Who stole my baby?

I'm not really sure how it happened. One minute I'm holding this tiny, fragile little baby in my arms. So wondrous and helpless, she needed everything done for her.

Suddenly I find myself being told "No Mamma. Ava Mae do self." She goes to the potty on her own and she helps cook dinner. You can classify mixing, licking the spoon and stealing your ingredients as help right? And gone is the cot gate, as we tuck her into a "big girl's" toddler bed at night! What the hell happened? How did we get here?

Those seemingly endless nights of feeding, crying and nappy changes feel like only yesterday. They were so precious and so fleeting upon reflection. It's easy to see NOW why people say, "hold onto every precious moment. They grow so quickly."

The first few months were a sleep deprived blur. In fact I am not sure how I even managed to maintain some degree of hygiene for myself and ingest the occasional snack but we got through it.  We were trying to figure each other out and the lack of sleep really did mess with my brain!! It may sound like your worst nightmare if you are attached to sleep and planning at all. But really (expectant and one day Mum's to be, bear with me here) I would not change a thing. Like any new challenge it was a huge learning curve, it gave me a deeper understanding of myself and it made me change my whole perspective on what matters in life.

Now I have a little girl. Talking, laughing being cheeky and defiant! Yes, she still baffles me and surprises me everyday, just like she did in the early days. Only now she answers back and and questions me!!