The First Year Flies By!

As corny and cliche as it sounds, the first year really DOES fly by.

You know to expect it, but you don’t realise it’s happened until WHAM.

You no longer have a baby. You have a toddler.

You no longer have a tiny little bean who relies on you for every single little thing; you have a mini person who is running around like a lunatic, who can entertain themselves with toys, who can communicate their needs to you explicitly, who can even feed themselves! Crazy.

Today, my son is one year old – I feel utterly mindblown at how fast it has gone.

My first ever cuddle with my son Max!

Our snoozy snuggles, from dawn to dusk, have become a thing of the past. He still loves a cuddle, but nowadays he has ulterior motives (my glasses and my hair)!

Being able to quickly nip for a wee whilst baby babbles away on their playmat, immobile and unable to get up to mischief, becomes a thing of distant and fond memories… in the blink of an eye, you now have to plan an itinerary just to go for a piss.

Your baby becomes self-aware in what feels like milliseconds, and develops their own little attitude and character in the same minuscule space of time, leaving you gaping in awe and shock.

You won’t know what’s hit you, to be frank, but it is AMAZING.

Max enjoyed his first ever softplay experience at his 1st birthday party!

When they’re newborn, you don’t feel ‘ready’ for them to grow up. It’s daunting, and you need time to prepare, but the fact is, you don’t get the time to! You’re too busy caring for a tiny baby who needs you for everything, and then BOOM. Level up. You’ve reached toddlerhood. Ding ding ding.

Max as a newborn with his daddy – so teeny!

Three Important Tips…

Capture every single goal and milestone – write it in a memory book, take photos, do what you can to preserve these precious memories.
Cherish them. Even the gross stuff, like that one time where your child pooped on the floor, or that time when your baby sneezed and farted at the same time.
Don’t be sad. Celebrate the fact that you’ve raised and nutured an entire new entity successfully – the first year is meant to be the toughest, and you have SMASHED IT!

I cannot believe that I am now the mama to a one year old little boy; it feels like only yesterday that he was a cooing, tiny little baby curled up in my arms. I can’t wait to see him carry on growing and learning! It is the most rewarding and magical experience ever.