I was reminded from the comments on Tuesday’s naming post that I haven’t shared a general update on motherhood and Mabel in quite some time.

Mabel will turn three in March. I know. Where does the time go? It frightens the living daylights out of me that I’m missing everything. That I’m not paying enough attention. That the flashes of childhood delight are quickly forgotten amongst the unavoidable commitments of the daily grind.

Last year we moved house. Twice. Firstly into rented accommodation and then into our “forever” family abode, a beautiful extended cottage in Warwickshire. Overall it took us over 18 months and a generous dose of disappointment and uncertainly to arrive at our significantly more settled destination. It was disruptive for us all, but it undoubtedly effected Mabel the most. Waking up several times during the night. A constant stream of colds and high temperatures. An indisputable pattern of toddler diva-esque behaviour which very nearly made me lose my sh*t on several occasions.

Then there was the question mark over the childcare situation. Mabel is very settled in the nursery she has been to since she was 7 months old and we are very confident it is an amazing environment for her. But as we have moved, unless James is going to be based in his office (coincidentally he literally drives past the front door of her first nursery even though our new abode is a 30 minute drive away) it would be a two hour trip for me to drop her off and pick her up again. No nurseries we visited in our new area compared.

I think our expectations were unrealistically high. And actually as we’ve discovered since, it really is about “feel” and how much you connect with the staff as much as anything else. Her first nursery has it all – a newly refurbished building, a huge outdoor space complete with teepees and a mud kitchen, a frankly unbeatable nutritional menu, a purpose built sensory room and everything else in-between.

On our seventh local nursery expedition (and at this point, no confidence it would be right either) we struck gold. It is chaotic, noisy and they bake refined sugar filled cakes to eat for high tea rather than learning about the origin of vegetables and tucking into a carrot and chickpea muffin. The Ofsted rating isn’t as high, but the team are lovely and you can immediately sense the kindness and encouragement they offer the children in their care.

At the moment Mabel will be splitting her time between both nurseries, I think the variety will be good for her development. Not to mention the benefits of a home-made Victoria sponge. This means James and I have to schedule and organise our diaries with military precision but I’m choosing to see this as a positive. I can’t simply jet off last minute to a client meeting in London on any day I fancy but for the most part our evenings and family time will be designated well in advance. We can fill it with memorable adventures or nothing very much at all apart from Netflix and jigsaw puzzles. Either have equal appeal.

Has my perception of motherhood changed over the last year or so? Not really. It is still the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life. I still love my daughter to the point of no return. And I still feel guilty every single day.

Mabel and I can now have entire conversations and she makes us laugh until the tears roll from our sleep-deprived eyes. She tells jokes and does impressions. She leaves sunshine and joy in her wake. She is the best thing that ever happened to my husband and I.

I wanted to finish this feature with something poignant to conclude how I feel about the start of a new year but to be honest I couldn’t think of anything that was as well expressed as a talented photographer and mother that I follow on instagram – Jodie Chapman.

2017 is hopefully going to be about slowing down, taking time, giving back, and continuing to ask the questions. Less chaos please. That, or stronger coffee.”

Quote Credit: @jodiechapman