We are three weeks away from Meadow Isabella’s first birthday and everything’s all change. Gone are the days when she lay sweetly sleeping in her Moses basket! Sure enough, her rolling has changed to crawling and sofa clinging where she dares herself to let go of the edge of the sofa even just for a second. Poor Cookie’s tails and ears are in danger as she crawls after her …flicking her fingers in a grabbing motion! Although, my gentle coaching …telling her not to scare Cookie is starting to work and bless our little Jack Russell Chihuahua, she is so calm with her. She can put up with Meadow’s playing for a minute or so then vacates to another room.

Meadow also likes to sing now! It’s like a grunt but with it she points her finger and shakes her head back and forth. She is partial to a bit of Nicki Minaj and Steps (!!) and we have even devised our own dance routines. When I do my exercise dvd she thinks its hilarious – and lets face it, me doing high kicks along with Billy Blank – it probably is! Her hand clapping is now accompanied by knee smacking and she can wave hello and goodbye. Words are occasional with “Coo” for Cookie and “Dada “, “Mamma” and… “Oil “. I’m constantly trying to prevent her from playing with the Blu-ray player, fish tank pump and/or poor dogs food – more than once Robin has come home from work to find the dog water bowl upside down across the kitchen floor. She blows raspberries and her latest skill is bobbing her mouth open and closed like our fish.

When we have our afternoon walk with Cookie, she likes to play with my keys when I lock the front door. She also points at things from her buggy and laughs at Cookie pulling the pram along like a reindeer. Meadow is allowed to eat everything now and believe me she does… olives, peppers and humous – fish is her absolute favourite and she likes mashed potato and a babies organic gingerbread man as a treat. Just this week she has mastered her drinking cup so bottles will soon be out the window but she still ends up with wet knees when she decides to tip the cup up and create her own rain showers!

We are preparing for her birthday tea party and seaside holiday at the moment but I am yet to develop those much needed eyes in the back of my head as she is into everything – one minute she is playing on her bedroom floor next she is kissing the bath tube edge – bizarre! She is so much fun now and her heels do reach the floor now when she stands so the first steps aren’t far away. It’s hard to believe this time last year I was having my royal wedding tea party with a huge bump – it feels like she has always been here and believe me there is never a dull moment!