During pregnancy and the early days of your new baby there is a lot of talk about milestones.

You get your red book, you buy the milestone cards and you patiently wait to document them all! Did you know there are actually other milestones? Mummy Milestones!

THE FIRST MENTION OF “MOVING HIM INTO HIS OWN ROOM”

I can’t say “the first night in his own room” yet as I can count on one hand the number of nights Rory has spent in his own room! However, when talk started of him sleeping in his own cot started I was really uncomfortable with it. Rory has slept in our bed for over a year and it’s only now that I am starting to feel it’s time to break the habit but truth be told I would desperately miss the closeness.

LEAVING THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME.

We first left Rory when he was about 4 weeks old to go and buy our Christmas tree. He was at my mum’s, just around the corner from the garden centre, and we probably didn’t leave him for much longer than an hour.

I hated every single second.

The poor woman was sent a barrage of texts asking if he was okay/surviving without me. I hated that without him I didn’t look like a mum. I didn’t have my usual baby paraphernalia with me and I felt like my proudest title had been stripped from me which is crazy I know! We’ll blame that one on hormones shall we?

WHEN THEY MOVE FROM BASSINET TO SEAT ON THEIR PUSHCHAIR.

Oh, my giddy aunt, I was not okay with this! Rory started really moaning when he was in his basinett but at nearly three months I didn’t feel he was ready for the big boy seat. It was my mum that convinced me to make the change and he was much happier but I couldn’t deal with seeing him sat there like some grown-up baby.

WHEN THEY CAN HOLD THEIR OWN BOTTLE.

“Errrrm why do you not need me anymore Rory?!” – cue more irrational mum thoughts! Obviously, he still needs me, who would make the bottle in the first place?

I was lucky that Rory has been able to hold his bottle since he was six months old but has been pretty lazy and got me to do it for him. Recently, however, he just wants to do it all by himself.

PUTTING AWAY CLOTHES THAT DON’T FIT ANYMORE.

This has got a lot easier since falling pregnant again as I have been keeping things and knowing they will soon have a use. For the first six months though I dreaded the “clothes changeover”. Dread having to face up to the fact that it was all incredibly fleeting.

THE FIRST TIME THEY REACH UP TO YOU.

Be still my beating heart, the first time this happened I almost exploded. It’s even better when I get a “mumumum” whilst he’s doing it.

WHEN THEY EAT SOMETHING LIKE A TODDLER.

I will never forget the first time Rory ate a whole pear. He was about 10 months old, I used to cut them up for him but on this day he stole mine. It was just the way he was sat there with a pear. He looked so grown up it hurt me!

He ate the whole bloody thing. Even the core!

I also feel this way when he eats a packet of something, he sits with the packet in between his legs and eats it like an actual child. Um, no, you’re supposed to be my baby!

WHEN THEY START TO “PLAY”

Rory has been obsessed with toys since he was about six months old and it always made me emotional. Don’t ask why. We took him to soft play last week (he’s now 14 months old) and I couldn’t cope. He climbs, plays, bounces etc. Where has my baby gone?! I find it crazy how quickly they come on leaps and bounds. We went a month ago and he wasn’t that interested then all of a sudden he is into everything!

WHEN THEY STOP CRYING AT THE CHILDMINDERS.

Rich actually took this harder than I did! We used to do the morning drop off and he’d be clinging at our legs and crying as we left. Just before Christmas, he all of a sudden would walk off and even wave goodbye. It’s really bittersweet because obviously I would much rather Rory is happy at nursery but you can’t help but feel a little sad.