2012

I was going to write a round up of my year, but when I sat down and thought about it, I realised I could sum it up very easily in just one simple sentence.

I had a baby and finally discovered what I want to be now that I'm grown up.

Those two things are pretty much the big defining moments I'll take from 2012. This year two things have also changed my outlook on life in a way I never saw coming. The first unsurprisingly was the birth of my daughter, the other very unfortunately, was the sad news we received a few months ago about a friend. I won't go in to it as it's not my story to tell, but it's stuck with me ever since and both these things have instilled in me an urgency to make sure I'm living my life right. To be a good role model for Pip, to make sure that I don't take my time on this earth for granted and to make sure that I don't waste what time I do have pursuing things that don't even make me happy.
That sounds like a load of self-indulgent waffle I admit, but I've thought about these things so much these past few months.
I've imagined it was my last hour on earth more times than I care to admit and about what I would regret the most. Almost always it's the time I've given to other people who were less than deserving of it or the opportunities I've let pass me by due to fear of failure, rejection or just simply looking stupid.
The start of a new year seems a good time to start putting an end to that.

And now, just for fun, and to raise the tone a little, here's a bit about the photos I used to make my awesome (and not at all rushed) 2012 collage. Have a great new year folks. xxx

January - The state of my garden after the chickens had run riot on it for the whole winter.
February - Heavily pregnant and in this photo, feeding an out-of-shot chicken some of my jam doughnut.
March - She arrived!
April - It's me 'Dressmaking and Fashion Design' diploma innit.
May - Took the cub to Wales to meet the fam.
June - Getting the hang of this mothering lark.
July - Started sewing a 'test' collection of dresses. This is when I had my "this is what I want to do!" moment.
August - One of the dresses.
September - Went on a camping trip with Dan and Pip. Survived.
October - Piplin growing bigger and ever cheekier by the day.
November - Out of the blue snow! I was so excited to show Pip her first snow. She couldn't have been less bothered.
December - Pip loves the swings THIS much.

Alessi - 9 months

I'm exhausted.

I was warned by a lot of people that when Pip became mobile she'd be off and I'd discover a new kind of tired. Some of those people even told me with a hint of glee in their voice and a gleam in their eye, so to you I say this.
Bastards.

I mean this isn't exactly new, she was doing this last month, it's just that now she's gotten stronger and faster. I literally can't keep up. She spends the majority of her day on her feet and it annoys her no end that she can't walk unaided. As for me, unaided walking can take it's sweet time. Just having Pip cruising bombing around all day long is causing no end of trouble. We've had to block the Christmas tree in to a corner using both sofas. Our attempts at baby proofing have been a flop. They're simply not Pip proof.

She understands no. Does she always listen to it though? Ironically, no.
Most of the time, if I say no,she listens, but other times she'll just go ahead and do it anyway. And if she's feeling really cheeky she'll even turn around to me, smile, wave and then go back to whatever she was doing. It's all I can do not to crack a smile and start laughing at her goofiness. How do you start with the discipline when they just make you crack up each time??

Waving is her new favourite thing and if she hears someone saying "bye bye" on the TV she'll turn and wave to them She gives Dan a wave goodbye each morning. She's also learnt to clap so whenever she's done something she's proud of she'll give herself a little congratulatory clap. Like yesterday, she caught her own lunch. She spied a woodlouse, popped it into her mouth and gave herself a clap. This is the first woodlouse she's actually eaten. The other two I managed to fish out. Like I said earlier though, I can't keep up any more!

This photo has nothing to do with waving or woodlice, but it's here because I love it. 

She's a rowdy little goof, shouting and squealing to herself or blowing raspberries constantly. Noise is now a constant in this house and I'm trying to take it all in as this is our last month together before I return to work. It'll only be two days a week and I think it'll be great for Pip. She's so active and sociable, I think having a couple of days away from me and Dan each week will really kick start her independence and help her personality flourish.

But until then, I'll spend my time trying desperately to take photos of the little pickle that aren't blurry!

November

Source

So November. What a write off you were.

I started off the month in a right funk. I had no energy, no motivation, nothing. I decided to try and do something about it by minimising my usual distractions and taking little steps to get my mojo back. I even posted about it here.
Things were going well. I was going easy on myself and slowly I could feel myself refocusing. Ideas started to form again without having to force them. So far, so good I thought.

