What happened to my newborn baby? Happy Birthday G

Things have been a bit quiet on the blog this week, and that is because we have been busy with Grapie's first birthday celebrations. She has had a lovely time, had lots of presents and a fun party, but her birthday has left me with mixed feelings about her growing up.

There are so many thinvs about Grapie that are still so baby-like. Her size for a start; she has always been a tiny baby, she still wears 3-6 month clothes, so she still looks more baby-like than many one year olds. Then there is her clingyness, it's still the end of the world if she's parted from me for any time at all.

Then there is her partiality to her milk. I know I'm not the only mother to breastfeed her baby past one but I never really had any plans to breastfeed a toddler. Princess was ready to stop at one but Grapie shows no signs of giving up, and as it's currently the only way of getting her back to sleep at night time I will be carrying on feeding her out of laziness and exhaustion for the forseeable future.

But there are so many ways that Grapie is no longer a baby but is fast on the road to toddlerdom.  She can almost walk, well, she has taken a few steps on a few occasions but has decided that knee shuffling is the way forward.

And her talking is coming on really well she can say "all gone" in a very cute voice, and does monkey noises whenever I call her a cheeky monkey! She can point things out in a book (playing this game is her absolute favourite at the moment, she gets the book out herself and 'asks' to read it!)

There are definitely things I am looking forward to about her growing up. Getting a good nights sleep is definitely top of that list, as I know that one day it will happen! (Another bonus is that people have stopped asking how she sleeps as mostly they assume a 1 year old does sleep by now!)

But there are so many things that I will miss about her babyness, especially as chances are Grapie will be my last baby. The helplessness, the sweet milky breath, the teeny tiny clothes, the complete and utter dependence, that milk drunk, open mouthed sleep, all cuddled up in my arms. I could go on but I will only make myself broody!

I am so proud of the tiny, determined, funny little girl my little baby is growing into, so I will try to avoid to much looking forward or back, but I will be embracing this new special stage in my Grapie's life. And Princess is very glad that her baby sister is becoming her playmate and her friend!