Tomorrow You Are Eight

It is the eve of your eighth birthday, although it feels like you are already eight, we have been talking about this for so long.  This year it is all about football and Arsenal in particular and I think you are going to love your Saka shirt in the morning.  You have been looking forward to this birthday and counting down for months and I hope it is as special as you are.

 

It feels like you have really grown up a lot as a seven year old.  Whilst impulse control is never going to be your strong point, you have definitely matured in your emotions and communication and you are lucky to have such wonderful and supportive friends.  You have started junior school and absolutely love it. After a tricky end to Infants, I think the new challenges of a new school are exactly what you needed and I hope you continue to thrive there as an eight year old.

You seem to have moved away from the rainbows but definitely still like being bright, although anything with a gaming slogan or football gear is now what you pick from your wardrobe.  You still love a disco jacket though which makes me happy.

You are intelligent, capable, determined and so completely yourself.  You are vibrant, so incredibly loud and you are loving.  You frustrate me, push all my limits and bring me such intense pride and I can't imagine life without you.  

We have a climbing party with your friends tomorrow and then a family party which means lots of cake and lots of excitement and you can't wait!

Happy Birthday baby boy, Happy Birthday Finn.  You are loved more than I ever knew you could be

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Tomorrow You are Seven

You started counting down to this birthday as soon as Christmas was out the way, asking Alexa each morning how many days until February 25th.  I hope that tomorrow is everything you hope for.  It is your first birthday spent at school, something you are really happy about, and we have a friend coming back for a sleepover after wards so excitement levels are through the roof.

Six has been a long year - it feels like a lifetime ago that we were celebrating the end of you being five, just the six of us in our house as we were in full lockdown.  This year your world has opened back up and we are free to see friends and family.  As a six year old you welcomed your new baby brother with love and affection and became the 'middlest of the middles', with two younger and two older siblings.  

When I look back at what I wrote last year, so much of it I just want to repeat because you are that same boy, just taller, smarter and louder.  You are so intelligent, so capable and so desperate to learn, but only on your terms.  You still love music and feel it in your whole body, and you are currently planning for a career as a ninja.  You are determined, focused and I have no doubt you will get where you want to be, one way or another.  You are head strong, stubborn and know what you want.  You aren't always (ever) easy to parent, you push me to my limits, but loving you is so rewarding and I am forever grateful to be your Mummy.

Every year on this day I like to look back at pictures of how small and poorly you were, to think over what the doctors told us as we sat in special care and to remember the journey we have been on together.

Finn, you are a force of nature.  You are vibrant, confident, overflowing with personality and the world needs to be ready for you.  You frustrate me regularly but you make me proud just as often.  I hope you never stop being so unreservedly yourself.  You have come so far, you have proved everyone wrong and I will take a moment tomorrow to really remember what an amazing little person you are.

Happy Birthday baby boy, Happy Birthday Finn.  You are loved more than I ever knew you could be

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Tomorrow You Are Six

The countdown began the day I told you that you were officially five and a half and you can't wait to be six.  You have had a huge growth spurt this year and I often forget that you aren't already.  For a boy who was diagnosed with failure to thrive, who didn't outgrow his newborn clothes for months and who was such a little baby, you are turning into a tall boy (122cm last time I measured you) and I think you are going to be more like your biggest brother with this.

Your year of being five has been characterised heavily by a global pandemic which has forced you to spend a lot more time in the house than is natural for you.  Mostly, you have taken it in your stride but I have seen recently just how fed up of it all you are, and I can't wait to send you back to school so you can have the social interaction you so desperately need. This year I have had so much bonus time with you and whilst you can be incredibly hard work to parent, you are also so full of love and affection, you make me laugh every day and I am so thankful that I get to be your Mummy.

Five was the year you really learned to read and every time we share a book I see how fast this skill is coming on.  Whilst you are reluctant to engage in the home learning that your school provides, I know how capable you are and I have no doubt that you are learning all the time and your love of learning will continue with the right environment.  

