Dear Sarah (A letter to my pregnant self)

Dear Sarah,

 So you're Pregnant? 
Congratulations!
There is nothing to be scared of.  I promise. The scary stuff kicks in after the baby arrives.
I'm only joking, but develop a thick skin and get used to these kind of comments- you'll be subjected to them all through your pregnancy, and after, and pretty much forevermore.. and usually, by strangers.
They don't need to know if your pregnancy was planned and if you are planning on breast feeding- tell them where to go or you'll have to endure countless tales of daughters, nieces and neighbours who caused their baby long lasting damage by over stretching or accidentally eating  a sandwich with brie in it.
Just let these throwaway comments go through one ear and out the other or your nerves will be wrecked for the next nine months, and trust me, nine months when you're pregnant might as well be eighteen- and on that note, keep yourself busy.
Stuart will encourage you to get behind a team during the World Cup 'It'll make the pregnancy go in quicker for you' he will say. Don't listen to him, it wont. 
People will also enjoy telling you the negatives about pregnancy, the heart burn, the insomnia, the errrr.. excess hair- but there are just as many absolutely amazing aspects too, like feeling your baby move, kick and hiccup.. the emotional bond you've developed with someone you've yet to meet. You will spend hours upon hours imagining and wondering what your baby could look like, what career she could have, and all the exciting memories you will share together in the future.
You'll will have never really thought into the future as much as you will now. In fact, some nights you will lay in bed riddled with anxiety at the thought of bringing your little girl into the big, bad world, it's something which will never leave you.
  
Try and embrace all the changes going on with your body. I know, I know... it's easier said than done, and pretty disheartening when you can fit into nothing but pjammas and Stuart's football attire- Sure, you are openly supporting Manchester United against your will, but one day you will miss that bump. The same bump that made it awkward to get out of bed, shave your legs (what a perfect excuse to stop...) and will make your sense of spacial awareness non existent- but I promise you this, you will miss it.
Just try and think of the bigger picture, nine months is nothing in the grand scheme of things, and you will one day look back and feel as though your pregnancy went by in a flash. Which is exactly why you should keep up to date with your Bump To Birthday book..especially now that you have the time to do it.
(there will still end up being gaps..)

Giving birth will be the most surreal and amazing experience.
 It will leave you feeling sore, bruised and a little broken, but you will feel so elated that you will finally meet your little girl . You'll soon be quick to realise that the postpartum bit is generally the part people don't share with you, but these rollercoaster emotions are normal. So normal. 
So don't go self diagnosing yourself too quickly, keep your mirror above your waist, give yourself time for you body to adjust,  rest up when you can and don't be afraid to ask for help. Everyone needs help now and again- and you know you'll always prefer your mum's ironing.
Invest in some comfy pjammas, witch hazel, some dry shampoo and enjoy hibernating with your new little family, even if you do resemble some kind of squatter.
Maybe add some concealer on to the list while you're at it.
But it's a small price to pay to have this beautiful little baby nestled in your arms.

You will hear it time and time again, until you're sick of hearing it, but honestly, soak in all these moments, they go so quickly.. even those night feeds that feel like hours, they too will soon will pass and will be missed. 
Every day she will do something different, capture these little moments, you will be amazed in months/years to come how much she has changed- so much so, you will doubt she is even the same baby.

There are going to be some hard times ahead, times when you will question your own sanity. There will be moments that you will not be able to look at Stuart in the eye out of pure hate, and he will 100% feel the same way about you, don't worry about that. You are both so new to this parenting malarkey, and it can be tough when you're just winging it, and both so stubborn. But you will get through it, and you will laugh about the hard times. You will pack up your belongings more than once and claim you are moving out, but a few Jack Daniel's will do that to a hormonal, sleep deprived woman.
So just go to bed and sleep it off.
Ain't nobody got time for a tearful drunk.
(Ok, so it may well be months down the line, but you will find the funny side.....) 


Because every day it gets easier, and more normal, and familiar. 
And  it's only when you stop for a minute to reflect and look at an old photograph, or find an old baby suit or sock you are reminded of just how quickly time passes by and deep down you know you'd happily live through it all again, the sleepless nights, the teething and tantrums if you were only given half the chance.... if it meant getting to keep your little Girl close by your side for as long as possible.

You can do this, you are so capable.

