This time a year ago Dave and I were marvelling in awe and with a healthy dose of trepidation of this wonderful person we had given life to. I don't remember exact conversations (I was probably incoherent after being awake for in excess of forty-eight hours anyway) but I remember vividly the feelings. Overwhelming joy, excitement, fear all mixed into one. And then he left to go home and it was just Ada and I overnight at hospital.
Fastfoward 12 months and you think 'where has all the time gone?', 'Where has my baby gone'? Time has disappeared, relegated to the recesses of our memory. Our baby has been replaced by a bigger, more sure and aware version of herself. I don't get upset about her being older (a little reflective about it, but not upset). In fact I'm really excited to see unfold the person she is fast becoming.
We had her first birthday on the Saturday before her birthday. I had been preparing for a good month before - making bunting, presents for the party favours, and just running through my head the million of things I still had to do. Saturday morning came, I had finished the bunting, the cross-stitches, the animal badges all in the nick of time. But I still had cakes to ice, sandwiches to make, and a hall to set up. Luckily our friend Lisa came early to help me this, whilst Dave stayed home with Ada, who had a morning nap, and would bring her up early.
To say that it was stressful was an understatement. My dad, who was over for ten days had to make a couple of trips back to pick up things, Lisa went out to get more supplies and Dave came up with glasses that we hired and a baby (toddler?) who had become increasingly clingy to him the last couple of weeks. Tensions were high (and maybe some heated phone conversations were had).
But then Dave and Ada arrived, the room was set up and people slowly started to trickle in. There wasn't loads of them - my NCT group, Dave's brother, his wife and their son, a couple of friends with kids and a few non-kid friends to - about twenty adults and ten kids all up. Once they all got there I started to relax (it might have also had something to do with the wine that I started drinking as well...)
The other great thing that had been happening is that we had gone to four birthday parties the preceding weekends, and each one Ada was getting better and better about going and playing with other babies and not being super clingy to Dave all the time (although there was moments when she was). I was worried that at her party it would just be Dave and I walking around, holding her, but she was happy to play with her toys and her friends while we weren't around.
And as soon as it began, it was all over and we packed up and came back home. We had a quiet evening, and all went to bed early.
The Sunday, Ada's actual birthday we were up early to skype everyone in Australia. We had booked a lunch with Dave, my Dad, Ada and I at the Bolingbroke at twelve pm (a very baby friendly time. Oh how times have changed) but my dad had a stomach ache and couldn't make it so it was just the three of us. We took a leisurely stroll down there, in the hope that she would fall asleep, but she didn't. But it didn't matter - she was really great through all of lunch. We all had a really great time - with a massive thanks to Jessi and Aaron who work there and did so much for us. It was probably the best Sunday lunch I've ever had.
By the time we left, two hours later, we put Ada in the buggy and she pretty much fell asleep straight away, and we took a leisurely stroll back home.
The weekend started on a really stressful note, but ended on a more slow, relaxed pace. It has been such an amazing year, and I'm so excited to see what the next year brings (no more birthday parties though).
Photos after the jump...
Fastfoward 12 months and you think 'where has all the time gone?', 'Where has my baby gone'? Time has disappeared, relegated to the recesses of our memory. Our baby has been replaced by a bigger, more sure and aware version of herself. I don't get upset about her being older (a little reflective about it, but not upset). In fact I'm really excited to see unfold the person she is fast becoming.
We had her first birthday on the Saturday before her birthday. I had been preparing for a good month before - making bunting, presents for the party favours, and just running through my head the million of things I still had to do. Saturday morning came, I had finished the bunting, the cross-stitches, the animal badges all in the nick of time. But I still had cakes to ice, sandwiches to make, and a hall to set up. Luckily our friend Lisa came early to help me this, whilst Dave stayed home with Ada, who had a morning nap, and would bring her up early.
To say that it was stressful was an understatement. My dad, who was over for ten days had to make a couple of trips back to pick up things, Lisa went out to get more supplies and Dave came up with glasses that we hired and a baby (toddler?) who had become increasingly clingy to him the last couple of weeks. Tensions were high (and maybe some heated phone conversations were had).
But then Dave and Ada arrived, the room was set up and people slowly started to trickle in. There wasn't loads of them - my NCT group, Dave's brother, his wife and their son, a couple of friends with kids and a few non-kid friends to - about twenty adults and ten kids all up. Once they all got there I started to relax (it might have also had something to do with the wine that I started drinking as well...)
The other great thing that had been happening is that we had gone to four birthday parties the preceding weekends, and each one Ada was getting better and better about going and playing with other babies and not being super clingy to Dave all the time (although there was moments when she was). I was worried that at her party it would just be Dave and I walking around, holding her, but she was happy to play with her toys and her friends while we weren't around.
And as soon as it began, it was all over and we packed up and came back home. We had a quiet evening, and all went to bed early.
The Sunday, Ada's actual birthday we were up early to skype everyone in Australia. We had booked a lunch with Dave, my Dad, Ada and I at the Bolingbroke at twelve pm (a very baby friendly time. Oh how times have changed) but my dad had a stomach ache and couldn't make it so it was just the three of us. We took a leisurely stroll down there, in the hope that she would fall asleep, but she didn't. But it didn't matter - she was really great through all of lunch. We all had a really great time - with a massive thanks to Jessi and Aaron who work there and did so much for us. It was probably the best Sunday lunch I've ever had.
By the time we left, two hours later, we put Ada in the buggy and she pretty much fell asleep straight away, and we took a leisurely stroll back home.
The weekend started on a really stressful note, but ended on a more slow, relaxed pace. It has been such an amazing year, and I'm so excited to see what the next year brings (no more birthday parties though).
Photos after the jump...
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