Handmade love

One of the perks of being friends with a creatively talented woman is that she shares the love around when there's something to celebrate. The birth of my baby girl was no exception.

Being a mother of 3 she is well versed in the sensitivities of the older sibling when a new one arrives. Jo arrived bearing a gift for S and one for Is. Both handmade. Both gorgeous.

Is was given this beautiful grab ball. I love the colours, the softness of it and its shape. Can't wait to see my baby girl playing with it in the near future.

S was treated to a Poppy doll - or dolly as S calls her. Jane dolly to be precise. She loves her. I love her. In fact I think one would be hard pressed to tell which of us loves her more. I found myself confiscating Jane last week because S stripped off her clothes and then dropped her from a great height to see how she'd land. Unperturbed is how she landed. Still, I was moved to take her to higher ground until S could treat her doll kindly.

An over-reaction? Perhaps. But oh, how I love her.

She even made a fuss of S by giving her a little photo shoot with her new doll. I've used her pic to show you Jane.

Thank you my friend for the time and love you put into these gifts. We love them! x

Settling in

Isabella is settling into our family well. Her big sister is delighted to have another family member to love...although she's still coming to terms with the fact that you can love lots of people at once. She told me the other day she loved little Is "instead" of me. Hmmm. She'll get there :)

At the moment we're laying low. Spending time together. Working out how to breastfeed whilst juggling a toddler on my lap. Learning to show love and attention to both our little ones in equal measure. Accepting that sometimes its hard to get that bit right. Starting to let go of toddler adjustment behaviours. Listening to others advice. Taking it on when it resonates. Letting go of other peoples expectations of me. Allowing us to just be.

To be honest, having a newborn again is more wonderful than I expected. I was prepared for the exhaustion after labour, the pain of breastfeeding, the shock of sleep deprivation and then the fog you live in until a routine is established. I know I'm only 2 weeks in...but there seem to be way more wonderful moments than challenging ones. I guess its true what they say - 2nd time is easier.

Thank you for your well wishes on the arrival of our little girl. It means alot to us. x