Parenting Guilt

Mummy guilt. or should I say, parent guilt.. (Dad's never seem to get a mention do they?)
Along with the perils of teething, over tired tantrums, and stretch marks in unmentionable places, Parent Guilt is just another one of those things you find out all about after having a baby (and maybe just as well ) 
Pre-baby I had very little to feel guilty about, and if I did, it was all trivial things like not swapping shifts with a co-worker, declining a night out or 'forgetting' to respond to a text.
Like I said, I had very little to feel guilty about. 

Since becoming a mum I feel guilty over everything. Every little thing. Everyday, all day long - Like an emotional hamster wheel of guilt.

I'll worry if i've spent enough quality time with my daughter that day, then  feel guilty that the house resembles a squatter's den because we spent the whole afternoon playing with every toy in the box. 
I'll then clean and  feel guilty that I want it to stay tidy and that i've hid the crayons, Peppa toys, slide and seesaw out of sight so that I don't have to put them away later.
I'll feel guilty that I put her down for her afternoon nap, and now the sun is shining and she's missing out on a beautiful day outside, yet deep down I know if I was to wake her i'd feel guilty that I disturbed her sleep and run the risk of her having a public emotional breakdown due to the sleep hanging out of her.
I worry that she watches too much tv, despite the fact she's quite capable without it and uses it as mostly background noise as she potters about the living room from toy to toy.
I feel guilty when she waves goodbye when she's comes along to drop me off to work, even though I decided to return to work to add to our income so we can live comfortably and treat her to nice things now and again.
I feel guilty that I enjoy time alone. I'm conscious that I don't make enough for my childless friends, that when I do i've missed out on big parts of their day to day lives because sometimes I can be so consumed in my own. 
I feel guilty that I make my own partner feel guilty when he says he's tired or has had a rough day. Because God forbid the man might feel tired after a 10 hour day!
For flipsake, I feel guilty that i'm even feeling guilty about every thing instead of just enjoying every minute I have as a parent.

Literally every little thing turns into a reason to feel guilty about.

 I read a comment on Facebook recently under a 'Unmumsy Mum' post, in which a woman said to remember this following statement in those guilt ridden or 'down day' moments 

'Everyone fed, no one dead' 

If we have achieved just that, surely we are all doing a wonderful job. 
It's time to not let the guilt consume us, but rather in a weird way, embrace it ( unfortunately it never leaves- or so I am told) because it reminds us that we care, we want the very best for our children, it would be more concerning if we didn't have these worries, if we had given up all hope and didn't strive for better. 
In years to come i'm almost certain (or I at least for my sake, hope) that my daughter doesn't remember that I didn't have her at every baby/toddler group going- because I shudder at the very thought of them, that chicken nuggets were a dinner time staple, or that it often took us until 12pm to leave the house.
But she'll remember the sunny days she spent in the park on the swings, nights she stayed up a little later because Grandparents were over, days at the beach and sunday morning in bed snuggled (or rather, wedged, feet in spine etc etc) between her Mummy and Daddy
Because at the end of the day, those are the things that she will remember and those  above everything are the things that really matter, aren't they?

The 'S' Word

If you have ever been a reader of  my blog, you will have been made very aware of our issues with sleep. Yep. I let everybody know. So much so, I was convinced for a while that the postman didn't even attempt knocking before posting the 'sorry we missed you' slip through the door, and sadly on my part, I really don't blame him.

It has taken me weeks to sit down and write this post for many different reasons. This has been the biggest challenge for me when it comes to motherhood. It left me feeling deflated for months, affected my relationship and to be perfectly honest let me feeling like a crap mum. How come everyone else's babies seemed to be sleeping? Where am I going so wrong? and when told by well-meaners that 'everybody goes through it' it left me reeling and defensive. If everybody went through it, I just couldn't fathom how people would go on to have more.
While that may sound a little harsh to some (and a bit sad really) sleep deprivation is no picnic. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. It is a constant hangover, mixed with fatigue and that surreal feeling that comes along with jet lag. When I managed to nod off, I would wake up minutes later thinking I had dropped Eva, despite the fact she was safe in her moses basket. It was terrifying and I honestly didn't know how we were meant to be caring for this beautiful baby when we were too tired to look after ourselves, there are only so many cups of coffee your body can consume in a day.
I'll just chuck in a little disclaimer at this stage and say that this blog isn't intended to be a negative one, i'm not looking for a pity party either, rather it is one for all those new mum's out there going through the same thing, and there are plenty. You are far from alone. 
It does get easier. And if it doesn't get easier, you certainly get used to it. In the meantime stock up on concealer and coffee to help you ride out the storm.