And then we were struck down with this sodding cold virus that's been going around. All of us. Dan first, then Pip and now me. And whilst she had the start of the cold, she was also having a bout of teething, my poor little Buddha.

We're finally finishing up with that little phase of fun and what would you know, it's the end of November and I have achieved nothing. Well almost nothing. I did take part in an Instagram photo-a-day challenge, but that's it. How depressing.

Now there's nothing left to do other than shrug it off, grab December by it's baubles and show November how a month is really done.

Just as soon as I can peel myself off this sofa..

Alessi - 8 months

I'm fairly sure I only wrote her last update post yesterday, but the calendar assures me that Pip is now eight months old so here we go.

What can I say? In short she's crawling with confidence to the closest piece of furniture and pulling herself up. There she will stand until her legs get too tired, then she will sit down with a bump, have a little grizzle, play with something (most likely to be something she's not supposed to, phone, remote, laptop etc) and do it all over again.

If I'm sat on the sofa, she'll take a break from playing with her toys, crawl over, pull herself up and depending on her mood either rest her head in my lap (aww) or blow a raspberry on my knee (....aww). Unless of course, I'm on this thing in which case she will decide that she wants to play too.

This month also saw her get her first cold. Now I can put up with a lot of disgustingness from babies, but nose goo is not one of them. Unfortunately the dreaded snot sucker was needed daily and I heaved almost daily as a result. Our house reeks of Olbas Oil although I shouldn't complain, it's about the only thing that's enabled us all to get any sleep.
So that's a first that I didn't care too much for. Here's hoping it'll be sometime before we have any other illnesses to contend with. What with it being winter though, I fear I'm being overly optimistic.

She's such a goof and her personality is really shining through now. It's fun to see what kind of person she's becoming, the things she loves (her kazoo) and the things she doesn't (strawberry yogurt - strange child).

And here she is one last time. Pippy the Ham.

Champagne Thursday

Because Charlotte told me to.

Also as it's thanksgiving I thought it would be nice to reflect on some of the many things I'm grateful for at the moment. Big and small.

The Fam

Obviously. Whenever I think of what I'm thankful for, Hubbers and Pip are at the top of the list. Always.

Being warm and cosy

Right now I can hear the rain lashing down. While I was bathing Pip, Dan had to go into the attic to empty one of the many buckets we have to catch the drips. I can also hear the wind. If we don't get flushed out of our house tonight we might get blown away instead.

Tomorrow's weather forecast 

Apparently it's going to be nice enough tomorrow afternoon for me and Pip to get out of the house for a bit. A weatherman on the telly said that so it must be true.

Chinese takeout

Some crispy aromatic duck is winging it's way to me as we speak. Feck yeah!

My dressing gown

It used to be oh so fluffy and soft. Now it's looking a bit shabby and has a bum patch. But when Pip wakes up in the night it's bloody cold and it feels like wrapping myself up in a duvet so I'll take it. Bum patch and all.

Hot chocolate

Enough said.

Crap TV shows

Merlin. 2 Broke Girls. New Girl. The Big Bang Theory. How I Met Your Mother. Judge away if you wish, I love them all.

Plans and dreams

My buoy when I'm barely keeping afloat in a giant sea of daily routine.

Our health

We have colds. Nothing makes you appreciate a cold-less baby more than when you're staring at one who has just sneezed a snot bubble.

Friends

The ones who keep your feet on the ground, put a smile on your face and a drink in your hand are nothing short of priceless.

P.S. I know I didn't use Champagne..it's actually rose wine spritzer. But it was fizzy!

Why I blog

Anyone ever used Livejournal? I used it for years until I eventually grew tired of it. There it sat, all neglected in it's dusty corner of the internet and I completely forgot all about it until last week when a couple of emails landed in my inbox. One was from a spambot leaving a comment on a post I'd written years ago and the other was an update about my photo galleries. 

What followed was a nostalgia filled couple of hours going through old forgotten photos and reading the blog post about the 101 different things I wanted to achieve before I hit my next birthday. It was heart warming, tear inducing and toe curlingly cringe worthy all at the same time. 

I got to peer back into my past and remember what my life was like at that particular moment in time. 

