Being a mom!!

Being a mom is more fun than I thought it was ever going to be.

My daughter is now a year old, and she is hilarious. Trying to say words, feeding herself, standing up in her playpen. She is learning all the time, and when she figures something out, you can see her brain working from her facial expressions.

Now to be honest I was never terribly maternal to begin with, and I figured that she would cry all night, not feed, poop all the time and at the beginning I wouldn't enjoy it. However, she is the most docile, contented child on the planet. She sleeps until 9.30am (I am just SO lucky), she eats great, she is growing exactly as she should and she is happy. The only area in which I was right was the poop, but I've long since gotten over that.

Our district nurse (she weighs and measures her to make sure all is good) said that she may be naturally calm, but that we should take it as a compliment to our parenting, as she is obviously taking our lead. When a professional says something like that to you, you feel very proud of yourself, especially seeing as she is our first child!

I just assumed that she was naturally content, and that I was the one following her lead, but the nurse said that babies take their cue from the tension they feel from their parents. So if a parent is stressed, the baby will be stressed, and vice versa.

It was never something I gave that much thought to, but if I think about it logically it makes complete sense. I would NEVER in a million years claim to be a child rearing expert but if there is one tip I would give to any new parent it's to relax and always remember that your child is reading your signals.

Try to enjoy the first year, especially as it goes so fast. I know everyone who has a child tells you that, but you have got to believe them, because they are not lying. This has been the fastest year of my life. I have no idea where it went at all