How are we at the start of another year?! I feel like 2020 and 2021 kind of merged as there was three lockdowns in total, 8 weeks of home schooling, masks became mandatory again and caution was still in the air with Covid-19 still about and another variant of it too! Lets just hope this isn’t a repeat of the last two years. Anyway I’m not starting the year off with doom and gloom but a family walk to blow the cobwebs away.

We didn’t actually leave the house New Year’s day as it was nice to stay in a snuggle up and watch movies with the girls. The next day however we took the girl’s to High Lodge which is local to us and let them burn off some energy and it was just what we all needed.

I’m actually thinking about getting a yearly pass for here as its a nice place to go all year round, if your an outdoors family like we are. Polly loved all the play areas and zip wire and now Lola is that bit older she is starting to enjoy more things too. These are the only pictures I took as I tend to take more videos these days as I love making little movies to look back on.

Monday 3rd of January and I guess it’s bank holiday still as New Years day fell on a weekend this year but it was the start of a slow start to getting back into our normal routine. Polly went to Acro tonight. She dropped Ballet at the end of last year and just does that now as that’s what her little friends did so it was nice she is back there. Tomorrow Lola’s back at swimming and I have a food shop to collect as I completely lived out of our fridge and freezer in the between Christmas and New Year limbo. Then Wednesday Is Polly’s swimming lesson and we’re catching up with a family friend in the day before she is back to school Thursday, so actually a slow but steady start to back into routine.

Getting up for the first school run of the year on Thursday 6th January felt like a killer after almost 3 weeks of relaxed bedtimes and lay in’s I had to wake the girls which I thought I would. It also happened to be the coldest night of the year the night prior so all the joys of de-icing and warming the car up too in the freezing cold! Polly had a good first day back though, she is a child who loves routine and always likes to know what’s happening ahead of time.

As for the rest of January it’s passing by quite slowly I feel. Polly’s now done her first full week back at school and has loved being back and socialising with her friends again. She had her normal Acro and Swimming lessons and even had a session at school with her speech therapist (something I don’t mention too often) and she is doing really well with her especially considering I tried to get her referred at 2.5years and was told the waiting list was forever and that she would no doubt be at school, then throw Covid-19 into the mix and she was half way through her reception class before she got seen. But fast forward a year on and she is doing really well with her speech therapist and she see’s the same lady each time which is nice for her and for the lady to see her progress.

Talking of speech, Lola’s has come on no end since Christmas I’ve especially noticed. Polly got a new baby from our neighbours and she obviously said “Baby” shortly followed by Lola saying “Baba” and now she says it all the time even if there is a baby on the TV etc. She can also say shoes, juice, car, woof woof for dog and sometimes says dog. She has said Mama and Dada and Nana for ages. She also says Layla which is Mums dog who she loves fondly. She is also close to saying Polly. Although I’m not sure if she is saying enough for her age I Know exactly what she is after during the day. She goes to the girls drinks cupboard and gets herself a cup and takes it to the sink for some water if she wants more water. Although she says juice not water, its water that she drinks and really well so while she does I haven’t had to worry about squashes or anything yet.

One thing that has been getting me through this slow month is our little break to Center Parcs. We booked it last year to have a little something to look forward to and I am so excited about it. Last time we went for a stay cation there was September 2019 for hubby’s birthday and it was quite quiet as it was the week schools returned after summer holidays and we knew it would be the last year we could go for his birthday as Polly would then be in school. We then did manage to get a day pass that December and I was early stages pregnant with Lola but luckily not ill there and able to enjoy the day there exploring their festive Christmas displays and of course swimming. So Lola has technically been as a bump but actually been so I am most excited about that for her “first” little holiday. She does attend swimming lessons but doesn’t really enjoy it like Polly does and did at her age so I’m hoping the fun side of it there at Center Parcs she will gain more confidence especially being with Polly in the water.

Here is a few snaps from Centre Parcs we honestly had the best time. I’ve blogged about it separately in it’s own little post as I want to have it easy to find in many years to come for the girls. And although I felt cheeky pulling Polly out of school for a holiday, I just think due to Covid it’s effected every single persons life even if they haven’t had the virus. I saw a post saying all the school years down to year 1 (Polly’s year) and it said against it something like last “normal” school year and it said Never! Because she never has had it all normal! The government put us in a National Lockdown back in March 2020 and I couldn’t send her to preschool the one crucial time I wanted her to go in the build up to school she couldn’t. Then another lockdown where we did 8 weeks of home schooling this time last year, something else taken out of our hands and not what you want for your reception age child to miss 2 whole months of their first year in school. So yes as you can see I felt strongly about it and the fact I thought after all she has been through 4 whole days away from school wouldn’t hurt and we took her kindle and she still did her homework and reading and built up a main life skill swimming.

That Friday we returned from Centre Parcs I thought I’d better test us all and make sure we were all still negative as there had been cases in Polly’s class whilst we have been away and blow me down Polly came up positive! I almost wanted to cry for her as she had missed it all this time and you do worry for your children when they get illnesses etc. She had absolutely no symptoms, unless you count her waking up the day before on the Thursday with a rash on her cheek and a puffy eye. We took her to the onsite nurse who said just a reaction to something so we got her some piriton which did the trick. After hearing lots from other mum’s this can be quite common. But other than that completely fine in herself just sad that she wasn’t able to go back to school and see her friends after almost a week off!

Skip forward a week (and entering the start of February) with some light homeschooling and having to isolate she finally tested negative on her 5th day then again on the 6th which meant she could go back on the Friday. So for one day we were back to routine and got to see my Mum as we obviously couldn’t see her incase we passed anything on and with her age etc it’s not fair and door stop visits just don’t cut it. Polly couldn’t wait to get back round her Nanny’s house and hug her after what felt like so long! That weekend was then a busy one. Polly had two 6th birthday parties to attend. The first being her little friends fairy party at her house in the village and the second her friends superhero soft play party in which he was sharing with his little brother who was turning two and Lola was invited to his birthday aswell.

After a hectic weekend my bed was calling me. Lola actually fell asleep on the way home from the soft play party and could not be woken, didn’t want any tea and we were able to change her into her PJ’s and she slept through the night but she hadn’t had a nap all day so I think that is why and danger nap time falling asleep in car on way home. The next morning one of the class mum’s had been struck down with Covid so informed us all, we have a group chat and their honestly all so lovely. I thought I better do a test then, although I was negative Friday and blow me down… positive! I wasn’t super shocked as Polly only showed up as negative last Thursday but I was shocked how delayed it was in coming out. I felt rotten for two days last week, a cough, sore throat, fuzzy head and ached like even my eyelids ached yet I wasn’t tired but my LFT’s were negative but I’m sure that was the start of it as the day I found out those feelings came back. Luckily my wonderful Mum is taking Polly to and from school for us and hopefully I don’t get any worth and with any luck negative on day 5. But other Mum’s in Polly’s class who have got it after their little ones are positive right up until day 10, so I’m not holding out much hope. I am only 2 days into isolating, feeling shattered and abit stir crazy having to stay in especially as I basically had to last week with Polly. What a whole nightmare hey! Never mind it will soon be Valentine’s day and I’ve done the girls some treats. Hubby has pushed back our Valentines meal as we were due to go out this week and next week is half term so worse case scenario my day 10 is next Wednesday so least I can hopefully enjoy Polly being off from school and enjoy freedom! It’s only when you can’t leave the house you desperately want to.

So not much to report for the month, Centre Parcs then Covid but February feels better and like spring is on it’s way. Anyway much love for now…

Sophie