All about my daughter/s

I thought considering my little girl is turning 1 this week, on the 9th May, that this would be a nice piece to write. I know it's only been a short little existence so far and you wouldn't think there would be that much to say but any doting mum will know how easy it is to talk about their children.

My husband and I had already produced a son and when we discussed trying for a 2nd child I was secretly desperate for a little girl, don't get me wrong I adore my little boy but I think all women want a little girl of their own, I wanted to bake, play dolls, do her hair etc etc things that my little boy wouldn't be interested in. I was determined to do all I could to influence the gender result and looked up many old wives tales and theories. Some I wont tell you about(they're rude!) but others such as trying to conceive before and on the first days of ovulation as well as cutting out all salty foods I don't mind mentioning. They seem to have worked too as 9 months later Elsa arrived, making me the proud mummy of 2 gorgeous children.

I had suffered some complications with my pregnancy which meant I had to be induced, they let me go as far as my actual due date which meant my little girl would be full term, a huge relief as I was worried about premature delivery. I was actually in slow labour for about a week, having regular but faint contractions, but was still given the induction in order to hurry things on, I spent a whole day wandering around the hospital with my husband hoping the exercise would help my waters break but no luck, eventually at 10.30 that night, after much insistence, I was taken down to the delivery suite and the midwife broke my waters for me. The labour was incredibly fast but that had a lot to do with the amount of time I'd already been in slow labour, after an hour and a half of increasing contractions I was struck by the strange desire to push and after about four pushing attempts my little girl was delivered, a beautiful, purple, wrinkly ball of chubby flesh.

We had planned her name since finding out she'd be a girl, taken from my favourite film and a combination of grandmothers names, we called her Elsa Kathleen Mae, she was born 7lb 8oz and 52 cm exactly the same as her brother when he was born. She slept all through her first night in the world, thankfully as I was surprisingly tired despite the short labour, and when the midwife told me the next morning that we could go home if I wanted I jumped at the chance, not only do I hate staying in hospital but I wanted to take my precious little angel home for everyone to see. We received lots of visitors that day and she was spoiled with lots of presents, not that she noticed, as long as she could eat and sleep that's all that concerned her. She looked so tiny, like a little china doll, in her matinee coat, bonnet and booties.

Elsa has always been a good baby, from day one she ate well, was quiet and content, she even began sleeping through at two months old! She was sitting and crawling by six months old and at that stage she learnt how to climb the stairs, she's a real adventurer so we have to keep a close watch on her and we have baby gates everywhere to stop any escape attempts. We switched her from bottles to training cups at six months, at which stage she was also taking solid food, she has been an absolute dream during the weaning stages and we never had any problems helping her adjust. By eight months she was standing and pulling herself along the furniture but it wasn't until ten months that she took her first step, being the proud mummy that I am I told everyone about it, I think that actually helped her walking develop as everyone was keen to see how clever she was and she was always happy to get the attention, now she can cross the room with ease and was even walking down the garden path the other day which looked so adorable. She still only has eight teeth but they're evenly spread so she doesn't look too odd! Despite the lack of teeth we've never really had teething problems with her, none of the major nightmares you imagine with endless screaming and discomfort.

Elsa is a girl that knows what she wants, she'll eagerly point at the toy she desires and if she can't get it boy will she throw a tantrum, already she has mastered the art of throwing herself on the floor and wailing. Not that it works of course, I end up laughing rather than giving in as she rolls around the floor in a strop. She's a big fan of sweet food and at her party on Sunday was more than happy to swipe a few cup cakes and devour them but her favourite snack is actually bread sticks, she learnt to recognize the box and is so excited and impatient when she sees it, we have to discreetly put them in the trolley when we're shopping otherwise she wants one there and then. Elsa has a really good appetite, she's a miniature trash can, you would not believe what she can pack away! She's just like her daddy and brother. I love it when she stands by the gate when I'm in the kitchen, she holds onto the bars like a convict and stares trough the gaps at me, I've been tempted to put up a "don't feed the bears" sign especially when her brother joins her in the demand for a cookie.

