Hogmanay and Elizabeth’s 12th birthday

It’s Hogmanay and Elizabeth’s birthday today. The years tick by and although there are big global events – like the pandemic – we still go through all the same motions each year. Elizabeth is 12 and had a lovely celebration at home with two of her school friends.

Elizabeth was such a cute little baby.

And a very easy birth. I was in and out of the hospital in just a few hours. My father joked that it was like I’d gone to the shops, plucked her from the shelf, then brought her home.

Elizabeth didn’t want to sleep in a cot so she spent at least the first 12 months of her life sleeping in our bed. I know they don’t recommend co-sleeping with your baby but it’s truly the best way to get sleep when you’re breastfeeding. I was able to feed lying down so I’d fall back asleep which meant I was better rested than if I’d had to get up every two hours to sit in a chair which is what happened when Daniel was a baby and I found that much harder. I was also not in the risk categories which are being overweight, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs.

We carried her around everywhere in one of those front packs for at least the first 18 months. Sometimes Ben would fall asleep at the same time.

She was very independent and knew what she wanted from quite a young age. She liked to dress herself.

She did ballet for a couple of years when she was little.

For her 12th birthday, Elizabeth asked for a bigger hamster cage for Daisy. I think we’re up to about 12 cages now. But I’m proud of her for being concerned about the welfare of her little pet. Even Daniel enjoyed watching Daisy explore her new home and said, “It’s so nice to make little creatures happy”. I couldn’t have said it better myself. It is indeed wonderful to be kind to other creatures. It brings us pleasure.

Daisy spent hours exploring her new home way past her bedtime. This is definitely the final cage. The next step up would be to give her the spare bedroom and that’s not going to happen.

Bella has two inter-connecting cages which she seems to like so for now she’s staying put. We tried adding on a third cage but she didn’t use it. They’re so different and have different personalities. Daisy is the explorer while Bella likes her burrows.

Happy birthday, Elizabeth!

And Happy Hogmanay to the rest of the world!