Eva is now thirteen months and it is only when  we look back we realise how far she has come in regards to her sleeping, I mean wow we are often treated to stretches of up to five hours . Yes so we are still co-sleeping- and enjoying it, most of the time- all apart from the erratic arm movements and toes in the spinal region) but we're definitely progressing.
It was only after her 12/13 month jabs which has sent her sleeping up the left again has it really reminded me of those challenging early days and with these feelings ripe in my mind I thought it was the perfect time to blog about our sleep journey.

We were never really off to a good start in the sleep department. From around 30 weeks I suffered from pretty bad pregnancy insomnia. Many nights I'd wake at 3am and take myself downstairs where I could still be found when Stuart was leaving for work. Luckily back then it was just a case of mauling my way through a box of cheerios and crawling back into bed, emerging only for lunch and (lets be honest), pee breaks. So as hard as the lack of sleep at night seemed, I managed by napping sporactically during the day. I was on easy street and didn't even know it.

Fast forward to the first few months of Eva's life when sleeping was non existent, it got to the point we were asking the doctor HOW was it possible that our daughter was surviving on so little sleep? it could not be healthy.
She didn't take to her moses basket (We tried three) Refused to sleep in her cot, hated her bouncer, we even tried parking her pram beside our bed if it meant we could have an hour of continuous sleep, but that too was short lived. 
We read every sleep related website, every message board and forum. People recommended sleep training books and we had family cutting out newspaper articles in the hope they would help. Our brains were so consumed with information on how to implement the best bedtime routine that we could have been sleep professionals, yet our own baby hadn't quite got the memo.

When reading articles by so called 'experts' or listening to  fellow mummies who had their bedtime routine down to a T I would find myself frustrated especially when they would offer their own pearls of wisdom. Don't get me wrong, i'm very open to suggestions- I don't exaggerate when I say we were  desperate and would try anything, but 
ohhh we have heard it all. Put her to bed earlier, keep her up later, try baby massage, a bath, bottle and book. porridge to keep her going longer through the night, lullabies, a night light, controlled crying, the shush pat method, lavender spray, sleeping bags, a rigid set routine, blackout blinds, drop a nap, add a nap, dream feed... Everything!

While we attempted a good few, with the exception of controlled crying (this mama is just not cut out for it) we  quite naturally fell into the good ol' controversial  Co-Sleeping. 
That's were they're going wrong'  people may say. and it very often comes out of the mouths of those with snoozy little sleepers that like to clock up to 12 hours of sleep a night (Yes! I said it) but anyone who has been through something similar will know that you do whatever you have to do to get some sleep, even if it is only a 30 minute powernap- For your health, for your sanity
While i'm not saying co-sleeping is 100% the route to go down, after all there are (like most things in life) risks involved but it certainly worked for us and we do most nights manage to get at least six hours of solid sleep, however it was very gradual and definitely didn't happen over night- try six months. I've found that co-sleeping is such a taboo subject, one that some mum's don't like to admit they do out of fear of being judged which is completely ridiculous and upsetting that they should feel judged over their choice of parenting. I know I can definitely relate. No first time mum wants to feel as though they are failing, that they are doing something wrong.
I've accepted that as long as you follow appropriate safety precautions and your baby is happy and healthy you are doing an amazing job. You know your  own baby best.
As confident as I sound in regards to co:sleeping, for us it was definitely  a case of desperate times call for desperate measures. There were nights the two of us would take turns pacing the hallway literally crying with exhaustion. Our own mum's at the other end of the phone offering to take Eva so we could pull ourselves together. So while we enjoy the closeness that comes along with co sleeping, if we are ever blessed with another baby we have both firmly agreed our bed is unfortunately off limits.

The next challenge for us is moving Eva into her toddler bed and oh what a challenge it will be but with those  5.5 size feet not getting any smaller and being wedged into my spine through the night i'm ready to accept that now is the right time. 
On another note I have the utmost respect for single mothers/fathers/those whose partners work away and don't have the option of a few hours kip  at the weekend while their partner holds the fort downstairs or even just the ability to jump in the shower for 10 minutes and zone out. But if I have learnt anything about parenthood it is that your body has this remarkable, mind boggling way of pushing you on through the exhaustion- after all there is no phoning in sick, no staying in bed all day to catch up on ZZzzz's. There are days you run on empty and somehow seem to pull yourself together and get somehow, get through it.