Elsa loves to dance but because she's still unsteady on her feet she stands in one place but does a bizarre bum wiggle while waving her hands in the air, she's not fussy what she dances to either but the Thomas The Tank Engine theme tune is sure to get her boogying, that and the Sheila's Wheels car insurance advert. We've guessed that her favourite colour is purple, mainly because it's always the purple bricks she tries to eat, whenever we offer her other coloured toys she always goes back to the purple ones. She has a lot of pink clothes, toys etc... so I'm taking bets that she will rebel as a teenager and become a Goth, she's certainly going to be the more difficult out of the two, her brother is so laid back but Elsa is highly strung, demanding and occasionally clingy. Still she's totally adorable and wonderfully cute, she's very hard to resist.

She is already a budding My Little Pony fan, much to my delight, she gets all excited when she sees them and in fact already had quite a collection of them considering she's only one year old. Of course just because she has her own toys doesn't always mean that she's happy to play with them, her poor older brother is rather fond of his toy trains and is reluctant to share with her, but bless him he always hands one over just to keep his "belly boo" happy.

"Belly Boo" is just one of the nick names Elsa has adopted in the year since she was born, the name changes depending on where we are. The first incarnation was "Pinky" because she was always in pink, that soon became "Pinky pie". My dad calls her "Elsie" while my mum calls her "Elly belly", then that became "Belly" or "Bells" finally resulting in my sons name for her "Belly boo" if she ever knows that her name is actually Elsa I'll be amazed.

Elsa is my dream come true, she may be hard work at times and I'm sure she'll give me a lot of grief as she gets older, but she is fabulous. Her cute little face, toothy grin and beautiful blue eyes always make me smile even when I'm feeling at my lowest, she has a sinister little laugh and a cheeky expression that says she's knows she's not meant to be doing something but will anyway. She is a little girl full of character, she's so determined to do things that she didn't stay a baby for long and the fact that she was so advanced compared to her brother is something that makes me a little sad, I will always love my little girl but will miss the baby that she was for such a short amount of time. Nothing can make you feel warm and loved like when she toddles over to give you a cuddle, although you have to watch out for her attempts at giving kisses, she's more likely to end up biting your chin.

Elsa is my first daughter and possibly my only daughter, I'm not sure if I could make her share that special place thet she has in my heart. I can't wait for all the experiences we'll have together and look forward to watching her grow up. I have high hopes for her, as all parents do for their children, but as long as she grows up happy and healthy(and not breaking the law!) then that's all that really matters. It is difficult to explain how having children will make you feel, having mine was the best decision I ever made, they may not be perfect kids but they're mine and I love them.

Happy 1st Birthday Elsa!

----------------------------------------​--------------------
10/0 9/2007

Elsa is now 16 months and how things change. She's still a beautiful little girl with a cheeky grin, a girl that knows what she wants but she has really seemed to grow up in these last 4 months. She's become far less clingy and very adventurous already climbing up and down the stairs without help, she'll happily play out in the garden without me there and really enjoys the freedom the ability to walk has given her. She's almost unstoppable, very nearly managing to run!

Her speach has come on amazingly and she can already say little sentences like "i want to get out" "I want that" "go there" and "sit down" her understanding is so good now that I'll give her choices on what to eat or wear etc she knows exactly what i'm asking her and will hapilly make her choices with a "yes" "no" or "want that" she even chooses what shoes she will wear, she's a real girl and loves shoes.

It's wonderful watching her sit and play with her stuffed toys making them talk to eachother and giving them kisses, she also plays beautifully with her brother, more often then not she's the dominant one leading the games.

She's a a really magical stage growing and developing, it's wonderful to watch her achieve new things and she is always so proud of herself when she gets something right, even giving herself a little cheer!

----------------------------------------​------------------
09/03 /08
In 2 months time my little girl will be 2, I can't believe it! She has changed so much recently, she's gone from a chubby little baby to a proper little girl and is simply adorable, she loves shoes and clothes and is a nightmare if you buy her something new because she has to wear it there and then. She is a real princess and can be very high maintenence throwing the funniest tantrums I've ever seen adopting the "floppy" mode and collapsing in a heap on the floor with her face buried in the carpet, I know I shouldn't laugh at her but you just can't help it.

She's a clever little dot and amazes me with the things she comes out with, on a recent trip to Longleat she stunned us all my declaring "look, look, animals, tiger asleep" I had no idea she even knew what a tiger was.

Elsa is a terrible flirt, you can be male or female but she'll happily give you a wave and a smile, if you're lucky she'll have a giggle which is a real naughty, saucy little laugh that gets everyone smiling along with her. She really brings sunshine to my life and I'm so proud of my baby girl.

Dont you just love the criteria featured below! hardly relevant eh!