And the funny thing is I kind of remember that time, but not like that. Over time my memory has faded and left holes which I've filled with things that didn't actually happen. That blog post and the photos showed me how it really was, how it really looked. Another post reminded me of another day that I thought I had actually remembered quite well. Over the years I've convinced myself that the day was tough going at the time, but wasn't such a big deal at the end of it all. Reading the words I wrote on that date however has made me realise exactly how bad it got, how it has stayed with me in subtle ways ever since and has actually had a hand in shaping who I am today. In a positive way as it turns out. It's both humbling and eye opening.

Not only does blogging provide me with a way to express myself, to share my thoughts and ideas with like minded people, but I also have a golden opportunity to save my life in a way that I can return to it whenever I want. I can remember exactly what I did in a certain year and how I felt. 

And the more I re-visit these posts, the more intact my memories shall remain. It will also serve as a regular reminder of how far I've come in life and how much I have to be thankful for.

And that ladies and gentlemen, is why I blog. 

Aristotle can suck it.

In that case, I'm a cleaner.

I must work on that.

Alessi - 7 months

Well she's found forward gear!

For the past month she's been shuffling around backwards. Grizzling with frustration at not being able to go the other way, or during the (many) times she found herself stuck under the sofa bed in the sewing room.

But now my little babba has done it and yes, I am knackered as a result, thank you.
Bless her though she gets so proud of herself. I'll get this look as if to say, "look mum! I just crawled over to the the nappy changing basket and pulled everything out while you were looking the other way. Am I smart or what?!"
Yes my darling girl, you're a genius. Now stop eating the wet wipes.

Other developments, my girl's got moves! She looks like she's playing with an invisible hula hoop. That or she's having some kind of seizure, but it's hellish cute either way.
She's also found her voice properly too. Gone are the days of the Mariah Carey squeal. That was so two months ago. She's finally playing with sounds like "la", "ma", "da" and an odd, but too cute clicking sound with her tongue. You know the noises. The usual baby babble noises that parents think are amazing, but other people, not so much.
She's also going to be a musical genius as she can play the kazoo. I know. I'm so proud. Unfortunately like the invisible hula hooping, there's no video evidence of this either, but take my word for it. She's a kazoo playing genius.

Elvis lives.

Trying to get my mojo back

Earlier this morning I had a light bulb moment whilst standing in my sewing room.

I was looking at my sewing machine and overlocker, all threaded up and ready to go. Next to them lay the fabric I'd cut to make a dress (for me this time!) all neatly folded up, also ready to go. It was all just sitting there, waiting for me to get on and create something. And I thought, "I wish I could spend more time in here".

No sooner had that thought crossed my mind, than another followed shouting at me "WHAT'S STOPPING YOU??"

And that was my light bulb moment.

What is stopping me?

There always seems to be something else that needs doing first. Bottles need to be made up, nappies changed, laundry put on/hung up/put away, the floor needs hoovering, it's my turn to wash up, the chicken coop needs cleaning, yadda, yadda, yadda. There's always something else.
But that something else never gets counted at the end of the day. It never matters. So if it doesn't matter, why am I putting it first? What am I afraid of? That I'll actually get something done that matters? I'll have something to show for my day other than a stack of clean dishes that will be dirty again in a few hours?

If I was reading this post in anyone else's blog I'd be thinking the same thing you are. Stop.
The cleaning, the tidying up..it'll still be there later. Do what you love and you'll be a better person for it.
But is it really that easy?

I stopped doing all the crappy housework stuff last week to get an order out and the result (the dress) was brilliant - if I do say so myself. I was very happy with it.
The house..not so much. I'm still trying to catch up with the laundry. And if you think it doesn't matter, you quickly change your mind when you realise you're down to your last pair of knickers.
Same with the washing up, you can ignore it until you realise there are no clean cups when you want a cup of tea or saucepans to make dinner with or plates to put the dinner on. House work day in, day out makes me want to munch my arm off, but it's necessary if I want to avoid the Mount Everest of dirty undies that's currently staring at me.

I just need to learn to organise my time better. I've made a start by taking a break from Twitter and as pathetic as it sounds, I already feel like I'm missing a limb. I keep picking up my phone before remembering that I've uninstalled the Twitter app. It's a small step, but appears to be working. Earlier when I found myself with a few minutes to spare, instead of picking up my phone, I picked up my knitting. Cool huh?


Oh shut up. It's a start.

I'm never drinking gin again.

Source

Today we arrived home from Wales where we've spent our first baby-free weekend. Now I must admit, while I couldn't wait to see two of my bestest buds get married, a large part of me was absolutely dreading leaving Pip for two whole days.
So would it make me the worst mother in the world to admit that I didn't miss her?