So there it is. I put my hands up and admit I have no advice. None whatsoever. No tips or tricks or even my own pearls of wisdom.I simply offer some glimmering hope that one day soon it all clicks into place with your little one and that googling 'how to get my baby to sleep' at an ungodly hour will soon be a thing of the past.

The hormonal, sleep deprived Sarah with the Uncle Fester eye bags would have cursed at anyone writing that, 'Cheers for the help'  and in a way I find it so entirely bizarre that I am and touch wood, it stays that way. But one thing I know for sure,  it  that it has all been worth it to have this little lady in our lives. Every last sleepless night.
x

50 Things I've Learnt During The First Year

 Some  observations, 'words of wisdom' and home truths from my first year of parenting!

1. -The human body is absolutely amazing. Yep, the very same body that couldn't  carry me around the field during cross country (circa '02)  managed to grow a little human. It was stretched to its maximum capacity over 9 months, endured excruciating pain and birthed a little human, and it still kinda blows my mind.
2. You know what else is amazing? Witch Hazel. Cooling, soothing witch hazel. If there ever should be a 'next time ' it's sure as hell the first thing being chucked in the hospital bag.
3.  Expectant parents are like putty in the hands of marketers. I too am guilty of stocking up on so many useless products that I was led to believe were 'essentials'
4. On the subject of stocking up, we are still scraping through tubs of never ending Sudocrem and bottles of baby shampoo... a year later. Oops.
5. You probably will have a big ol' cry at some stage in the first few weeks of parenthood. One you will be able to look back on and laugh at. Those pesky hormones, eh?!
   
   
6. ...And sadly, those hormones will never be the same again. Get used to weeping over everything.. cute animals, old people, Grand Designs...
7. Stretchmarks do fade. OK, so they don't completely vanish over night, but they do fade- You only have to look at your baby to know that they are very much worth it.
8. You will never have to set an alarm clock ever again.
9. 7.30am is considered 'sleeping in' My teenage self would shudder at the very thought.
10. I really thought baby clothes were extremely awkward to put on, until it came to dressing a walking toddler. This is the time of day I count as my daily exercise.
    
    
11. Had I known Gaviscon was available on prescription I wouldn't have have bled my bank account dry buying it in Boots.. at least my advantage card reaped the rewards! 
12. I never really appreciated sleep until becoming a mum, and if I could turn back time I would happily have clocked up more hours in bed and felt no guilt whatsoever.
13. Never under estimate the power of a baby wipe. Not only do they clean baby, they'll also be used to clean your sofa, your floor, yourself in between showers, and those baby food stains from your jeans. 
14. Every one loves a birth story. I have never shared so many intimate details with other women since becoming a mum. 'You leave your dignity at the door of the hospital' - Correct!
15. The Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine is a lifesaver and I would happily kiss the feet of the person that created it.
16. Google is both your best friend and worst enemy.
17. You will say it a thousand times over, but they really don't stay babies for long, and time is so fleeting that it's kinda terrifying.
18. There is no one i'd like to slap the face off more than the person parked in 'parent parking' minus a child.
19. Wise is the mum who doesn't brag about their baby's fantastic sleeping habits, for it's sure to change that  very night.
20. ...And watching  your baby sleep will never get old, a year on and i'm still besotted with my little snoozer. The sleepy stretches and rosy cheeks make my heart melt.
21. There is (sadly)  a lot of snobbery and competition amongst mummies regarding everything from choice of feeding, changing bag, clothes to pram. Which is ridiculous as we're all knee deep in dirty nappies and cleaning spaghetti bolognese off the floor. 
    
