Wow. I am seriously bad at keeping this thing up to date. Can I use the excuse that we have had a busy summer and I have been spending my time watching in amazement as my little girl grows rapidly before my eyes! There have been so many changes, firsts and a huge amount of fun, as well as a few moments of ‘pull my hair out’, ‘what the hell happened to my Angel’, ‘I’m going to scream’ moments!
Now the summer is long gone (well-it is in my eyes, I wish this weather would start to flipping realise it), I can sit back and think of the changes that have really stood out for me.
The Wedding was simply amazing, Lylah was incredible all day, and really made us realise how grown up she has become. She walked down the aisle (for a little bit, then took my hand) and sat through the ceremony, she sat at the table and ate her lunch, she napped in the pushchair, and entertained everyone with her dancing!
The holiday that followed was incredible (bar the sick incident), and it was these two momentous occasions in Lylah’s short life so far that have made me realise that I need to give her a lot more credit than I sometimes do. As mums, we worry and worry about every minute little detail, and often find things like going out in the evening with our babies, or taking them out of their usual ‘comfort zone’ a real obstacle. When actually it isn’t, or at least it shouldn’t be.
Now, I don’t agree with the statement that your child should fit in with your existing, pre-child life, because quite simply they can’t. I learnt to accept that very quickly. For example, I’m not sure how comfortable Lylah would be with dancing on the tables in the local nightclub of a Saturday night. However, if you are relaxed with your child, I do strongly believe that you can take them anywhere you want, whenever you want, without very little hassle.
I might just be lucky with Lylah, and naive to think that all children can be like this, but I was worried about taking her abroad, and I really didn’t need to be.
Firstly – what do you take? Admittedly, this is a lot easier when they are a little older, as you don’t have to worry about sterilising etc etc. A quick google search told me what full fat milk was in Portugese, and I made that one of my first things to purchase when we arrived. Everything else was there. I didn’t need to bring food, or drinks, or milk, or even nappies (although I did), as you can buy everything you need. Admittedly this depends on your destination.
Amazingly, I managed to pack for 5 days, for Chris, myself and our toddler, in only 2 hand luggage cases. Along with the car seat and push chair this was enough to manage, but it is unbelievable how much c**p you end up taking if you have the space.
As for the holiday itself, Lylah was in her element. She ate great meals, both in the hotel and out in restaurants, and loved the daytime activities of swimming, swimming and more swimming.
The first evening worried me, as we didn’t go up to our room to change until nearly 6pm (at home Lylah is fed and bathed by then normally and gearing up for milk). By the time we were showered and changed, we didn’t sit down in the restaurant until around 8pm. Instead of looking sleepy and feeling grumpy, Lylah got stuck into the food (starving by this point) and then spent the first evening dancing around until she finally collapsed asleep around 11:30pm. It was brilliant. And that was her every night, enjoying herself until she dropped.
When we got home, we went back to our normal bedtime routine (which changes daily to be honest anyway), and she got straight back to it.
The next big change came a few days later, when Lylah decided that she had had enough of her cot. During the night, we heard her crying, and left her for a while to see if she’d settle. 5 minutes later, the crying was louder, and outside our bedroom door! She had climbed out of the cot and come into us! Shocked, I let her get in our bed and when she was finally back to sleep, I popped her back into her cot, panicking about what to do for the best. I popped to the bathroom, during which time, Lylah (who was ‘asleep’) decided to kamikaze out of the cot once again, this time jumping, and landing face first on the floor. Thankfully, she wasn’t hurt, but I wasn’t taking the risk again. The next day, the cot turned into a big bed, and a trip to Mothercare for new ‘big girl’ jammies and a pillow meant that Lylah was excited about this new adventure. She was perfect for a couple of nights, and then a nightmare for a week or so, but 2 months on, when I stand outside her bedroom door and listen to her chattering to herself for 20 minutes before she goes off to sleep, my heart could burst with pride.
Along with these exciting moments, we’ve had plenty of the new, moodier version of Lylah, the one who has no patience, gets frustrated at everything, and can throw herself against a wall in a fit of rage. This is not my favourite version of my child, but her tantrums have had Chris and I in fits of laughter. Not that it’s funny, I know, but when you’re trying to ignore your tantrumming child, as well as not look at them, and you can see the calculated thought behind every tantrummy moment, laughter is the only thing that helps! Thankfully, these have calmed down a bit, and Lylah turns into a very apologetic cuddly wee soul once she realises that the growly throat scream is not working. She has even learnt how to say “sorry mummy’, although the “sorry” part does tend to get a little lost under a mutter. Bless her 🙂
She changes everyday, in her words, her actions, her personality. She is turning into such a funny little character and I get on with her like she’s my best friend. She helps me bake cakes, and sweeps my floors (she has some fun too I promise), and is in love with Peppa Pig to the point that I might cry, but the main thing, through every change, she is getting stronger and more confident and turning into a wonderful little person.
Along with every big developmental change, there will of course be challenges, but give those little geniuses some credit, they will get there, adapt and do it when they want/can. I’ve every faith in my child, and therefore I’ve learnt to relax, and I think with that, she thrives.
Embrace the changes, and most of all, enjoy them!
jugglehood 