Leaving you for the first time 13th August 2016

I had been dreading this weekend for a while, it sounds silly really as I'm sure there will be a time where I won't think twice about it. On Saturday myself and James was invited to a wedding and due to numbers Hollie wasn't invited and that's fine but that meant it would be the first time leaving Hollie with someone that wasn't myself or James for the day. 

Hollie was going to spend the day with my cousin Suzi (Hollie's Aunty Suzi) so I knew she was going to be fine and have a lovely time, I just couldn't get rid of this anxious feeling I think with leaving Hollie and going to a wedding while trying to deal with my social anxiety just put me more on edge. 

The day arrived and Hollie went off with no worries it may have helped that Suzi got Hollie some milky buttons for when they set off, I think I could have done with some too! I felt myself welling up but then remembered that we had ten minutes before we had to go and James wasn't ready so I got my bossy head on and ordered James to sort himself out and that helped with distraction. 

They were times in the day where I would wonder how she was as we didn't have any signal at the venue so wasn't getting messages until a bit later. 

It was a lovely day watching our friends get married with other friends there too. 

We left just after 7pm to go and pick Hollie up from Suzi's I had also started to get a Migraine so was in need of some strong tablets! 

We arrived at Suzi's and Hollie was full of beans and had a lovely day, she had even made herself at home and wanted to show us around Suzi's House. 

Suzi had taken her to The living rainforest, for a walk around her village and they played in the garden. Hollie ate really well and had been bathed and in her Pjs when we arrived. 

Seeing how happy Hollie was has reassured me so much and has made me realised I don't need to worry in future for if we want to leave her with someone for a few hours or the day. 

Massive catch up!

Well tomorrow Hollie you turn 19 months old and I haven't updated this blog since January where I did a catch up post about you turning one! I don't even have any excuses for not writing. I'm going to try and do a quick catch up now and will make sure I start documenting more again. 

Hollie you are well and truly a toddler, always on the go and losing interest in any kind of activity unless it involves you being outdoors at the park. You love being on swings and I'm pretty sure you would stay on them all day, it's a good job we have one in the garden. That all being said you do like to play with your puzzles that you seemed to mastered that pretty quickly also doing a bit of colouring, even if doing a little bit of colour on each page of your colouring book. 

Let's get onto your obsession with Ducks, you have so many plastic toy ducks that you do love to play with. Recently you have been lining them up on the stairs with a red duck always having to be on the top step on its own. We take you along to see the ducks at South Hill park quite a bit and feed them. 

Notice the Duck top too? You get so excited when I put this top on you! 

You now have 14 teeth, the latest 2 teeth appearing in the last couple of weeks, both your right top & bottom canine teeth. 

They have caused you a little trouble the normal dribbling, hands in your mouth, chewing, but you have also not been eating as much or not wanting your food and that's not like you, you love food and normally want to eat constantly. 

Going onto food you are normally a great eater but as of late and I'd say before the teeth coming through you have started to go off your veg and other foods, well actually I shouldn't say go off you pick and choose if you want to eat certain foods so we need to learn and discover new foods again. You love dippy (tomato ketchup) I made the mistake of giving it to you one too many times now you love it and pretty much would like it on every evening meal. The mess you make is quite something, I remove any top you maybe wearing in fear of it being smothered. 

Sleep- Sleep has always been hit and miss you have gone through times where you have slept through the night, other times you have kept us up for many of hours in the early hours every night. We stopped giving you a 10/11pm bottle around 14/15 months. You started to sleep much better after a Holiday we took in France, we came back and you would be in bed for 7 and you would settle by 8ish after reading a book or babbling away. I would change your nappy when I went to bed I would offer you a bit of water and you would sleep anywhere between 5 & 8 the earlier you woke we would give you a bottle and you would settle back off and this is the same routine now sometimes if you are having a bad night you might get in our bed and pretty much take all my space so I'm on the edge but I don't mind because secretly I love having you in our bed. 

You say a few words mama, dada, narna, up, go go go, aww, dizzy dizzy, hi, hiya. You makes sounds that I've learnt to know what you want, you very much express what you want or how you feel by you facial expressions and you love to shake your head to say no. You also have  lovely temper tantrums when you get frustrated or are told NO a word you hate hearing. 

It's so hard to know what to write down right now as its been so long and you have developed so so much! 

You very much understand a lot of what we say or ask. You know where a lot of your body parts are and have done for a few months and happily point these out either on yourself or us. 

If I was to sum you up I would have to say you are a crazy, smiley & sensitive little pickle. 

Loves: Water, as in you like to pour water on the floor outside and splash in it before sitting down in it.

Ducks, outdoors, watering the plants, Peppa pig, twirly woos, bubbles, books, puzzles, emptying the draw of your plates/bowls, food, agoo, cars, YouTube kids and colouring. 

I think I will leave it here for now but will make sure I come back and update about your Holiday to France where you loved going into the sea and saw lots of animals at the Zoo. 

