Rhys' 1st Birthday party xxx

Mike got Eva up, washed and dressed this morning and dressed her into her lovely Summer dress with the boats on off Nanny and Grandad Nash for her 1st birthday. It was the first time it had been warm enough to wear it and she did look a pretty little bit.

Eva and I were going to Rhys' 1st birthday party at 1pm today, so I tried putting Eva down for her sleep earlier than usual and surprisingly, she was fast asleep by 11.20am. Unfortunately I had to wake her just over an hour later, but she was cheerful enough when I woke her, which was a relief. I changed Eva into her lovely little all in one playsuit that Lisa had bought for her birthday, to wear to the party. She looked beautiful in her dress, but I just thought she wouldn't be able to crawl very well wearing the dress and there was a bouncy castle at the party, so thought she'd be more mobile in trousers. Oh she did look scrumptious, again in an outfit it hadn't been warm enough to wear yet since she'd been bought it.

We got to the party at Christine's, Louise's mom's house, and it was all set up in the garden. It looked lovely how they'd set up it all up. There was a huge gazebo on the lawn with all blankets and toys scattered around so we could sit in the shade. There was a table set up for colouring in, another table set up in the sunshine to sit at. Lots of inflatable animals strewn about as the theme was animals or the jungle (Rhys's birthday cake had a lion, a monkey and a hippo on it and was so good). And off at the far end of the garden was a bouncy castle. I took Eva over to say hello to everybody, then we sat playing on one of the blankets. She did keep eyeing up the bouncy castle, so eventually, I took her over to it and sat on the edge with her. Well, for the first time ever on a bouncy castle, she went crawling onto the main bouncy part. She loved it! I was worried she would get hurt so crawled on with her. Ohhhh she had such fun, boinging up and down and finding it hilarious at me boinging up and down. She ended up being on the castle for most of the party, I couldn't get her off it. Each time I got us both off, it wasn't long before she was crawling back over, making a beeline for it again. There was a sit on mechanical digger in the garden too, and Eva had a great time sitting on it and moving the arm of the digger up, down, in and out with the control stick. She actually attempted to climb onto it herself, so I gave her a little helping hand.

After the party, we went round to the club to meet Mike, who was there after his hockey game. I text my dad to tell him we were there, and he came to meet us too. Grandad ended up feeding Eva her carbonara, as she hadn't eaten much at the party (there was too much fun to be having). She ate practically a whole bowlful of carbonara.

When we got back home, I sat and played with Eva and one of the books I read with her was one of her favourites... 'Where's Spot?' As I was reading out each page, for example "is he in the piano?" "Is he under the bed?" Eva was opening the flaps and for the first time, started saying "no!" in answer to each part, her cute little voice is coming on a real treat, but it was so cute to hear her all of a sudden start joining in and saying the "no"'s herself, I was quite amazed.

Again, Eva struggled to settle at bedtime and it was 9.30pm before she was asleep. With how little sleep she'd had and how action packed her day had been, I really thought she'd be out for the count, but I think she struggled down to a combination of the heat and being overtired. Mike and I were shattered ourselves and were both in bed ourselves by 10.30pm tonight.

What a lovely day Xxx