Letter to my two year old son

Dear Isaac

Watching you grow and develop over the past two years has filled my heart with endless joy, pride and happiness.

Even though your life is just beginning you've already been on such an incredible journey. You have  transformed from a helpless baby to a walking, talking little person and although it seems to have happened in the blink of an eye, I have cherished every moment along the way. From your first heart-breaking smile, to the precious moment you took those first steps, you have never failed to make me proud to be your mum. We've already shared so many incredible 'first' experiences together and I try to bottle every memory while trying to capture as many valuable moments on film or camera so I can relive them time and time again and share them with the wider world. I look forward to continuing to be your guide on a journey that will help you fulfil all your dreams, goals and ambitions, however big or small.

You are already becoming someone I am so proud to call my son. You are bright, funny, thoughtful, loving and inquisitive. Your growing brain is like a sponge absorbing everything around you on a daily basis and working out how to apply it to your own little world. I love watching you explore, discover and create and make sense of the world around you.

You make me laugh with your idiosyncratic ways, your love of hoovering, your passion for gardening and your dance moves.

You certainly know how to challenge my patience at times but the love and affection you show for me is truly heart-warming and helps makes the early starts, temper tantrums and battles over dinner-time all worthwhile. When I'm tucking you in at night and you say the words 'love you mummy' it makes my heart melt and makes me relish the moment you wake in the morning, call for me and beam at the very sight of my face as I enter your room.

You are my little companion and I cherish our precious time together knowing at the back of my mind that one day you'll no longer need me to take care of you. Even now your independence is growing by the day and your desire to do things for yourself makes me so proud. At times I wish I could bottle your naivety, innocence and youth but I know I can't stop the inevitable, so for now I promise to shower you with cuddles and kisses, read endless stories to you at bedtime, chase you round the house until you're exhausted, tickle you until you can't take anymore, watch Finding Nemo countless number of times times, help you build Lego towers and always be there to comfort you when you need me..

You are the apple of my eye and my life would be empty without you.

Stay my caring, affectionate, sweet little mummy's boy forever xxx

REVIEW: Silver Cross Zest stroller

Ever since Isaac was born I've used the iCandy Peach as our travel system of choice and have been pretty happy with its ease of use and manoeuvrability, despite its chunky size and weight to lift in and out of the car. However, we recently went on holiday so we decided it was time to invest in something a little lighter, smaller and less cumbersome.

I'm not a big fan of buggies with crazy patterns or pictures on them, I just wanted something that was stylish, simple and affordable, which is why I was attracted to the Silver Cross range of strollers. As well as being a trusted brand, all the strollers were chic, inexpensive and practical. They had a lot of features that instantly attracted me to them such as the fact that the seat went completely flat and the hood came right down over the seat, acting as the perfect sunshade. I also really liked the way the buggy looked and how easy it was to collapse, manoeuvre and generally handle.

I also considered purchasing one of the McLaren strollers because of their reputation and trustworthiness, however after having a play with the two strollers, apart from the hood on the McLaren being a little less clunky to pull down and back than the Silver Cross, I didn't really see or feel a great deal of difference between the two strollers. 

After purchasing the Silver Cross Zest I didn't actually use it until we got to the airport but as soon as we did, I instantly noticed how light and easy to manoeuvre it was, although it was a little less sturdy than my iCandy, especially going across the pebbles in the overflow car park at Cardiff Airport. 

If I'm being picky, I would say that the hood on the Silver Cross stroller is a little clunky. It doesn't pull down and back overly smoothly and can be a little noisy if you are trying to adjust it with a child sleeping in the buggy. Saying that the hood was still a real godsend when we were on holiday as we had it down all the time, even when we had Isaac in the upright position as it was great for keeping him sheltered from the sun. Isaac also seemed to find it really comfortable and had no problem sleeping in it during the day and night.
 

Overall I'd say we were really pleased with the buggy, although unfortunately our particularly buggy seemed to have a manufacturing fault which meant that one day the seat got stuck in the upright position and when we managed to free it, one side of the mechanism broke. This mean't that although it went flat, when we tried to put it back in the upright position one side of the mechanism that was supposed to hold the seat in place had broken meaning Isaac sat at a tilt. This broke after just one week of having the buggy, which wasn't ideal but we managed to cope with it and Isaac didn't seem too bothered that he sat at a bit of an angle. If it had got stuck permanently in the upright position we would have had real problems getting Isaac to sleep in it both during the day and evening but thank goodness we had managed to free it and lived with the broken mechanism for the last week of the holiday. When we returned home I took it straight to Mothercase and they happily swapped it for a brand new buggy. Despite having a few problems with the buggy mechanism on holiday I was still pleased with the way it operated and decided I was willing to give it a second chance. We have been using it with no problems since then. 