To clarify, I thought of her a lot. I checked up on her a lot. But I didn't actually miss her. Perhaps it was because I knew she was with someone that I could not only trust 100% but someone who would spoil her rotten with cuddles should she need them..and probably even if she didn't!
For some reason, knowing that she was going to get so much attention and love showered on her, made any anxiety I had disappear and I was able to enjoy my time away.

I'm going to be honest, I feel quite guilty for not missing her and a little voice in my head is telling me that I'm a bad mother for it.

All that said, it was lovely walking back in the house and seeing her smiling face and I'm sure she's got bigger over the past couple of days.

And if I am a bad mother then hey, don't worry. I am feeling pretty bloody awful so Karma wins.

If there are things I miss from my pre-motherhood days then hangovers are not one of them.

No comment!

Not too long ago I was reading a post by one of my favourite bloggers. It was something quite personal to her and it took guts to share. Unfortunately as is often the case, someone decided to leave a comment personally attacking her and chose to do so while hiding behind anonymity.

I find people who do this abhorrent. I can't respect someone who doesn't have the guts to stand by their words and take responsibility for them.

However, this isn't news. We've all seen this from time to time and if you have a blog of your own you may even have experienced it yourself.

But something about this particular post stuck with me and ever since then, I've found myself holding back with my own writing. This started as a personal blog, a place to record times in my life that I would otherwise forget and to write about things that interest me. 

I don't want to hold back if there's something I want to write about and I don't want to worry about boring or offending anyone.

This is the reason you won't find the 'comment here' link at the bottom of my posts anymore.

It's a small move, but one I'm hoping will enable me to start writing freely again.
I enjoy blogging and I don't want to risk that enjoyment being taken away by a negative experience. 

As The Nights Draw In..

Collect conkers

Visit Westonbirt Arboretum

Tidy garden ready for winter

Replace boiler

Winter clothes down from the attic and summer clothes returned to their dusty corner

Winter stuff in the car (de-icer, ice-scraper, blanket, torch etc)

Blankets down from the attic and washed

Block up the old air vent in Pip's nursery (left from when it was a bathroom)

Finish Pip's blanket

Prune indoor grapes vines and wisteria plants

Make Christmas cards

Make Christmas presents

Fix granny blanket

Make an autumn leaf garland

Wash and put up curtains in the conservatory again

Wash conservatory windows and sills

Fill in gaps to keep the damned slugs out!

Make a pumpkin pie (or three)

Buy a winter coat

Stock pile candles

Winter-proof the chicken coop

Tidy shed

Plant spring bulbs

Alessi - 6 months

She's laughing!

Well yeah, sort of. It turns out that, that old man style cough she's been doing sporadically over the past couple of months wasn't her gearing up for laughing, that was her actual laugh. Now she's doing it on a regular basis so I guess she's been there for some time. Clearly we just weren't very funny a few months ago. Now it seems, we're bloody hilarious.

This month has been utterly mental as far as changes are concerned. There's been so many I've struggled to keep up. She can now sit unsupported, roll over and stand (holding on to someone to balance her). She soaks up everything she can and she is so, so smiley.

Her favourite things are blowing raspberries, squealing and her glow worm toy

The weaning is going nicely. She's loved everything she's been given so far except peas and is now having a breakfast and dinner each day. Like most kids she hates the clean up and it's a bloody nightmare if she gets food in her hair so her hairband is more important that her bib during mealtimes.

Speaking of hair, it's growing quickly at the moment and finally losing that Ellie Goulding shaved look to the side of her head. The down side is that it's a complete nightmare to tame. I have to confess there are days that I don't bother.

Unfortunately that's all I've got time for (thank fook for that I hear you cry), as we're heading to Wales again tomorrow and I'm supposed to be packing. So while I go and do that, I'll leave you with this random video of the little guppy doing what she does best.

Wolf

When I hear a song I love I become obsessed with it and play it over and over and over. When I start getting bored of listening to it over and over and over, I'll then listen to the album. And if I love that too I'll start playing that over and over and over.

The downside of course is that I'll eventually grow tired of it and put it down as soon as the next ear crush comes along, but the upside is that further down the line, when I listen to the song/album again, it conjures up vivid memories of my life as it was when the music grabbed my attention. It's different from looking at a picture and remembering things, music can make you feel memories too, just like tastes can. They can momentarily transport you back to the past.