    
22. You become the most selfless version of yourself and will happily leave a shop with nothing other than items for your baby. You'll go without washing your hair, often skip a meal and change plans last minute to suit your baby's needs.
23. The smallest things will give you the biggest sense of joy like watching your little one's reaction to new toys/people/surroundings.
24. The injections will always be worse for you than your baby. Always.
25. If you've been blessed with a bad sleeper, it does  and will get better. I promise.. It may take 10 months, lots of tears and gallons of caffeine. But it will get better.
26. Listen to advice from friends, read the books, blogs and magazines but always go with your gut instinct.
27. You start doing the things you promised yourself you would never do and previously judged other mums for doing. 'No child of mine will ever have a dummy!' - She's had a dummy from day one. 'My child won't touch sweets until she's at least four' - There's milky buttons stashed in the cupboard, just three years early..
28. I used to think Sleeping when baby slept was the most ridiculous piece of advice ever offered, but now that I start  work in the evenings, it's my saving grace.
29. You start to think about the future more, and really want to strive for the very best for your family.
30. There is no better therapy than having a fellow mummy friend. You can rant about your lack of sleep, your partner's inability to multitask, laugh at your parenting mishaps and complain about your inability to lose baby weight while scoffing cake and tea.
31. There comes a point you stop apologising for clogging up your Facebook newsfeed with pictures of your little cherub, if people aren't happy to see them- why are they on your 'friends' list to begin with?!
32. ...And although friendship is a two way street, you naturally begin to weed out the people who haven't been there through the biggest change in your life. 
33. If you are anything like me your sense of fashion will have taken a back seat to comfort. Anything oversized, fluffy or arse covering, im buying it.
34. I still can't help but lick the spoon after a dose of calpol... strictly for nostalgia purposes.
35. Your little one will always gravitate towards the most insignificant things so do yourself a favour and go easy on your Visa card at Christmas.
36. You will quickly realise there are many different stages of tired.
37. Overtired, fighting sleep baby is the devil in disguise.
38. I've called my daughter so many pet names during the last year I doubt she knows which one is her actual name. 
39. Children's television programmes are most definitely thought up whilst on acid trips. I'm convinced of it.
40. Invest early in a good stain remover. If it's not sticky Calpol on bed sheets, it's those luminous orange pasta bibs. Our washing machine is on constantly and there will always be something steeping in the sink.
41. Hearing your baby laugh is undoubtedly the best sound in the world, there is no greater sound.
42. Watching my daughter grow and learn new things by the week really has made the sleepless nights, fatigue and chaotic house all worth it. (No, really!)
43. I love a good pregnancy announcement and find myself getting emotional despite not even knowing the person. Damnit, Facebook.
44. Mummy Guilt. Ugh, mummy guilt. Well that's a whole Blog post on it's own.
45. Baby dancing is both the cutest and most hilarious thing to witness. 
    
    
    
    
46. Returning to work after Maternity leave is never as a bad as you think, in fact it's probably worse for your co-workers who will be subjected to daily baby stories/ thousands of pictures.
47. You  suddenly appreciate your own parent/s so much more.
48. Write things down. It's amazing how fast babies change and develop. You'll want to remember their first tooth cutting, first solid food, first steps.. and if you didn't manage to note it down, your social media time lines may help with that!.  I can almost hear my Grandparents  tut at the very thought.
49. Enjoy the good days, don't be too hard on yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for help. We're all making it up as we go along, aren't we?
50. Pour a drink, exhale a sigh of relief, you have made it through the first year!

The Party

I love a good browse on Pinterest. Whether it be for recipes, beauty tips or even quotes i'm always left feeling inspired, which is why it was my first port of call when planning Eva's first Birthday party. Although many of the party ideas are a little too 'far fetched' for my liking (Think glitter toffee apples.. watermelon carved as tortoise.. what the...) there were plenty of ideas that caught my my eye and I was keen to try out.

We decided to go for a Pink and Gold theme to keep it simple and easy to buy for- there is no shortage of pink party decorations in the shops or online! We picked up the majority of the party tableware from Home Bargains which was absolutely amazing for quirky little bits like the stripey straws, polka dot cupcake stand, sparkly wands and 'honeycomb' style paper garlands. It really surprised me how inexpensive these were in comparison to many online party supply shops. It is without a doubt worth having a browse around- Keeping in mind it is one of those shops you nip in to get one thing and come out with everything you don't need! It is amazing.
We didn't set a budget per say, but were keen to keep costs down, the most expensive decoration being the £7.99 pastel pink and Gold  'Happy Birthday' banner from Ginger Ray which I intend to use year after year. Stuart joked that Eva will be sick of the sight of it by her 21st and so be it!, it's beautiful! - well as beautiful as birthday banners come.

I really wanted to add some personal touches around the house and to the table so I ordered Polaroid-style prints of Eva from the very beginning until now. I placed them on to a pin board with mini wooden pegs (which cost next to nothing on Amazon) across a line of string found in the cupboard!. It cost very little and made a really nice touch- Another Pinterest idea! A quick Google search and you'll find lots of sites that will print your photos in an authentic Polaroid style. Years ago I owned a Polaroid camera but buying the film proved extremely costly so I loved the fact  that I can use a service like this for a one off now and again. If you are wondering, I used photobox!.