Summary:

Good points

• Seat goes completely flat
• Hood comes right down over seat to act as a very good sunshade
• Lightweight
• Collapses easily
• Stylish
• Easy to manoeuvre
• Small when it is folded up
• Foot rest goes up and down 

Bad points

• Hood is a little clunky
• Less sturdy than the travel systems like the iCandy

Generally its a great little stroller. Its stylish and chic. It collapses very easily and quickly and maneuverers brilliantly. I'd definitely recommend it and for £100 its worth the investment.

Holiday in Cala n' Bosch Minorca

A few weeks ago we returned from our first family holiday abroad as a three and I would definitely recommend both the resort we went to and the hotel to anyone with children under three. 

We may have spent hours online trawling the Thomson website and TripAdvisor for reviews on every available hotel and its location but the investment was rewarded when we came across the Macarella Hotel in Cala n' Bosch in Menorca.  We've never been to the Balearic Islands before, as we normally venture a little further afield to locations like Croatia or Greece for our summer holiday, however with a little one in tow we decided that somewhere a little closer to home would probably be more advisable. 

I must admit that both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised with Menorca. I think we both had visions of Brits abroad and a wholly British influence everywhere we went, however that couldn't be further from the truth. Apart from one, slightly cringeworthy bar called Chaplins on the edge of the marina, which we avoided like the plague, there were no other British shops, restaurants or bars.  

The resort of Cala n' Bosch, where we stayed was a really pretty, quaint and chilled out little resort which was centred around a horseshoe shaped marina fringed with restaurants and bars. All the restaurants had a great choice of food with an abundance of fresh seafood as well as meats, and traditional Spanish dishes like paella. We never had a bad meal to speak of but the best thing about the restaurants was that the waiters were really child friendly and went out of their way to help entertain Isaac. In one or two restaurants we were provided with crayons and paper, which Isaac proceeded on eating, and in another restaurant they brought out glove puppets and soft toys for him. One of the bars we regularly visited even gave us a ball and soft toy for him to keep!

We decided to abandon our usual bedtime routine knowing full well that Isaac would probably stay awake the evenings, however we did have a few child-free evenings where he slept for the duration of the meal. More evenings that not though, we found ourselves finding ways of entertaining him while we tried to enjoy a glass of wine and a meal. A couple of evenings we were luckily (strategically placed) near a bandstand with live music so he enjoyed having a little boogie with me while we waited for food to arrive. One of the restaurants in the marina did actually have a fantastic play room at the back with a camera and TV screens so you could enjoy a glass of wine in peace while they played.  On the other side of the marina there was also an arcade with several ride on machines for the children which were really cheap and definitely kept Isaac entertained on several occasions.

The hotel we chose was called the Macarella, which is part of the Grupotel chain and it was perfect for families with small children. All the rooms in the hotel are like mini apartments with a kitchenette and lounge area complete with fridge, hob and all the utensils you could ask for. You could also hire high-chairs for your room for just £10 for the entire stay which was really handy. 

The pool itself was also brilliant. It was huge and had a shore/beach entry one end so it was very shallow but slowly got deeper and the far end (where most of the couples and families without small children sat) it was over 2m deep. 

We tended to lounge around the very shallow end along with the other families with small children, while Isaac splashed around and played in the water. Much to my delight Isaac was a real little water baby on holiday and was at his happiest when he was crawling around in the water. The hotel had a huge chest with loads of communal toys that people had bought in the shop next to the hotel and left behind so there were lots of buckets, spades, balls and all sorts of water toys for the children to play with. Although as per usual sharing was the only slight problem!

We were very lucky with the weather as we had glorious sunshine pretty much every day so we could bask in the sun while Isaac played, or go for a leisurely walk around the marina or to the lighthouse. It really was a lovely holiday and I would recommend both the hotel and resort to anyone looking to book a holiday with young children. The only downside is that the resort is small and after two weeks we were a little bored of the same restaurants, walks and views. However, if you hired a car I know the rep said there are an abundance of beautiful beaches and coves to explore only a short distance away.

