Dear Diary. January '22

Mila, this month is the last of your 0’s. Where has that time gone?! It’s crazy to think that you won’t remember any of your life so far but this past year with you in our lives we will cherish forever as the BEST ONE YET!

We start the new year after a year of firsts, first holidays, first words, first Christmas and now your first steps! It’s true what they say time really does fly. I always felt like after university the years seemed to get quicker but add a child into the mix and oh boy they are flying.

I have been blessed with a very happy, chilled, alert and inquisitive little girl. Our first year together has honestly been a dream and I am honoured to be your mama.

We kicked off the year enjoying the last few months here in Dubai, your first home and where you were born. Now you are starting to discover the world more we took you to the Dubai Safari Park where you fed the giraffes their breakfast, something we will remember for a long time to come.

You went on your first boat and first bicycle on a staycay at Zaya Nurai, Abu Dhabi. We watched in awe as you pointed at every. single. bird. you could find and called them your new word for the month ‘birdee’. Proud parent moment.

Don’t get me wrong our first year has had many ups and downs, perhaps the hardest of all was sleep training. I read MANY articles and took much advice and, very naively I now know, entered into the training. I was led hook, line and sinker into the fact that sleep training takes on average 5 nights. WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH.

I have since learnt to not read as much, trust your maternal instinct and do what is best for your child, who you and only you know best. Low and behold, after 5 nights I realised this was going to take a lot longer and I was going to have to adapt the ‘rules’ that are written all over the internet. One thing I do agree with however is how freeing and life changing it is when your child masters self-soothing and is ‘sleep-trained’. We did this when Mila was 9 months old and It took us 3 weeks +, with our worst night resulting in an on/off 2 hour scream / cry session (sorry neighbours!!) so I feel you mamas, and dads, out there.

Have you sleep trained? How did it go for you? Did you opt not to? I’d love to hear from you and learn from our community of mamas. Please leave a comment in the box below.

Next month Mila turns 1, Granny comes to visit and I discuss teething!