I’ve just been sitting in bed with a cup of tea listening to my friend Bergin’s new album, “Blink”.  A theme throughout the album is change- and how it can creep up on you or happen in the blink of an eye – and it got me thinking about this past week and how it’s been one of those where you realise life is moving so quickly. [It’s a beautiful album by the way, go buy it!)

I’ve been much more aware of time since having children – you spend so much time checking off milestones and marvelling at how their growing and changing.  But this week a couple of things have happened that suddenly made me realise that a phase of my life is done.

On Thursday, we joined thousands of parents across the country in the tense wait for news of a primary school place – and at 5pm we discovered that Alex got a place at our first choice local school, Bessemer Grange.  It’s where he already goes to his little nursery and where lots of his friends will be going – so he’s delighted.  And it’s a wonderful school with really engaged teachers and great results, so we are too.

Once the excitement had died down (and the champagne drunk!), it suddenly hit me that my baby is starting school in just a few months.  Sometimes it feels like yesterday when he was handed to me in hospital and the conversations I had with Matt years ago about where we should move to so we could be close to good schools feel so recent.  I can vividly remember the emotions of leaving him for the first time with his childminder – four years ago!  And now we get ready for him to start his education journey, where our influence on him will diminish and he’ll start his own journey. As my team at work prepare materials for the Summer undergraduate open days, it makes me realise that I’m sure I’ll feel this way as he starts considering where to go to university!

Receiving his first class photograph this week highlighted the passing of time!

And it wasn’t just Alex hitting the milestones this week.  Sophie made quite a change – moving out of her cotbed and into a proper “big girl bed”!  So I’m packing up the baby things – there is no longer a cot in my house and I’m about to bid farewell to the rocking chair that saw me through many night feeds and the changing table as we prepare to potty train Sophie.  We have no stairgates, no buggy and no highchair.  The baby years are truly behind us.

Matt commented yesterday that he’d been sitting chatting with Sophie during the week and suddenly had to do a double take – as his baby was sitting in skinny jeans and a tshirt, with her hair up and her face animated in conversation.  She’s not even a toddler now!

I took a few snaps yesterday of Sophie’s baby room (although her cot was already converted into a little bed so it isn’t quite as it was!) so I didn’t forget it.  We’re planning to put the duo into the same room soon – they’re so keen to share!  So this will become a grown up spare room!

I tried not to make it too girly, but I don’t think I succeeded!

Not the best pictures, but liking displaying her artwork and all her last birthday cards – plus a nod to her Welsh heritage!

She’s delighted with her new bed and elephant covers – she couldn’t wait to go to sleep in it on Friday night (wonder how long she’ll enthusiastically go to bed!)