You know what you want and you won't accept anything else, you are head strong, stubborn, determined and focused.  You are going to go far . . . if you want to.  You eat only the foods you want and there is no persuading you otherwise, you learn only when you want to and you understand the power of an impromptu nap to get you out of things.  You love to dance and your moves involve every part of your body.  You love listening to music and I see how you feel it all.  You would spend all day either gaming or watching other people gaming on youtube and you struggled to think of what you wanted for your birthday other than 'two cakes'. With it still being lockdown, I am much more willing to go along with this.

You are so excited to have your birthday, even though it will be nothing like what we are used to.  I want it to be special for you, I want you to smile and laugh and feel birthday joy all day and my dream is that when you (finally) fall asleep tomorrow night, probably snuggled up in my arms, that you go to sleep content and happy.

Finn, you are a force of nature.  You are vibrant, confident, overflowing with personality and the world needs to be ready for you.  You frustrate me regularly but you make me proud just as often.  I hope you never stop being so unreservedly yourself.  You have come so far, you have proved everyone wrong and I will take a moment tomorrow to really remember what an amazing little person you are.

Happy Birthday baby boy, Happy Birthday Finn.  You are loved more than I ever knew you could be

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Red Letter Days // Glamping with Finn

Red Letter Days provided me with a voucher to cover our glamping experience

After so long under one roof, I have been keen to find ways to spend quality time with each child individually before school restarts and thanks to Red Letter Days, Finn and I escaped for an overnight glamping experience close to home.

I have been trying to spend special time with each child but it isn't always easy.  I managed to get away camping for a couple of nights with the bigger two, but Finn missed out and I wanted to do something special with him.  Red Letter Days offered me a voucher for a glamping pod experience and I found a site less than half an hour from home which gave us the ideal balance of being somewhere new and feeling like we had gotten away, but being close enough that it was easy to get there and back for just an overnight stay.

We picked Hawk Place Camping which is set alongside a stables, surrounded by countryside in three directions and the coast in the fourth.  We stayed in one of two pods and it was ideal for the two of us.  With electricity, a kettle and a proper bed, the pod felt comfortable and a home from home but being in such beautiful surroundings kept us feeling close to nature.  We were surrounded by horses in fields and there was plenty of places to explore.

In the other direction was a footpath that led straight down to the sea.  From there we could walk about 10 minutes to Minnis Bay which is a sandy beach with safe swimming, fish and chips and a restaurant and there were cycle trails/walking paths going in both directions as it is a lovely stretch of coastline to explore.  We walked down along the sand to Minnis Bay and got chips to eat by the sea before exploring the area further.  The sun sets over the sea on this corner of the county and it is the best place to watch the sunsets.  The sky was beautiful as we walked back to our pod.

The campsite was clean and easy to navigate with Covid measures in place like contactless check in.  Our pod was clean as were all communal areas and it was easy to stay away from others at all times.  Camping and glamping feels like one of the safest ways to get away at the moment and it was lovely to explore more of Kent and the UK.  It has been one of my favourite things about this summer as we are usually away for most of the six weeks.  I have discovered so many local gems and I think Hawk Place will be somewhere we come glamping again, especially with Red Letter Days as it was easy to book with my voucher.

Finn loved getting some quality time with me, setting the pace and it really helped me feel closer to my special boy.  This is definitely something we will both remember for a long time. 

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Tomorrow You Are Five

It has been a long week since your brother's birthday, you have checked several times a day how long you have to wait for your birthday but we are on the final countdown now as when you wake up tomorrow morning you will already be 5.  I still remember it so vividly, you were the quickest of my babies to arrive, a whirlwind of a labour and a whirlwind of a child but somehow you seemed such a calm baby in the middle.  

We never dreamed you would be where you are now, you are learning to read and write and practicing this skill all over my walls.  You are in love with letters and have such a desire to learn and you bounce happily into school every morning now.  I wasn't convinced you would settle this easily and you definitely make sure they know you are there, but I can't believe how much you have learned in such a short time.  

You are still full of energy, someday it radiates out of you and you need to be walked regularly.  We are still trying to find the best way to channel it sometimes but we are getting there.  You love water in every sense from swimming, to just playing with it as you wash your hands and the quickest way to get both you and your sister out of trouble is to offer you a bath.

You are still incredibly close and I see how you impact each other. As a nearly 5 year old you have joined in with her love of all things pink, rainbow and unicorn and you can't resist sparkly things either.  You are rough and tumble but you can be so kind and caring when you want to and you alternate between wanting to wrestle with her and wanting to protect her.

