Even though Maddie doesn't officially turn one until October 31st, she had a lovely joint birthday party with six of her little mates in Queens Park today. Her sweet little friend Scarlett (and her lovely mum Rachel) put on a fab first birthday celebration for all the little tackers who met in the baby massage class at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. There were toys and cakes and more pots of petits filous than you could poke a stick at! It was absolute mayhem... with the mothers filling ourselves with champagne, the fathers talking about sport and the babies causing complete chaos.
The mums are a really fantastic group of ladies and I am so thrilled that we have all made it through the first year together. As we sipped our glasses of bubbly, we reflected on what an amazing year it had been and how lucky we all were to have such supportive partners and such gorgeous babies.
Our friends Richard and Jane welcomed a beautiful son into the world last week - Master Wilson Charles Fearn. They are doing amazingly well and we are absolutely thrilled for them. Seeing Jane holding little Wilson reminded me of how fragile I felt in the first few weeks of Maddie's life. I remember walking out of the hospital and feeling so incredibly overwhelmed by the responsibility that lay ahead. I had so much anxiety about everything from breast feeding to making sure that Maddie's room was exactly the right temperature. Then, when Maddie was about six weeks old, I suddenly stopped worrying and started enjoying my new role as a mum. In some ways I wish I could have those first 6 weeks back again so that I could treasure every moment rather than feeling so inadequate... but I guess every first time mum feels the same way.
Simon and I are so grateful to have little Maddie Moo in our lives. I remember my friend Sammy Blagg telling me that every morning felt like Christmas morning after she had given birth to her first baby girl Indiana... that she woke up with an excited feeling every morning because she knew she was going to see Indy's beautiful smiling face. I now know exactly what she meant.
Almost one year old... where did the time go.