To check it out click this link

http://www.thomson.co.uk/destinations/europe/spain/menorca/calan-bosch/apartments/grupotel-macarella-suites-and-spa.html?im_id=PPC&s_kwcid=AL!3093!3!69635300575!p!!s!!grupotel%20macarella%20suites&device=c&gclid=COO-l-jprM4CFYQcGwodc4AC-g 

Isaac I said 'No'

Isaac I said No.....No Isaac.....No......I can say it until I am blue in the face but my 14 month old son seems to revel in the entertainment and even find it mildly amusing that I attempting to stop him doing something that he is enjoying. I don't know whether the fact that I'm saying no is feeding his behaviour and positively reinforcing it by providing him with attention or whether he doesn't quite understand what the word means...although I'm pretty sure its the former rather than the latter.  Either way, I seem to be adequately failing at disciplining him already and I fear the future will not be bright when it comes to saying 'No'.

In addition to refusing to listen to me and pretty much disobeying my every command he's also starting to have mini temper tantrums and gets very frustrated if he can't do something after one or two attempts. The problem I have is that the temper tantrums are mildly amusing for me, except when he decided to hit me in the face when I took his dummy from him the other day. When I told him off he just looked at me as if to say 'What'!

I always thought I would be quite good at discipline as my niece and nephew always seemed to listen to me when they were little, however it seems that I am becoming the person I never thought I would....my mother!!! My mum was never very good at disciplining me and my brothers and generally left the telling off to to my dad as his stern look made us stop in our tracks before he even opened his mouth. However, on the other hand, we generally ignored my mum as she laughed/smiled when telling us off so it didn't really have a lasting impact on our behaviour.  I do try not to laugh when I tell Isaac off but I obviously don't have an impactful tone to my voice as as soon as my husband says no, he gets the quivering bottom lip and tears. I feel the disciplinarian in me needs to be nurtured or I fear my one year old will be running riot before he is two years old! 

Has anyone got any tips or advice on telling one year olds 'No' without reinforcing the behaviour and encouraging it?

The challenge of flying with a toddler

Oh dear god. Anyone who has ever flown with a child under two will probably feel my pain. I don't know why I thought it would be anything but challenging to be honest as Isaac doesn't sit still at home for longer than a few minutes before his attention is drawn to something else. He spends the day flickering between his toys, pointing to everything he can't have and pulling all his toys out of his toy chest so sitting on my lap for a two hour flight was always going to be testing.

We toyed with the idea of investing in a tablet for him but decided against it, mainly because we didn't have time to look at options, money was tight and we didn't think his short attention span would fully appreciate it.  He can't even sit through half an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse these days so it just didn't seem worth the investment, however, in hindsight it may have been worth its weight in gold if it had kept him still for just a few minutes!! 

It was an early evening flight which took off at 7.40pm, pretty much Isaac's bedtime, so he was already tired, had spent an hour being restrained on a coach journey and another hour in a buggy in the airport so now he just wanted to be free to play and explore. Fair enough to be honest. I get antsy sitting on a plane myself, let alone and one year old but it was a living nightmare. He wriggled, he cried, he threw things, he had tantrums, he spilt water, he hit me...for two whole hours. However in between tantrums he smiled sweetly and waved at the air hostesses and other passengers like butter wouldn't melt whilst giving me daggers for restraining him. 

In the end the only way I managed to keep him from having a complete meltdown was by singing every nursery rhyme and lullaby I could think of sweetly into his ear while rocking him gently (thank god I have been regularly attending rhyme time or I may have come off the flight completely bald). Even then, every so often he let out a scream in frustration and threw his dummy (which was cunningly attached to a strap) before I gently replaced his dummy and he settled down again!  

Anyway, we made it through the flight and had a fantastic holiday so the pain of the flight was 100% worth it for two precious weeks of quality family time. We can't wait to do it all again next year. At least I will know what I am letting myself in for!!!..

What have your experiences of flying with a one year old been and how did you survive?

isaac enjoying a different kind of flight!

Is he walking yet?

The daily question is he walking yet from family, friends and even strangers keeps echoing round my head and playing on my mind. 

My son Isaac has just turned 14 months and he still has no interest in trying to walk. He can stand on his own, furniture surfs everyday and potters round with his walker but seems reluctant, or maybe lacks the confidence to take those first steps. 

