Birthday Joy

Happy birthday Mummy

My family was complete by the age of 29 (or so I thought). I had just given birth to Aaron, and had seven children aged between birth and ten years old. It was a busy time but, being a Mum was the most enjoyable thing in my life. My days were filled with playgroups, taking kids to and from sports and parties. We made playdough and did craft. Strangely, I felt a little bit sad that I would never be pregnant, or have another brand new baby again, but there was a definite sense of relief that I could sit back and enjoy watching my children grow.

Rock a bye your bear, Felix style

Fast forward to today, my 42nd birthday. I have been thoroughly enjoying watching our seven children grow up to be amazing teenagers and adults. They are now aged between almost 13 and 23, and I can honestly say I couldn't be prouder. It has been a bumpy ride over the years. Anyone who says that raising children is easy has obviously never had children. However, it has been the most fulfilling and rewarding job and I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to do it. I'm also more than thrilled that I got to experience pregnancy and birth one last time 2 years ago. Our little 'cherry on the top', Felix, has been the most perfect addition to our family. The thought of being an 'older' Mum used to horrify me, but I am loving it. It has been a different experience, on so many levels, than it was with our other kids. The fact that Felix has Down Syndrome has meant that we've had to learn to include different therapies and Doctor's appointments into our schedule, and have spent more one on one time with Felix, but it's meant that we have had to slow down and prioritise which definitely hasn't been a bad thing.

Too much caffeine??

Felix was in such a great mood today. I opened his bedroom door this morning, to see a huge, beaming smile. I told myself that it was an extra special birthday smile, just for me! Nathan and I treated ourselves to a big, sugary coffee frappe from McDonalds to have with my birthday breakfast and Felix decided that he wanted to share mine. I'm not in the habit of feeding caffeine to our two year old, but I made an exception this morning. He loved it; guzzling it as quickly as he could, before I could pull it away from him. He was on a bit of a sugar high after that and laughed and laughed and pulled some hilarious faces. It was the most entertaining breakfast I've had in a while.

We recorded Felix doing the actions to 'Rock a bye your bear' today. Afterwards I looked back at the video we took of him doing the same thing six months ago. I can't believe how much he has learnt and developed in six short months. He really studies people when he is shown a new sign, or some actions to a song. I can almost hear his brain ticking over as he attempts to mimic what he's seen. He seems to be having a real burst of learning at the moment and it's beautiful to watch.

Laying on the couch watching Play School

Some 'big bed' news.... This will be the fourth night Felix has slept in his toddler bed. He still hasn't realised that he can actually climb out, so I'm very thankful for that. There was only one 'bump in the night', the second night he slept in his bed. He fell out at about 3am, but wasn't too bothered. I just heard him grizzle a little bit and went in and found him on the floor. I picked him up and put him back on his bed and he went straight back to sleep. I've decided to buy a little safety rail to put on the side, because he is a bit of a worm when he sleeps and wriggles around a lot. Our big boy is doing so well.