At 4 you are loud and proud, you love to dance and make music, you are happy as the centre of attention and you are excited about everything.  You are so grateful when you receive gifts and thankful when you get your way.  You still want to eat chicken nuggets and chips for every meal though, we might be working on that one for a while.

You are wild, overflowing with personality, soft and cuddly.  You are going to change the world, we just don't know how yet and I hope that as a five year old you stay true to yourself, not caring what other people think, living your best life.

Tomorrow I will take a moment to remember how far you have come, how you have beaten the odds, proved everyone wrong and what an amazing little person you have become.  

Happy Birthday baby boy, Happy Birthday Finn.  You are loved more than I ever knew you could be

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The Ordinary Moments - Sparkle

Finn has never been shy, but he was quiet and content as a baby, slower to walk and talk than his brothers and curious about the world around him.  As a toddler he was headstrong, determined, wild and adventurous and we always knew we had him.  He is on the cusp of turning five now and he is still all the things he was as a toddler but more loving, caring and able than before.  He loves choosing his clothes and is drawn to anything bright.  His red Lycra unicorn leggings go straight back on the moment they come and the wash and he likes to pair them with his rainbow striped jumper just to make sure you really can't miss him.

Father Christmas understood his sparkly personality and chose him a sequin zip up top as his 'something to wear' and I wish I had captured the moment he put it on and first looked in the mirror.  He slowly turned, admiring himself from each angle with the biggest smile on his face.  He did a little boogie to watch the way it sparkled and looked absolutely delighted.

As he was enjoying his new present, the sun came out from behind and came flooding through the window, making the whole room light up with the reflections and his face was magical.  I wanted to capture that love and amazement as he realised he was a walking disco ball.  These photos weren't taken on Christmas morning but at the weekend as he was getting ready for a friend's birthday party.  There is no better excuse to wear a sequin jacket and he loved jumping around on my bed first admiring his impact.

This is a boy who knows his own mind, what makes him happy and he isn't afraid to go and get it and dressing up in your best sequin jacket is just an everyday moment in his life.

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The Last Summer Before School

There are only 3 more nursery days left and then a long 6 weeks awaits us. We have plenty of plans both for bigger adventures and smaller ones and I know August will be full of laughter, sunshine, late evenings and far too much ice cream.

And then September will arrive and it is all change.  Dylan heads into year four (year four, seriously, how have I got a child that big?), Archie enters his last year at his Infant School and my baby boy is off to big school.

In all honesty, I can't wait.  He is so ready, so far past ready sometimes and his nursery agrees.  He knows the school so well, he knows the building and the playground, the staff and the uniform, he has been in the playground almost every day since he was tiny and he is so confident following his brothers there.  I have already put aside some trousers that haven't given up yet and bought him some polo shirts in the size up from what he wears just incase of a growth spurt / to get him through the first year and we will be completely ready by the time September arrives.

Us both being ready for this new adventure doesn't make it any less though. I still watched him run into his new classroom during the transition sessions and I saw that teeny tiny baby who spent his first weeks in special care with tubes and wires coming in all directions.  I remember vividly the moment I was told why he was poorly and what his prognosis was.  I can feel the emotions from those first weeks and months and I am utterly amazed that we made it all this way and that both of us are the people we are now.  Finn is fearless, strong, determined, smart, loving and full of ideas. It isn't just my world he will change. It is still a miracle that the little baby has become this big boy and I have so much pride, just the same as all the other parents stood their with their first borns, last borns, only children. 

Nothing about the school feels new to me, I have been sending my children there for four years, I am on the PTFA, I am a school governor, I know my way around but it is a whole new experience being the parent of Finn there and this three year journey will be different to the others.  

In the meantime, I have one summer left with him, those long six weeks to cement in my mind who he is before these new influences.  Finn is so absolutely full of character, he doesn't conform, he is himself.  He is funny, so incredibly confident, so sure of himself and I want his teachers to see this, to nurture these parts of him whilst also maybe helping him to conform a little bit too.  This is the last summer before school to enjoy him as a preschooler.  In September we have a staggered start so Archie will go back for two weeks before Finn starts and then he is part time for a couple of weeks too, but it is all rolling into that full time school that will dominate the next few years and this is our last window of freedom beforehand.

