop"s when describing the noise her buggy harness makes when fastening, Lincoln taking charge and telling Elle off for running about, a cute moment when Lincoln and Elle shared a pack of Jaffa cakes (until Elle dropped hers on the floor in the "dirts"), and a tearful few minutes when Lincoln got stung right on the tip of his thumb by a wasp he had been trying to make friends with, but mostly you just sat fascinated by your 3 little friends and how much they could do, that you desperately wanted to join them in - climbing, running, playing and generally causing playful mayhem!


- Posted whilst out & about