But I digress. This post was only meant for me to share my latest ear crush with you all so I'll shut up now and get on with it. For the next few weeks it's going to get played A LOT.

Wolf - First Aid Kit

It's not easy being green

I have a confession. I'm a bit of a tree hugger. Actually I'm a lapsed-but-now-re-embracing-my-inner-Eco-geek type of tree hugger. When I was about eight I used to take myself on what I called 'nature walks'. I would go out looking for things to add to my wildlife collection and if I saw an animal or bird, I would put a tick next to it in my wildlife book. I found it difficult to persuade anyone to go with me - I really can't think why.
When I grew up I wanted to be whatever it was you had to be in order to save the rainforests. I had no idea what that was, I just imagined myself living in a tree house surrounded by brightly coloured birds and monkeys.

At sixteen, I swore I would never drive a car, use disposable nappies if I had kids or use choose fashion over ethics. At thirty three I do or have done all of those things. I haven't saved the rainforests and the tree house has been replaced with a terraced house. Eight year old me would be crushed and sixteen year old me simply disgusted.

The truth is, it's bloody hard to be green these days. Properly green I mean.
A couple of years ago I was soaking up all the information I could find about self-sufficiency. Until it quickly dawned on me that it wasn't even remotely realistic unless;
a) we moved,
b) we paid off our mortgage and
c) we were both 100% in. Note the emphasis on the word "we".

The thing is, living in a terraced house leaves you rather limited regarding the space needed to grow your own food. Having a mortgage means being dependant on that office job and most importantly, if you're living with someone who thinks Ecover is a disease and would rather chew his arm off than use it well, you're stuffed basically.

But I want to have another stab at this green living marlarky. Not just because I'm a bit of a hippy and I really dig this shit man, but because I want to set a good example to Pip. And because even being self sufficientish and greenish is better than nothing.

And that's what I would tell sixteen year old me. As for eight year old me. I'd give her a hug and tell her not to give up on that tree house. There's still time.

Camping 2012!

Earlier this week, me Dan and the Pip-face jumped into an overly packed car and headed down to Dorset for a couple of nights of sleeping under the stars.

It was sunny. It was wet. We didn't always see the stars, but it was bloody awesome nonetheless.

I was worried that Pip wouldn't sleep well. Ha! She slept insanely well. We on the other hand, did not. Apart from worrying that she was too hot/too cold/not breathing, we also had some terrible weather during the nights we were there. Heavy rain and strong winds woke us time and time again, but not Pip. So of course we thought the worst and would check on her again, only to find that she was still sound asleep. I actually had visions of her screaming the place down and having to drive home at three in the morning so I can't tell you what a relief this was.

The trip itself was a blink-and-you'll-miss-us deal. We only had one full day there and it rained for most of that, but I genuinely didn't care as I was having more fun that I'd anticipated and was relieved that Pip wasn't at all phased by the whole thing. We spent our time castle viewing (from afar - we didn't want to spend £18!), eating fish and chips by the sea and playing in the tent.

The camping site including photo of the eco-loo which I actually loved!

And then all too soon it was time to pack up the car and come home again. And just when the weather had sorted itself out too!

The place we went to was called Riverside Lakes in Dorset and if anyone is looking for a family friendly camping site for next year's trip, I couldn't recommend them enough. They have a shower and toilet block (as well as the eco-loo!)and a kitchen area so even if you're more of a 'glamping' than camping type, you'll still love it here. The owners are beyond friendly and helpful, they go around at night to each pitch making sure that everyone is ok and to check if they need anything. Other than that they leave you to it although they are always there if you need anything. All they ask in return is that you are respectful to other campers and the site's neighbours which should be a given anyway. You can find out more on their website, http://www.riverside-lakes.co.uk. 

We've been three times now and I know we'll go again in the future. Who knows, maybe next time it'll be with the friends who first introduced us to this fantastic place. It was weird to be there without them!

Oh and just to quickly point out that I'm not getting anything in return for pimping out this camping site. I just like it lots and wanted to share. :)

The Small Things - Launch!

The Small Things Shop

Finally, they're ready!

I have finished the dresses that I have started referring to as my 'introduction collection' and have set them free in to my Etsy shop. Eeeeep!

