Darling girl,
I cannot believe I’m writing this already, in the blink of an eye I’ve gone from holding you in my arms for the first time, to singing Happy Birthday. The girl with the big eyes and the wild hair is now one!
When you were born the world was a very strange place, but you very slowly met all of your family who showered you with love, at a time when we all needed a little ray of sunshine, there you were.
I would be lying if I said that your first year has been a breeze. I’ve struggled more than I ever thought I would. Some say the transition from 0-1 baby is the hardest, but going from 1 child to 2 was without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done. Some days I would sit and wonder how on earth I was going to cope with a newborn and a 4-year-old, how I was going to juggle your naps around school pickups, how was I going to cook dinner when you needed feeding at the same time, how was it all going to work?
Then, when you were around 8 weeks old, the world shut down again, and then I was faced with having to home-school your brother when we should have been going to baby groups, socialising with new mums and their babies and enjoying cuddles on the sofa. I’m still so angry that this precious one-on-one time was taken away from us, it was a scary time when you were safely tucked up in my tummy, but I had no idea about the isolation we were going to face when you arrived.
As the world started returning to normal, we finally got to go to baby groups, we finally got to go out with other mummies and their babies, we finally got our time. It was short but sweet, and when you were nine-months-old you started nursery, I was devastated that our time together had ended so soon, but seeing how much you enjoy nursery makes it all the more bearable. At the end of the day you greet me with the biggest smile, and I’m told all about what you’ve been up to with your new friends and that you’re one of the loudest babies, that’s no surprise!
There’s not a day that goes by that you don’t put a smile on my face. You’ve got a wild streak and I can already tell you’re going to be a force to be reckoned with. We were a little naive in thinking that you would be as chilled out as your brother, you really do live up to the saying that no two babies are the same! Not sleeping for the first five months of your life, throwing every piece of food that’s given to you on the floor, screaming until you get what you’re trying to reach; but baby girl all of that is shaping you in to the most independent little madam, you’ll run the world one day, I’m sure of it!
You’re not walking yet but you’re standing at every given opportunity, giving us the biggest smile with your four little teeth, it won’t be long before your running after your brother, causing havoc. Speaking of Jack, you are utterly besotted with him, you light up when he walks in to your bedroom each morning, often climbing in to the cot with you armed with all of your teddies! You’re the little sister he constantly asked for and I know he loves you so very much, but he probably wishes you didn’t pull his hair so much when he tries to give you a hug!
Thank you, my beautiful girl, for completing our little family. I will be forever grateful to you and the happiness you have brought in to our lives.
Happy 1st birthday, our wild one, I love you so much, always and forever.
Mummy