Well, big event last week. Lauren turned 1! I can’t believe my little baby girl isn’t a baby anymore and we’ve got a toddler on our hands. I’ve never been one to celebrate birthdays much but I have to say this did feel like a really special occasion – we actually made it through. Wow. When I think back to bringing home this tiny thing that needed feeding 6 times a night, that looked so vulnerable, that never slept, that changed my life forever, it seems like a lifetime ago.

We got through nappy rash and teething and weaning and coughs and colds and the sleepless nights (well, we haven’t quite got through those yet) and we’ve come out the other side. Thank goodness.

So how did we celebrate? Well, I failed to buy Lauren a present and am still feeling a bit guilty but hey, she doesn’t know right? She did get a trip to the London aquarium where many, many oooos were proclaimed and she of course got a party.

So the party….well, it was quite an affair. We had 7 of Lauren’s minimates and 25 grown-ups. The babies studiously ignored each other reacting only when one had a toy the other one wanted. They all loved the baby height snack table full of organic (clearly) bite size bits for them, although the Marmite fingers my mum insisted babies love, remained most definitely untouched.

As you can see, Lauren was wearing Trotters, although nearly very wrongly. Put in charge of getting her dressed, Lauren’s Grandpa put the ‘front pocket’ trousers on back to front. Luckily, just before the first guests arrived I spotted her. When challenged, he, with back up from Lauren’s Daddy argued that obviously pockets go at the back and that I was wrong. Hmm. Men are so ridiculous sometimes. I think it’s the fourth time she’s been dressed by her Daddy/Grandpa and had something put on backwards. – Basically any buttons on the back of the garment throw them. Hilarious.

Then there was cake. Can you believe it – chocolate! However, it was OBVIOULSY eggless. It’s very important nowadays to have some sort of food intolerance and Lauren is allergic to eggs. Well, she may be, I don’t know. All I know is that I made her a pancake the other day and she threw it up all over the sofa (thanks) and that was her first egg. So, I thought on her birthday, probably not worth the risk. I had planned to make a proper shaped cake (a drum or a monkey) but everyone who knows my ability at that sort of thing warned me strongly against it. My mother insisted I was better off making a ‘messy’ cake and Lauren would definitely prefer that. So I did. It went down pretty well. In fact, no sooner was it on the plate in front of her had she literally grabbed the whole lot and stuffed it in her mouth. Anyone would think she’s never had sugar or something.

Also, despite me having given Lauren recorder lessons for a couple of weeks now (she had her first international concert over Skype to her Uncle in California), she was unable to blow out her candle. Pathetic.

All in all great fun. Roll on toddlerdom.

Hello blog readers! Nice to be back. The reason I haven’t blogged for ages is because I had a big operation on my jaws and nose, which was fairly major, so I’ve had time off work and lots of days in bed. On the day of the op, I had to get to the hospital at 7am and wait to be seen to. Of course, I was last on the list and didn’t go in until 5:30 and obviously I was nil by mouth all day so it wasn’t great. However, despite this, that day was really quite nice. I sat on my own, no disturbances, reading a book (note to mothers, one of those papery things with stories in you may have looked at many years ago). I also realised I was looked forward to the general anesthetic so I could have a good sleep, without disruption. 4 hour operation – lovely!!

Thankfully all went well but post-op life is quite difficult at the moment. For instance, I can only eat mush. This does of course mean that I don’t have to cook for Lauren separately anymore and she is highly delighted to be eating the same as mummy.

Anyway, although still in recovery, there was absolutely no way I was going to miss Trotters’s 21st birthday party and I knew Lauren would want to go. She fell in love with Dunwoody at the Chiswick book festival, so she had to help celebrate his birthday.

It was the best day ever. I was only planning on staying for an hour or so but Lauren had to do everything and we were there for ages.

The petting zoo was a massive hit. Here’s Lauren stroking the fluffysome rabbits.

The best thing she did all day though, was meet her favourite auther Rod Campbell, wo was there reading Dear Zoo. After the reading, we went to meet him and he very kindly read the book to Lauren on her own. Such an honour! And she got her copy signed.

Here we all are with Rod.

She also got her first taste of icecream. I was going down the whole no sugar route but ever since I announced she’d be getting a beetroot and courgette cake for her first birthday, I’ve been instructed by everybody that I am cruel and despicable so now I’ve just given in. This weekend she even had a scone with jam and cream on it. In for a penny, in for a pound!