Happy 3rd Birthday Skye!

Today my baby girl turns 3.




The first day we met seems like a lifetime ago and only yesterday all at once. Nothing seems to mess with your sense of time more than having babies.




I was so relieved to make it through the first year I didn't feel sad to be losing "my baby". As her 2nd birthday neared I was taken aback by how quickly she had become a toddler and wondered if I was capable of handling all the joy and frustrations of that stage.




But despite weeks of planning and prepping for her party last weekend, realising that having a 3rd birthday party meant that Skye was actually going to be turning 3 hadn't quite hit home until just now.

Being up to your ass in printables and zucchini slice will do that to you.

More on that later in the week.

I know Skye isn't going to be dramatically different today than she was yesterday, the growing up itself is gradual, but somehow officially reaching that milestone makes things feel different.




I am noticing what a big girl she is becoming and it excites and scares me seeing her grow. She settled into sleeping in a big bed like it was the most natural thing on earth. One night she was sleeping in a cot, the next she was in a new house in a new bed without so much as a question mark.




I knew that independent streak would start to work in my favour eventually.

Then there is the talking.

So. Much. Talking.

How is it even possible that someone so small has that many things to say?!? It doesn't always make sense and there are days when I tell her to stop talking simply for the chance to hear myself think, but the headaches are far outweighed by the convenience of her being able to express her wants and needs clearly. Even when those wants or needs are in direct opposition to my own.

There are days when Skye's testing of the boundaries completely overwhelm me. Particularly now I am so exhausted and lacking in any kind patience. But the more I get to understand her will, the more equipped I feel to guide her choices.

Right now Skye's whole world revolves around pussycats, unicorns and My Little Pony's.

There is no such thing as too much pink.

Any attempt to dress her in another colour is met with the matter-of-fact statement "that's not very cute".




I am learning to pick my battles and clashing prints and Minnie Mouse ears just aint one of them.

From the first week of Skye's life she showed signs of her independent, strong willed personality. It continues to blow me away that someone so little can have such a big personality, almost like she still has to grow into it. But I hope that self confidence stays with her as she gets older and she continues to bless us with her cheeky, sunny, loving ways as the milestones keep flying by.

Happy Birthday my beautiful Skye, I am so thankful you chose me to be your mummy x

Preparing for Baby Number 2

It's amazing how much a little experience can change the way you approach things and never is that more true than when you are preparing for the arrival of a new baby. I don't believe that I went overboard when preparing for Skye's arrival, but I would absolutely say that my priorities this time around are very different indeed.

While I was pregnant with Skye, I spent an excessive amount of time scrolling through post after post on Apartment Therapy searching for ideas for the perfect nursery. Probably the only thing that really kept me from going all out (aside from the money factor) was the fact that we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. It meant that I had to restrain myself when looking at clothing, bedding, toys, wall decorations and all that other fun stuff that has nothing to do with actually having a baby, but was my biggest fixation the first time around.

Prior to Skye's birth I did not even own a single Wondersuit. 

They horrified me.  

I could not think of a more daggy, boring item to dress my gorgeous new baby in than a towelling all-in-one whose design had not changed since before I was born. Besides, Skye was a Summer baby, what the hell would I need a Wondersuit for?

The second day in hospital in arctic frost air conditioning quickly changed my mind and I discovered they had the added bonus of making a newborn far easier to hold, velcro like even. A safety feature that cannot be underestimated when you are a sleep deprived first time parent.

Seriously, Who Let That In The House?

It has been a journey of discovery packing up this house. The things you uncover from the depths of cupboards, things you don't recall ever acquiring and you sure as hell don't ever use. Worst of all, despite your total lack of interest or purpose for these items you are compelled to keep them on the off chance that someone will remember they gifted it to you all those years ago and be deeply offended that they found their way to the donation box, or better yet, the garbage truck. 

So instead I am going to out them on my blog and hope to hell they don't get the email update for today.

I have talked before about my issue with acquiring ugly things before, sadly that dinner set is still with us, waiting patiently in a storage container for the time when it can taunt me with it's useless obligation once again. Since then however, I have discovered even uglier and even less useful items skulking around in my cupboards.

Now I know the question on everyone's lips since I posted it on Instagram before the  move is "What the hell is that wooden phallus on a plaque about?!?!" In case you missed it, I would be referring to this...

Do you really want me to caption this?