No longer a baby...

Our little girl turned 1 last week. It is a major milestone in any child and any parents life. She is our baby and we don't think there will be any more so we are moving into a new phase in our life as a family. We no longer have a baby in the house. We have two toddlers...

As a newborn you were really good. You fed and slept well. You loved cuddles as all babies do. You felt like an easier baby than H. For two reasons, I wasn't a first time Mother and you didn't suffer from reflux and colic like H did.

H improved at the 10 week mark and if anything you got trickier at that time. You decided you didn't want to feed as well, and you weren't sleeping as well as you were snacking instead of taking a full feed. This was a result of me basically drowning you due to a fast let down. You poor little thing... milk would actually come out of your nose when feeding... even when I was feeding lying down to slow it down.

We got there in the end and you actually slept through the night at 5 months... this was earlier than H but you haven't slept through as consistently as him. H slept through at 6 months and has been brilliant ever since (touch wood)... you are both terrific sleepers. Your teeth give you grief from time to time but you are a happy child most of the despite the pain and discomfort.

Life is amazing with you and your brother. You were sitting at 6 months. You crawled at 8 months and you took your first independent step at 12 months and 2 days exactly...

You are a great eater... you love food as your gorgeous cheeks indicate. You were a very animated baby and are a very animated little girl. We know what you're thinking as like your Mum... you wear your emotions on your face.

You are extremely determined and already throw a good tantrum. You blossomed at the 10 month mark and there is no stopping you. You adore your big brother. The way you look at him, cuddle him and think he is hilarious makes me melt...

He adores you too. He can be a bit of a rough older brother at times but I have no doubt you will hold your own and then some. You are already not backwards in coming forwards when you aren't happy with him for taking a toy or other thing away. I try not to intervene too often and let you work it out as much as you can.

When he is unhappy you get sad too and go over to him and cuddle him. You are very caring and loving.

H is very caring and protective of you too. Since day one he has referred to you as Sissy. He introduces you to everyone as Sissy... 'this is my Sissy' When I pick him up from a day at kindy the first thing he asks for is you if you're not with me. He makes a big deal of telling and showing everyone his Mummy and Sissy are there.

He looks out for you and tells me if you have something in your mouth or are doing something he knows you shouldn't be doing. He is my eyes in the back of my head. He will always be your protector and your loving older Brother.

You have a cheeky side and love to laugh and have fun. You are extremely affectionate which is absolutely heart melting. I got very lucky with two affectionate children and I relish every hug and kiss and cuddle time together.

You are a very wanted, welcome and loved member of the family and we feel so blessed to be your parents.

We love you baby girl... Happy Birthday.

Jx

All images are Copyright of Jessica Flett

Time flying by...

Tiny Toes Copyright Jessica Flett

Sorry I have been so absent in recent times... we have a new addition to the family. I know this is not news to many of you. We had a little girl in June and she is wonderful. It's hard to believe she is already 6 months old!

I was really sick throughout my pregnancy with her and since her arrival I have been up to my arm pits in all things children... nappies, feeding, sharing my time, setting routines and generally trying to get out of the house.

To be honest I found it a little easier when she was a newborn as far as getting out and about. Now she is on much more of a set rhythm and getting established on solids your windows of time to get out and about a few...especially with a Toddler in tow. It's takes sooooo much longer with two!! Those of you with more....I salut you!! Like anything that is new I know we will adapt and evolve over time and current frustrations will give way to new frustrations.

I am loving getting to know a new little person and having a little lady. Our little man has welcomed his Sister with open arms and I count my lucky stars. I am not so naive to think it will always be this smooth sailing but I'm just so thrilled we're off to a promising start. She absolutely adores him and he was the first one to make her giggle which just made me burst into a thousand pieces.

As I hopefully claw back some more time in my day going forward I hope to be able to get on here and post more frequently.

I hope you're all enjoying the beginning of the festive season and I hope you have wonderful Christmas's planned. I know I'm looking forward to our first Christmas as a family of four.

Jx

Family Holiday...Destination Fiji...

Bula!

Last month we were lucky enough to have a week in Fiji for our first family holiday. It was my first time to Fiji and it did not disappoint...from the moment we landed until the moment we left it was excellent!

The Fijian people were so hospitable and in our experience couldn't do enough for you. We had heard all of this from friends and family and we found out very quickly just how lovely they are.

H was a big hit and it wasn't long before he developed an attachment for two lovely ladies. He would look for them every morning and flirt with them to get their attention...

With or without children it's a wonderful holiday destination. We can't wait to hopefully go back one day.

Here are some photos from the trip...

All photos copyright Jessica Flett

Some of the real highlights of the trip were...

Seeing H enjoy exploring, he had only been walking for two week when we went away so he was loving his new found independence.

Being serenaded by the lovely island band... they went around to each table and sang a song just to them...when they got to us they sang... 'Burning ring of fire' by Mr Johnny Cash (a highly interesting coincidence in light of how many curries had been on offer over the last 2 days!!!)

This was not a highlight but was definitely memorable. The most embarrassing moment was after H's dinner one night...for his dinner we would head down to the main bar and have a drink whilst feeding him dinner. The gorgeous staff would be setting up for dinner and would come over and say hi and have a chat. This one evening the gorgeous Va took H for a walk to say Hi to the guys in the kitchen and when he came back he was wrapped in a towel...unbeknown to us he had gone to the bathroom and had leaked all over the lovely Va. We were mortified and she was sooo good about it... Ah the joys of parenthood!!

Vanaka to everyone at Vomo Island Resort, especially Va, Mere, Maria, Maci, Henry, Vuli, Sarah, Shane, Maddi and Noah for making our stay so special. We hope to see you again.

I would love to hear about your first family holiday...where was it, did you enjoy it and would you go back there?

Jx