'Xtra' special celebrations come in threes...

Up until now, my birthdays have been all about me, myself and I. I'd never have imagined that sharing the focus of my big day with anyone else could make it even more special... until Laila arrived. I spent the weekend at my parents' place in Bath and all my family came over to celebrate my birthday (today), Laila's 6 month birthday (Sunday) and Dad's 60th (last month) - a triple celebration! Dad even cracked open the bottle of Johnnie Walker's finest 'blue label' whiskey we gave him for for his 60th; it must have been a special occasion since each shot of that stuff alone is worth about £20!



Laila was, of course, the centre of attention - and she loved it! She may look like Daddy, but we can certainly see Mummy traits emerging! I think we also discovered a performer in her; we were all sat in the lounge and I laid her down on the rug to show everyone her trademark caterpillar move as her current preferred mode of mobility is on her back. Whilst in the spotlight, Laila decided to roll over for extra brownie points instead, which was met with a rapturous round of applause from everyone - she took great delight in lapping up the praise and rewarded her audience with a ginormous smile that could light up a city!



Laila on the snooker table with her Johnnie Walker

Last week I also found out that I'd been selected out of 3,000 to be one of 25 Quinny Casters in the UK! This means that I'll be testing out new Quinny products before they're introduced to the market, and share my experiences with other mums and dads. You can see updates on what I'm up to all over the wonderful world of the inter-web:

* My QuinnyCaster profile page

* My twitter page

* My facebook profile
* The QuinnyCaster facebook group
* My YouTube videos (via QuinnyCaster)

The first product which Quinny will be introducing in this way is the Quinny Zapp Xtra (made MFM's hottest buggies of 2011 list!), which is especially perfect for Laila and I since our current pushchair is the Mamas & Papas sport 3-wheeler which has been amazing so far, except for the fact that I struggle with it when I'm on my own (it's like the Range Rover of pushchairs). The Zapp Xtra was designed after Quinny had feedback about the regular Quinny Zapp which didn't have a recline feature, the ability to be forward and rear facing, or suitable to use from birth. The Xtra has all 3... happy days!

As a loyal Mamas & Papas fan, I had recently ordered their Nuna buggy, as it's marketed as 'fits in the boot of a MINI', so I thought that had to be more lightweight when I'm popping out to the mall for a quick shop. However, when I found out I'd be getting the Quinny Zapp Xtra, the Nuna was sent right back girlfriend! It's ironic that the first pushchair I was planning to buy was the limited edition Quinny Buzz 3 in black, as it looked super stylish but it wasn't yet on sale in England and, as Laila arrived much earlier than her due date, her Daddy ended up rushing out to get an emergency pushchair the day before she was born! Our Quinny Zapp Xtra was due last week so, after waiting (im)patiently all week, it finally arrived TODAY - on my birthday!

Open me! Open me!

Thus far, it has remained in the box, as I'll be putting some time aside to complete my first assignment as a Quinny Caster: MISSION QUINNPOSSIBLE - documenting the unpacking of our Zapp Xtra. This is will be particularly interesting since it'll be the first buggy I've ever put together; yes, I am indeed a buggy unpacker virgin. I can't wait to get started but am refraining whilst my creative juices flow and come into fruition before I get stuck in (and until the rain stops as I don't want my beautiful, shiny new Quinny getting dirty quite yet!), so watch this space to see how many girls it takes to put a buggy together!

Oh, and one last thing... I couldn't finish my birthday blog without mentioning my sexy new GHDs from my baby sis - check them out!!!

My bed is calling me after an exciting few days - I'd better get some beauty sleep so I've got enough energy for the rest of my birthday week!

My little Laila just loves to laugh!

Laila is still very much the centre of my universe, growing faster than I'd ever imagined, and becoming more gorgeous and irresistible every day. She loves playing on her tummy now, and can even push up on her arms like a little gymnast.


Hello world!

This mini yoga move is supposed to help her build the muscles she needs to roll over both ways, but she's been doing that for a few weeks already; I swear my girl wants to just skip the crawling stage and 'jump' straight to walking...

She seems to enjoy experimenting with her newfound knowledge of cause and effect, by dropping her Tigger and waiting for me to pick it up - she gets a kick out of doing it again and again and again which, for the first 7 times was utterly adorable... but now...! My little comedian is also developing a sense of humour. I practice my stand-up routine as post-nap entertainment for Laila, watching her laugh hysterically as I pull faces or play peekaboo! I have to admit, I'm amazed at how it elicits squeals of delight every time.

Laila's perfecting her ability to grab and reach now, reaching for Mummy and Daddy in particular when she wants to be picked up or be fed. I've noticed glimpses of stranger anxiety here and there too - times when she only wants Mummy. Others (usually grandparents) can't help but comment on how she needs to spend more time with people other than me to avoid this but, guess what, it makes me feel like the best and most loved Mamma in the world!