I won't be dreading September or considering other options, Finn is so ready for school and I have confidence that they can handle him too. We can't wait for this new chapter in his life, but it certainly doesn't mean any less because of that and if the tears writing this post are anything to go by, I am sure I will crying with the other parents on his first day still!

Finn wears a gifted Maxomorra romper from Nolu 

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Tomorrow You Are Four

Oh Finn, there is so much I can say about you as a three year old, you are just overflowing with personality.  There is nobody quite like you and I can't believe we have been lucky enough to have you in our lives for four whole years as of tomorrow.  

Nothing about you has been easy since those difficult few weeks in special care when you were born.  The challenges are always changing but we know we have you and you definitely keep me on my toes! You are happy, enthusiastic, full of life and a born performer.  This was the year you developed 'The Finn Show' where you sing, dance and do tricks for us, the year you realised you can sing and shout louder than anyone else in the house and we joke that you would be a great back up tannoy system for a large supermarket.

You love nursery and do three school days a week now which you scoot to with excitement.  You are so sociable, so interested in everything and desperate to explore.  You have finally decided glasses can be worn and you are pretty good at keeping them on most days now.  When you get cross they are the first thing to be thrown across the room though so we are sticking to the bendy plastic frames a little longer!

You insist on things being on your terms and you only eat your favourite foods, you walk off if you have finished and you are not giving in at bed times without the biggest fights.  We are trying to 'pick our battles' but you are very good at creating more. That said you can also entertain yourself well, be loving and kind, share well and be beautifully behaved when you want to.  Finn, you are destined to go far and I know you will change the world one way or another.

There are only a few months now until you start school and I can't work out how you got that big when those curly haired baby days seem so recent.  You and your sidekick are going to really miss each other although you have adapted better to being apart for nursery now.  You and Cora have a special relationship and sometimes you seem more like twins. She absolutely adores you and you are always up to more mischief when you are together.  You think of anything placed out of your reach as a challenge and if the pair of you go quiet I can usually find you somewhere near a tap!

You have the biggest smile and the biggest heart, you are so excited to see people, you opened presents after your party with a huge grin and squeals of joy and you haven't stopped talking about having your friends there.  

Tomorrow I will take a moment to remember how far you have come, how you have beaten the odds, proved everyone wrong and what an amazing little person you have become.  

Happy Birthday baby boy, Happy Birthday Finn.  You are loved more than I ever knew you could be

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What the Kids Wore // Milly'o

For two years, these two little people have been inseperable.  They have an amazing bond and I still think of them as very close but with Finn being at nursery for three days a week now, I can see how things are changing between them.  

Cora is at an age where she is developing her own friendships and is forming relationships with others and Finn has a busy life away from her with his friends at nursery.  Their interests are changing as they grow and as we start preparing Finn for school next year I think the age gap may widen a little too.

But for now, they are so excited to see each other after a day apart and neither of them have any interest in me, only in each other.  They run for a cuddle as soon as they see each other and they still love to play together (as long as Cora isn't messing up Finn's games). We still have two days a week just the three of us and I hope they can continue to stay close as I love watching their interactions and their love.  

And of course I still love 'twinning' them when I can.  They both have their own styles so it is more about co-ordinating them and we were sent these trousers for Cora and the jumper for Finn from Milly'o.  Milly'o makes bespoke kids clothing in a range of unique prints and playful styles that allow children to move freely and are easy to care for.  

The woodland creatures have metallic masks and can be cuffed in a choice of colours.  Cora is wearing size 18-24 month trousers here which are a great fit (her usual size) and Finn's jumper is age 3-4 and a little smaller than he needs really so I would suggest sizing up in jumpers.  The trousers would be a great cut for cloth nappies with the harem style, although Cora is out of nappies now.  Milly'o also makes beautiful rompers and bibs and I am in love with the whales print. The trousers start at £14 and jumpers are around £20 which is what I expect to pay for hand made clothes and I love having something unique for my children.

We were sent these clothes from Milly'o for the purpose of this review 

but all thoughts and opinions are my own

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