I'm so excited as this is what I've been working towards for the past two months solid. I'm also nervous as heck because I'm not sure how well they will be received. They could sell well and get great feedback, or (and let's be brutally honest here), they could tank.

Oddly though the excitement and nervousness are completely intertwined. I'm excited not just because it could be a success, but also because it could completely bomb. Likewise I'm nervous not just because they could bomb, but because they could be a success. Seriously you don't want to know what it's like in my head!

Whichever way the dice lands, I'm proud of what I've achieved and I can hand on heart say that there isn't one dress there that I wouldn't happily wear myself. In fact if this doesn't go well, that's exactly what I'm planning to do!

I have only made these eight dresses for now. I have plans for more, but only if there's a market for them. So this is a test if you like, me dipping my toe into the water.

If you would like a closer look, pop over my Etsy shop by clicking on the link below. Why not tell me what you think?

The Small Things Shop

4 Simple Goals

So here we are, the end of summer. Ha! If you could call it that. It had it's moments admittedly, but they seemed few and far between. Today it was sunny, but there was a very noticeable chill in the air. It felt as though summer couldn't even be bothered to see it's last day through and had made way for autumn early. It was lovely.

It also reminded me that I'm overdue another simple goals post. I completed the last four a while ago, but I've been so busy with the dressmaking that there didn't seem any point in setting myself even more goals. I'm looking forward to completing these though.

-1-

Finish the dresses!

I'm very close to finishing now. Only one dress left to go and then I release them in to the wild of my poor, neglected and empty Etsy store. Eeep!

-2-

Go camping

We're going in just over a week and I CAN'T WAIT! I just hope the weather holds out.

Source

-3-

Make bread

I haven't done this in forever and I've recently got a hankering for hot bread rolls the way my dad used to make. I like the type of goals I can eat.

Source

-4-

Pick up Pip's baby blanket again. 

Remember this? It never got finished and I am determined to finish it before she leaves home.

Previous Goals

1. Take body measurements

Done and it wasn't as painful as I thought. Still can't fit into my pre-pregnancy skinny jeans though. Let's be honest, I may as well stick those babies on to eBay *sniff*.

2. Cut out dress patterns in different sizes

Done. It was boring.

3. Make test dress

It was only a basic t-shirt dress, but I made it in bright yellow fabric to add some sunshine to the grey summer days. It's now one of my favourites. 

4. Cut out pattern pieces for second dress

And again, done. This was a very dull set of goals.

Well would you look at that. I completed them all. Go me!

Alessi - 5 months

Another month, another post.

Still no laughter. If you pretend to bite her toes or tummy she'll break out in the biggest grin and come out with an old man cough, but that's it.

She's on the verge of getting mobile. She can't quite roll over yet, but she's working on it. I am both excited and dreading it.

She's also finding her voice. From Mariah Carey style squeals to blowing raspberries she's finally learning that grizzle noises aren't the only noise she can make. Thank god.

The teething continues to chug along quietly. We have constant, CONSTANT drool which gets everywhere. It's like living with a Saint Bernard.

This week we start weaning. I know it's early, but she's ready. We first tried her with a couple of samples that came through the post, baby porridge and fruit puree and yesterday I gave her some baby rice. She went nuts for all of them so today we start for real. Just as soon as I can be bothered to make some apple puree.

She no longer hates being left on her tummy now that she can lift her head up properly. You can see her trying to figure out how to move forward, but instead she just ends up spinning around in circles.

She pretty much lives in bodies and tights these days. With the unpredictable and often crappy weather we've had this past month, it's just easier and more practical.

And that hair..that crazy hair that I love so much is getting longer by the day. That's more hair to stick up at all angles. Hair that won't be tamed no matter what we try.

The answer?

Take her tights off her legs and stick them on her head. 

Thank you husband for that genius idea. 

I think that she's starting a new phase with her daytime naps too. For the last month or so she's been having regular naps that you could set your watch by. I was grateful for these as they were pretty much the only chance I got to sew. 

But for the past few days, she's been going longer between sleeps. I'm guessing this is perfectly normal, but if I'm honest, I'm a bit gutted. Those half an hour naps were my chance to reboot, recharge and just catch my breath. 

Ah well. I'm sure we'll both feel more settled once we get our heads around this new phase. It's the figuring them out that can be a little stressful. 

She's actually down right now and as it took an age to get her there I really ought to blast my to do list while I can. See you next month for another update, hopefully it will start with "she's laughing!".