I'm trying not to worry, as the Michael McIntyre sketch reminds me, you never see adults crawling round the place! However, since his first birthday, I keep getting asked by other parents, friends, family and even strangers, is he not walking yet? 

A number of my friends children, of a similar age, are walking, and have been for quite sometime, so as a parent you can't help but to compare and feel a little disappointed that he hasn't joined that 'walking club'. It also forces you to ask the question 'what is wrong with Isaac?' and why isn't he walking? 

I think its difficult because at every stage, he has been ahead of the game, he had his first tooth at 4 months, he sat up at 5 months, he crawled by 8 months and stood up by 9 months so we were expecting walking to follow very quickly. However, as time ticks by and he still hasn't taken those precious first steps, we keep being forced to question why?

At first I thought maybe there was something wrong with his legs as when he does walk with his walker he turns his feet right out and walks on the edge of his feet but he can stand on his own and yesterday he took one small step, so I keep reassuring myself he will. He is also a big boy and he has a lot of weight to carry around so maybe his legs are simply struggling to support the weight of his body at the moment or he just lacks the confidence to go it alone.

For whatever the reason it hasn't happened, myself and my husband are putting that aside and just doing everything we can to reassure and encourage him and just let him do it when he's good and ready.

As a first time parent you can't help but to worry about the smallest of things and sometimes your anxieties and woes need to be set aside to just let things be. I know Isaac will walk (eventually) but in the meantime we will just have to sit back and enjoy him crawling, climbing and clinging onto my legs! 

However if anyone has any advice on tempting toddlers to take their first steps please feel free to comment. Thanks :)

Cefn Mably Farm Park

Keeping a one year old entertained on a daily basis is definitely becoming a lot harder than when he was small. Not only am I finding that I cannot leave his sight without him going absolutely mental, the days of going to the toilet on my own, or anywhere for that matter, are long gone. So by the afternoon both of us are getting cabin fever and its time to venture out. 

Since he started crawling at Christmas and is almost walking but not quite there, the world has opened up to him and he loves to explore his surroundings, climb on everything and hide behind anything he can. As a result I've been looking at soft play centres, parks, and farms that we can to visit to keep his little mind occupied, and I recently decided to take a trip to Cefn Mably Farm Park as the weather was a bit mixed so I thought as it had outdoor and indoor options, it looked like the perfect place to try.

After finding it a little tricky to locate (we finally got there after almost an hour in the car, a journey that should have taken 25 minutes from my home in Creigiau, but my sat nav decided not to play ball), Isaac decided to have a nap, which actually gave me time to have a quick coffee before he woke up and was ready to explore his new surroundings. 

We headed straight for the farmyard to have a look at the rabbits, goats, guinea pigs, horses, pigs and chickens. Isaac was absolutely absorbed by the rabbits. So much so that he tried to climb in with them! He was fascinated by the goats and much to my surprise was happy to give them a little stroke. Already showing signs of no fear! 

He wasn't keen on the pigs, although I think that was the smell of them rather than the sight of them, as he cried when we got close, and I must admit they were a bit pongy!

We then walked over to the horses and Isaac again seemed happy to stroke the horses nose, although that was followed by a pull of the horses mane, which unsurprisingly he didn't like and showed us his teeth, so we quickly moved away from the horse!

They had a great little adventure playground for little ones complete with swings, slide and one of those basket swings too. All of which Isaac greatly enjoyed, as usual!

Unfortunately after enjoying the park for a bit, the rain decided to set in so we headed inside to check out the soft play area. I totally forgot I needed socks but luckily they sell socks on reception for £1 so I rapidly bought a pair and we ventured into the 'Fun House'. Every soft play area just reminds me of Fun House with Pat Sharp when I was a kid. I just wish they had existed when I was a child, as they look amazing. 

Like most children, a soft play area is always a winner, and as long as he can find a ball to hold and throw, he's as happy as larry! 

We spent about two and half hours there before we needed to head home for dinner but it was definitely worth the trip and we had a lovely afternoon. There is definitely plenty to keep the children entertained, however young they are. I'll most certainly be heading back there again soon.

We went on a week day so entry was only about £3 which was pretty reasonable I thought for the facilities they have on site.

For more information visit www.cefnmablyfarmpark.co.uk