How is my baby girl 4 already…

On 21st February 2017, my gorgeous little girl turned four. For any parent out there, with kids of any age, you will fully understand how fast that time passes you by. It is a strange feeling, celebrating a child’s birthday, especially when they are this young and little still.Above: The arrival. Feels like yesterday

In one sense, it is of course a celebration of life and how far they’ve come and grown as a little person in their own right. It’s a time to be surrounded by your loved ones, spending quality time together, enjoying those moments and simple pleasures that are allowed on that special day, such as being spoilt with presents and eating copious amounts of cake. (We had food coloured, very bright, very 4 year old friendly, TROLL cake, for the record ;-).) Above: Emis Troll cake

Those moments are all worth it and we had a great day. We had two celebrations for various family members, one being a very lady like tea party for the girls and the other being a trip to the farm with her dad, aunty and uncle, followed by visitors with goodies in hand for her for the remainder of the day. It was a special day all round and I feel blessed that everyone loves her as much as I do. Birthdays are great for reaffirming that you are in fact loved.

Above: Birthday fun!

In another sense, however, I felt some sadness on that day, even more so now it’s passed. Just that sort of sadness, that we all as parents feel, when the child, no longer your baby, gets another year older, leaving behind another year of precious memories and milestones that will never happen again for them. Its gone. Its achieved. Shes onto the next adventure already. The first birthday is always an emotional ride but nobody tells you how much harder it gets to watch them grow up with each passing year. Especially when you just have the one child and are throughly enjoying these younger years with them, it hits it home that whilst loving the child you have, you might never get to experience these milestones again with another, something I very much wanted. As a single parent who has to focus all their energies on their child rather than dating or going out etc that can be a tough reality to face. I know other single moms in the same position as me, in their thirties, feeling the same way that I do. It’s a scary time not knowing if you will get to fulfill something you know will bring such happiness. But I can only focus on her today. She does bring me a whole wealth of happiness which I never take for granted. And in turn I know she’s happy with me. We love each other and its pure and real. That feels amazing.

Above: My focus. My happy girl.

Of course, it was her first birthday without Nan too, who passed away last July and who I always think of but who is especially on the mind on special occasions such as this. I remember her being a little uneasy after I had Emi in 2013, wincing at the idea of being a great Nan as it made her feel old, but within her own time, she came into her own and with the love she had for Emi, grew to adore it. She beamed with pride when she was around my little girl. That made me extremely proud. I think about their funny little relationship often and how they used to take pleasure in winding each other up (ages 3 and 79) then taking great pleasure in laughing together and sharing some biscuits after their fun and games. I think for the first birthday without her, we did great together. 

Above: 4 generations. Nan, me, baby Emi and Mom.

The stages of a childs growth and progression seem to whizz by without ever standing still.  That is why I try my hardest to make the most of it and not miss anything. Teething, eating, crawling, walking, running, talking, starting nursery. Shes done all that. Shes a pro. She will be starting school this September and I have to admit that’s not a milestone I have been looking forward to. It will be such a huge change to our life, which is currently me and her together most days, that I know it will take some time for me to get used to it. I know she will love it though.  I sometimes sit with her at home, wrapped up in a cosy blanket together, watching her funny baby videos to remind me of things she used to do. She finds herself hilarious too which is so funny to see. Its amazing what you forget or need reminding of. Life is of course about the present and living in it, which we have no choice but to do to get through each day, so the way she used to say “kilky” for milky, for instance, isn’t in the forefront of my mind most days. However, to have those precious memories captured on film, to look at whenever I want, is priceless to me.

It also reminds me how much life has changed for me and Emi. I was in my family of 4, with a partner and step son, both in my life for nearly 8 years. Now we don’t have those 2 in our lives on a daily basis and especially with Emis big brother it could be months before we get a catch up these days with him, as our lives move forward, so I am so glad that I have some wonderful memories to look back upon on paper to remind me, after the hard times faced recently, that they really were very happy times for us all. It also helps me to take nothing in life for granted. Not that I ever did then. Family to me is everything. I loved it all.

Above: Happy days

I try to be in the moment with her as much as possible but to be able to capture a moment of pure joy is bliss and a memory I enjoy being able to look at when I need a pick me up or just happen to be having a trip down memory lane. Sadly, there was never really anyone around who would take pictures of me with Emi without me having to ask. Then, when you have to ask, the moments gone and its posed and no longer natural. All those beautiful, unguarded moments, such as feeding in the first days or playing together. I’m sure I would have looked a mess and probably (definitely) would have scrutinized myself in the pictures which is probably why nobody bothered to take them, but having the choice of pressing delete would have been nice. Any pictures I have are ones I’ve had to take myself, selfie style, with her sitting on my lap. I took countless, gorgeous photos of her with her dad, her brother, her family. Sometimes moms are so overlooked and then there are no precious moments to look back on in years to come. My photo albums at home are full of pictures of Emi with everyone but the person that’s in her life 24/7. Her mom. I wont forget personally of course but a reminder of happiness is sometimes so needed. I would urge anyone who sees a lovely moment to try to capture it for moms with children as they are too often the ones behind the camera being forgotten about. 

Above: Selfie queens

I have a lot to be thankful for in terms of my daughter. Shes a little firecracker. Shes determined, she’s strong, she’s healthy, she’s a madam at times but she’s so full of fun and life that she keeps me going even when I don’t feel like it. Theres not a day that isn’t filled with some sort of laughter or fun when she’s around. Shes my absolute priority and its a pleasure to spend my days with her. I look forward to spending time with her and making it about me and her, no distractions. Kids only want your time and with a kid like this why on earth would I want to be anywhere else, especially at this stage where she’s happy, interested and soaking everything new up like a sponge!

Above: Enjoying life’s little things!

Through the personal pain I sometimes feel, I am equally excited about her growing up and the adventures we will have together. She is so lively and athletic, her stamina knocks me out at times. She is hilariously funny and loves an audience. We do simple things together like going to the park or baking. Life really is about enjoying the little things and spending a day planting up seeds for the garden may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but its interactive, its great  for bonding and it gives us enjoyable things to look forward to later in the year when our plants are springing into life. Having kids doesn’t have to be about chucking expensive toys at them as so many people these days do in place of attention. I’m sure in years to come, when she looks back at our life together, she will appreciate the time I gave her, remembering those memories more than anything I could buy her.

Above: At my side through it all 😉

So now she’s 4, it’s the start of another year of milestones for my little daredevil. Who knows what this next year will have in store for her. In the last few months alone she has learned how to master the pedals on her bike, she has become a keen dancer and she is interested in taking up ballet. Her personality is in full bloom and more than anything I am excited to see how much she will blossom this year into the person I am already seeing developing before me each day. It’s safe to say I am one very lucky mamma to have such an inspiring little girl in my life. Heres to being 4 and loving it ;-). She will always be my baby though, no matter how big she gets 😉 x