Keep smiling pickle xx 

 

I'm editing this in bed I feel I haven't even touched upon all the cuddles and kisses you now give. Sometimes while I'm standing doing the washing up you come along and just hug my legs and say Aww, I love this. We also have plenty of cuddles on the sofa as you have now reached a point where you are happy to watch a programme and sit still. If you give me or daddy a kiss you make sure you give the other one too. 

You also love to brush your teeth something that seems to now be a fun thing for you to do and your happy for us to take over after you have done a little. 

You wave night night to baby Hollie (a photo of you as a baby on the wall). 

Oh thinking about your little wave it's so cute. 

You love when Daddy comes home from work you always wait by the front door and when he comes in you do a little dance, the daddy dance. 

Bath times went a bit funny with you massively disliking having your hair washed and hating going in the bath, I think we have now turned a corner and made it fun and enjoyable, you have even started to wash yourself! 

You also have a habit of throwing yourself into the floor when you get excited put in the garden or in the lounge I always fear you will hurt yourself but you just get up and laugh. 

Oh Hollie I really regret not keeping this up and not documenting all the little bits. I'm so sorry. Xx 

Hollie's 1st Birthday.

Happy 1st Birthday Squishy bump! 

We decided to have a little birthday party of family the day before your actual birthday. Nanny & Grandad, Grandma & Grandad, uncle Jono and T, your cousin Ellie Mae and Suzi came along. 

Mummy & Daddy had made your cake the night before really testing up with our decorating skills. I had an image in my head and it had to be the same so we tried our very best! 

As you can see we went for a gold, pink, chevron and stars. I hoped you like it! 

Unfortunately you were quite poorly again with your cold and was very very overwhelmed with everyone there that you went to bed just 30 mins after everyone arrived. You slept for a little while and everyone started on the buffet food. Once you woke up you also had a little bit of food before we sang Happy Birthday to you. 

We saved all your presents for the next day. 

We started to prepare for your birthday the night before setting up your main present and putting up banners. 

You were feeling a little bit better in the morning, so we came downstairs and opened up your presents you loved your teepee and kept sitting inside. 

Once we were all washed and dressed we decided to go for a little walk and bite to eat at Dinton Parstures. 

Once we returned home you became quite unwell and was sick a few times your cold really took it out of you and you fell asleep on me. So you had a bit of a rough day but it was a lovely before hand. 

I still can't quite believe your 1 already, I remember holding you in my arms for the first time. The year has certainly gone by fast. Love you Hollie xxx 

December 15/ First Christmas

This is a long over due post, I keep meaning to keep this up to date but I keep failing! 

At the start of December you had your 9-12 month check up and they were very pleased with your development! 

You started to get a cold and cough and it made you feel so groggy and tired it was so horrible seeing you feeling so sorry for yourself, you started perking up for Christmas yay! 

On Christmas Eve we did done last minute Christmas shopping you helped daddy while mummy went off to get a few things. We popped into Ed's dinner and the waitress all feel in love with you and they all adored your outfit. 

The rest of the day flew by, but before going to bed you put out your carrot and mince pie out for Santa. 

Christmas Day! 

We woke up and it was just mummy, daddy & you and we opened our stockings in mummy & daddys bedroom and it was lovely.

We went downstairs and you had your Christmas Day breakfast while we waited for your Granny, Grandad, uncle Jono and T to come over to start opening all the presents you had. 

You enjoyed opening your presents and seeing what everybody else got and even helping others open theirs. You were really starting to get tired and grouchy so we decided to put you up to bed where you slept for nearly 2 hours! I think it may have been very overwhelming for you. 

You woke up just in time for your first Christmas dinner that you are all up including the sprouts! 

The rest of the day was spent opening many more of your presents before heading to bed at 7pm. 

Boxing Day!

Today we spent the day with Nanny & Grandad. They came with lots of presents for you, you got stuck into opening them all. 

You loved your little picnic basket! 

We had Gammon for lunch and you even had another Christmas hat on..

We'll sort of! 

You had your afternoon nap then opened the rest of your Christmas presents from mummy & daddy. 

It was a lovely first Christmas for you xx 

Walking Hollie

Hollie is now toddling around the room non stop and so confident. It still surprises me to see her just get up and walk, she looks so cute and grown up. 

It's funny that we encourage her to do these milestones but actually don't want her to grow up so quick, seeing her reach different milestones remind me that we are leaving the baby stage. Hollie's first birthday is creeping up so quick, less than 2 months away with her first Christmas in between too so my emotions are so high as my baby isn't a baby anymore :'( 

First Fireworks!

Tonight you went along to your first ever firework display, it was a long wait and you fell asleep. Once the fireworks started you really enjoyed them, watching all the pretty colours and listening to the bangs. 

Xx 

Autumn Fun

We took a walk at Virginiawater on the 18th October and took some beautiful photos. We walked for a very long time to find the right leaves but eventually came across them and it was perfect! At first you cried when I put you down in the leaves but you were soon giggling away and enjoying it.