'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!