A few months after Eva was born I ordered this custom made letter frame from a lady I had came across on Instagram who specializes in little crafty pieces- I love stumbling across these kinds of independent sellers on Instagram- they're usually the best finds! I was able to choose the fabric and design and with help from the seller and we came up with this. It's one of my favourite things in Eva's bedroom and thought it would look perfect on the table keeping with the pink theme. I also used a shabby chic inspired photo frame (a Poundland bargain!) and inserted one of the 3d prints we received at our gender scan.

The majority of the party snacks on the table ran with the pink girly theme! Stuart and I definitely have a sweet tooth and had no problem filling our trolley with the tastiest treats Tesco had to offer. So much so, we completely over bought and spent the weekend in a sugar induced coma. In fact it was the first time in our (almost) four years together that we have declined cake. I suppose there's a first time for everything!

We decided to keep the hot food simple. We served up finger food like the obligatory cocktail sausages, mini pizzas, sausage rolls, spring rolls, chicken goujons, tikka bites as well as savoury snacks like crisps and dip!Stuarts mum made trays of sandwiches and my mum made a pavalova for dessert. We stocked the fridge with beer for the boys, Prosecco for the ladies and fruit shoots for the kids.

I ordered a Wilton nozzle to do the icing on our cupcakes and was extremely impressed with the results, It was completely foolproof  and a bargain at the price of £2.32 with free delivery!

Wilton Icing Nozzle If you're anything like me and struggle with decorating your cupcakes you need this in your life.. and there's always sprinkles to cover up botched attempts!

As the ages of the  kids coming to the party ranged from 10 months-15 years we decided sweet cones would be the best route to go down when it came to party favours. That and the fact that as first time parents we were absolutely clueless to say the least when it came down to the contents of Party bags these days- Safe to say we have a lot to learn. Times like these I am starkly reminded that we are such newbies in the parenting world ( Like our first proper family outing were we came home with wet jeans and spent the guts of £15 on two cups of coffee and shop bought sandwiches - We definitely missed the 'Essential Parenting items' memo which specified that we needed a rug, a thermos and a cooler box for such outings...)

 I purchased the sweets in bulk on Amazon (just as easily picked up in pound shops) as well as the cellophane bags, and spent a Saturday afternoon making them up and trying to refrain from eating any- this was surely the hardest part of the entire process.  Ah well! The kids seemed happy enough with their sweet cones and the littlest member of the family went home with some new stacking cups, Peppa Pig buttons and a bag of biscotti biscuits!

Months before Eva's party we had thought about getting a local baker to bake the cake. The only issue being it was £40. Yes £40. Now I am definitely one for supporting local businesses and I understand how much time, not to mention the costs and effort that goes in to baking and decorating a cake, but in the end we just couldn't justify spending that much on a cake. In fact £40 could have just about covered our food shop for the party! We browsed Marks & Spencers, Tescos and Sainsburys and we both agreed on this white chocolate cake. (We probably would have opted for a Peppa Pig cake but Nana and Grandpa had already purchased one for her party on the Friday night) It was beautiful, tasted delicious and I didn't feel the need to force feed everyone to make sure I got my moneys worth! It reminded me of a girl who I once worked with who got a cake specially made with a photo of her daughter's favourite boyband printed on it. Her story always had me in hysterics as she recalled crying when the cake was cut! The poor girl barely got near her cake as her mum stuck it in the freezer to preserve it for as long as possible! 

We were a little paranoid that the older kids would find the afternoon slightly boring- At the beginning we had thoughts of hiring out a room in a leisure/play centre but  we felt Eva would have been limitted to what she could do and we wanted it to be as enjoyable as possible for her. Luckily we have a park across the road which they ran back and forward to. To be honest there really was no chance to be bored once all the cousins were reunited together, kids really can find fun anywhere.

It felt lovely to have a full house with everyone enjoying each others company, eating, drinking and having a laugh. In the end i'm so glad we decided to have it in the house- not to mention the fact the leftover prosecco made the cleaning up after no hassle at all!

Most of all the Birthday Girl went to bed a very happy little lady (Who wouldn't be if they had a brand new slide in their living room!)

So that pretty much concludes the first of  many Birthday related blog posts! If you would like to know where anything is from, please feel free to ask!