I’m really looking forward to 2017. I’m not sure about you but 2016 has been a funny old year (for me at least) with lots of ups and downs. I’m not going to lie and say that I wasn’t disappointed when we realised that we really weren’t going to make our self-imposed deadline of being residents in our very own house by Christmas. I was…and I might have shed a few tears in the process.

Dreams of a Christmas tree in the bay window, a luscious wreath on the front door and perhaps a pom pom or two hung from the bannister were dashed. Most of all I wanted to host Christmas to say thank you to my parents and to Ste’s for all the help they’ve given us with the house thus far.

Of course now that I’ve accepted it isn’t meant to be and that actually I needed to give myself a stern talking to and to pull myself together, I can see that perhaps us still living at my parents’ house is a blessing in disguise. After all, we have a roof over our heads, gorgeous living arrangements and most importantly Hector is surrounded by lots of family members including his grandparents and my sister and her boyfriend who have also temporarily moved in. What more could a two year old want than a captive audience at Christmas?

As it happens we now have a new deadline of March. It’s feasible, achievable even. As I type there are plasterers and carpenters doing their thing on the top floor of the house. I’m awaiting quotes from tilers and we’ve found our desired bathroom floor and wall finishes from Topps Tiles. All is good…aside from that is from this fear that Hector really will not adapt to moving house.

This fear is a new thing. An anxiety that up until say about a month ago hovered on the periphery but which I didn’t give much thought to. You see Hector is a creature of habit; I’d say most toddlers probably are…at least that has been my experience so far. But he’s a clever cookie too (yes I’m sure all parents say this about their offspring!). What I mean by this is that I hadn’t given much thought to the extent of his geographical awareness; he really does know the world outside his doorstep and he’s quite comfortable with the current area he knows as ‘home’ thank you very much.

For example, I happened to buy him a Kinder Egg one afternoon on the way back from nursery and now every time we pass this self-same corner shop, he roars out ‘EGGGGGG!!!‘ as we drive on by. It bewilders me to think that his brain even at this young age is sufficiently developed to grasp such complexities – to know from a single experience where things/shops are situated. Perhaps I’m the naive one in all of this; perhaps this is completely normal for a child of his age.

I regularly take him to our house. Granted we don’t stay there for long (it’s far too dusty and dirty for a two year old to be for any length of time) but I do it partly out of necessity if I’m meeting builders/plumbers etc and partly because I want him to get familiar with his new surroundings. As it stands he hates it. Like really hates it. Full-on-tries-to-drag-me-out-of-the-house hates it which has left me feeling a bit panicked.

What will happen then when he reacts the same way on moving in day…when he realises that we’re not actually going back to Gramme’s house, that this new house is now HOME. Will it unsettle him? Given that all he’s ever known is being surrounded by lots of people and that he shares his house with more family members than just Ste and I. Will he completely hate it? Will he hate me?

I’ve shared my concerns with numerous friends and family and practically all have said that he’ll adapt and get used to it and before long won’t even remember what it used to be like. I’d like to say I believe them but my gut says otherwise; the fact that we’ll regularly visit my Mum’s house means that it won’t be a simple question of moving on. I’m sure there’ll be a huge part of him that will be confused as to why he doesn’t stay/sleep there any more. How do you explain this to a two year old?

There’s also a part of me that is nervous about moving on myself. Don’t get me wrong, I am ecstatic about the potential to create a brand new home just the way we want it. I’m giddy with glee about unpacking all those boxes with all my wonderful knick knacks I haven’t seen for nearly three years. I know I’ll feel a sense of relief as we restore my mum’s house back to normal as the guilt over overrunning her home will be lifted from my shoulders. BUT and it’s a big ‘but’… I’m going to miss my mum so much. Although she’s never here for more than four days in a row (SUCH a social butterfly) it’s going to be weird not having her around to chat to whenever and wherever. It’s going to feel odd not listening to Hector call my sister from the bottom of the stairs and hearing her reply and it’s going to be a whole darn sight trickier not being able to avail myself of another person’s help when I just want five free minutes to put on some makeup without a toddler hanging off my arm. Their support has been completely invaluable…I honestly could not have done it without them and I’ll forever be eternally grateful.

It feels like the end of an era somehow.

But I’ve gone off topic. Really in essence this post was to ask for your help with hints and tips in helping toddlers to move house. And I don’t mean the practical/logistical side per se…it’s more about helping them to adjust psychologically. How did you help them to settle in to a new home if you’ve gone through a similar experience? Did you build up to the move before the day? If so, how? What sage pieces of advice can you pass on? I’d really appreciate any thoughts and recommendations that you’d care to share…