Life continues to change. It's funny how breastfeeding has now become like going to the bathroom: I no longer think about it, I can do it in the dark and, no matter where I am, I can find a place to do it if I have to! With solid meals just around the corner, Laila's dining chair is no longer my lap; she sits in her Bumbo seat while I spoon the odd snack into her mouth - I tried mashed banana today... Laila seemed a little confused at the new taste and was more interested in my chicken korma and naan (no, I haven't become an Indian Nigella - this one came courtesy of Sainsbury's), but she still managed a decent portion.

I'm beginning to feel like I'm in tune with Laila's every cry, coo and whimper now. This parenting lark isn't as tough as everyone makes out after all. Now, if I could just figure out how to unfold the pushchair on the first try...

Mummy knows best!

Cuddles with Daddy

Yesterday was Laila's blessing (like an Indian version of a Christening) at the Gurdwara, and did my girl make an entrance or what! My normally giggly Laila must have been overwhelmed by so many faces fussing, poking and peering at her as she cried and cried and cried! Meanwhile, in between the bursts of prodding, she returned to her usual disposition and had plenty of smiles for the camera...

I discovered that Gurdwaras aren't generally set up with baby facilities - feeding and changing wasn't easy! I'm not complaining though, I can't imagine life without my favourite accessory any more! Although Laila did seem oblivious to the beautiful shoes I'd bought her to match with her dress - after she kicked them off the fifth time, it was time for them to retreat into my Baby Bag...

Look! I can stand up!

This milestone reinforces the speed at which Laila seems to be growing up - I'm determined to breastfeed her for at least 6 months, but she's desperate to join everyone at the dinner table and tuck into solids... I've shared my Muller Corner vanilla yogurt with her for a couple of weeks now, as she seems to enjoy the taste and feels like she's eating with Mummy and Daddy; we feel so guilty when we're eating and she's staring longingly at us as the food goes into our mouths! I ordered a book about weaning today as there are apparently does and don'ts when it comes to foods which babies can digest and feeding some particular foods too early can cause allergies later on in life. If you follow the text books, it's quite a complex process to take a baby from milk onto solids but, if you listen to the rest of the family, it's as straightforward as "here, just give her some x/y/z!" Maybe I'm just used to a scientific approach of studying theory before I try something since, after all, that's what was always ingrained into us at University, or maybe there's just something inherently protective in being a Mummy... Either way, my motto is Mummy Knows Best!

Gimme gimme gimme!

House wise, Bobby's week off was as hectic as expected. The main achievement was the installation of our sound system (my ear drums have consequently been tested every evening, along with my patience!). I have to admit that the controller gadgets are funky though - it all links to the PC music library, as well as Napster over the Internet, so we can listen to whatever we want whenever we want - wicked! On the flipside, upon opening the packaging, we discovered that about 80% of our internal doors had been damaged, so they couldn't be hung as scheduled - that was a major downer. This quote struck a chord when I read it a few days ago, "striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralising". Does this mean we should lower our standards? Somehow, I don't think that's possible!

A tough week ahead...

So Bobby's taken the week off to rattle through his renovation 'to do' list, with a view to finishing the bulk of it by my birthday - 20 days away! I breathed a deep sigh of relief when the intercom finally arrived this afternoon, since the one I happened to choose had to be shipped all the way from Holland, which consequently delayed our security man's visit - a recurring theme in Project Halcyon when it comes to depending on third parties. Maybe we would have been able to reduce this if we compromised on standards but, unfortunately, both Bobby and I are meticulous perfectionists! Apparently this makes us nightmare clients; one tradesman said to me that he gets 1 client like me in every 100, so he has 99 easy jobs to enjoy next... the cheek of it!

Show me the money Mummy!

Laila had a lovely surprise in the post this morning - a cheque from Uncle Shekhar to put towards her amazing, totally overpriced but amazing, high chair! Here she is making a bee line straight for the moola - despite it almost making it's way straight into Laila's mouth, she's getting the right idea! She also made her first wage this week, since Sainsbury's sent her a thank you for her appearance in Little Ones magazine... start them young, that's what I say haha!

Looking ahead, we have the Audio Visual chap due this week - he'll be working on Bobby's sound system in the Lounge, before he moves onto the speakers throughout the rest of the house... boys and their toys eh. Bobby's also pre-ordered a PS3 (released on 17 September) with this new 'move' technology, which apparently tracks your eyeball movement etc, under the guise of my birthday present; like I said, boys and their toys! I have to admit that I'm a closet gadget geek myself, so I'm not complaining and, after the year of dedication Bobby's committed to Project Halcyon, I think he deserves a pimped out house!

Time to sign off now - Laila's favourite new game is pushing herself along the whole length of the bed on her back (imagine a caterpillar!) so I can't turn my back for 5 minutes any more! She's broken through my pillow barrier already... how am I going to keep her under control when she can walk?!