Birthday train

After 3 attempts and strict instructions on decorating preferences from the birthday boy, a birthday train cake was finally produced.

Sherrif Woody played train guard for the day and I discovered the joys of disposable piping bags (rock n roll huh?). The winning formula turned out to be a madeira cake mix from the ever so sweet Mary Berry. But the ratio of icing to cake was a tad on the low side, so I'll be practicing my piping skills before attempting the next one. I foresee many a train cake in my future (unfortunately).

A letter to the birthday boy

Happy 6th birthday gorgeous boy

So today you turn six. Wow. Six!

It still makes me feel incredibly emotional when I think of the day you were born. I looked at your face and fell instantly in love with you. I think my heart grew that day, it doubled, tripled, multiplied by 100 in size with all the love I felt for you. You were mesmerizing. Ten fingers? Check. Ten toes? Check. A bouncing baby boy.

"Hello gorgeous" were the first words I whispered to you, as you lay in my arms, just minutes old.

And now you're six. Six!

You have an innate sense of empathy that regularly brings me to tears. You were a sensitive soul right from the start, an old soul for sure. But sometimes, you have this insight into other people's feelings that I'm sure we never taught you. It just comes naturally to you. Never lose that. It makes you a delightful person to spend time with. But as you grow older, temper it with your own wishes, dreams and desires. Always putting other people first is lovely, but please don't miss out yourself.

You were an only child for what felt like a very long time, but now you're a big brother. You've shared your bedroom, your toys, your time, very graciously over the past two years. For that, we're deeply proud of you. You're growing into such a responsible, sharing (sometimes) boy. But please stop trying to change your brother's nappy. It's a lovely gesture, but the aftermath is always rather unpleasant and necessitates industrial carpet cleaner.

But boy do you still know how to have fun. You can be crazy and loud and silly and giggly and I love it. It may not always look like I love it, but I do. Hold on to that sense of fun my beautiful boy. You've inherited my infectious laugh and you can light up a room with your smile. Use that talent wisely and it will smooth many a rough path for you.

Not only do you have a thirst for knowledge, you have an insatiable hunger for it too. You seem to absorb facts about geography and the natural world merely through osmosis and the confidence you display in sharing this knowledge is a joy to see. You're so confident and sociable. Few situations really faze you – you just take it all in your stride.

Stay amazing. Stay true to yourself. Stay happy. Stay my loving, sensitive, joyful boy forever. I know you'll morph into a smelly, grumpy teenager one day but we'll deal with that when it happens. For now, I plan to enjoy spending every moment I can with you, making laughter and memories.

Happy birthday my darling blue eyed boy. I'm so glad you chose us.

This time 6 years ago...

:: I was child-free, wrinkle-free and hugely pregnant
:: I was blissfully unaware of the changes about to occur in 24 hours
:: I was nesting. Big time
:: I was desperate to meet my first-born child
:: I had no idea how much love I was capable of
:: expectations of motherhood were high
:: expectations of motherhood were wrong misguided rose-tinted
:: I had read precisely 1 'manual baby' from cover to cover and had decided I was fully prepared *guffaw*
:: I was determined to have a water birth and thought I knew what to expect *snigger*
:: I had cankles the size of most women's thighs
:: I had 4 chins
:: breastfeeding was a mysterious art that I was confident I could master
:: I had yet to discover Mumsnet *wail*
:: I expected to spend the next 6 - 9 months wafting serenely from coffee shop to coffee shop with my beautiful baby in a sling
:: I was convinced I'd miraculously shrink to a size 8 weeks after giving birth (despite being a 12 before falling pregnant)
:: my life was about to change beyond recognition
:: I was within hours of my waters breaking
:: I made the driest, most disgusting chicken pie. Ever
:: I was about to fall deeply, unconditionally in love

Happy birthday littlest one

wow, that was fast! 7 minutes after arriving on the labour ward (in an ambulance) - you don't hang about do you?

A year of smiles and giggles and heart stopping oh-my-god-I-love-you-so-much moments. And suddenly you're 1. One whole year old. Before we know it you'll be running after your big brother, asking just as many questions and running rings around us.

But for now, I'm going to hold you close and continue to cuddle you at every opportunity. I'm going to carry-on ignoring the old biddies that tell me I'm making a rod for my own back. And I'm going to keep on sneaking you into our bed in the middle of the night for midnight snuggles.

So it turns out that love isn't shared. It doubles, quadruples, multiplies indefinitely so that everyone is loved just as much, just as deeply, just as strongly.

Who knew?

What a way to come into the world eh? I should have known from that very moment, that once you put your mind to something, there's no stopping you. You are a force to be reckoned with. A whirlwind.

You wear your heart on your sleeve. Just like me.

You can charm the birds out of the trees.

Happiness should be your middle name. Or if you were a girl, we'd call you Joy.

This much we already know.

So much to discover, so much to learn. I can't wait. Happy birthday littlest man.