A Little Celebration!

Even though Maddie doesn't officially turn one until October 31st, she had a lovely joint birthday party with six of her little mates in Queens Park today. Her sweet little friend Scarlett (and her lovely mum Rachel) put on a fab first birthday celebration for all the little tackers who met in the baby massage class at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. There were toys and cakes and more pots of petits filous than you could poke a stick at! It was absolute mayhem... with the mothers filling ourselves with champagne, the fathers talking about sport and the babies causing complete chaos.

The mums are a really fantastic group of ladies and I am so thrilled that we have all made it through the first year together. As we sipped our glasses of bubbly, we reflected on what an amazing year it had been and how lucky we all were to have such supportive partners and such gorgeous babies.

Our friends Richard and Jane welcomed a beautiful son into the world last week - Master Wilson Charles Fearn. They are doing amazingly well and we are absolutely thrilled for them. Seeing Jane holding little Wilson reminded me of how fragile I felt in the first few weeks of Maddie's life. I remember walking out of the hospital and feeling so incredibly overwhelmed by the responsibility that lay ahead. I had so much anxiety about everything from breast feeding to making sure that Maddie's room was exactly the right temperature. Then, when Maddie was about six weeks old, I suddenly stopped worrying and started enjoying my new role as a mum. In some ways I wish I could have those first 6 weeks back again so that I could treasure every moment rather than feeling so inadequate... but I guess every first time mum feels the same way.

Simon and I are so grateful to have little Maddie Moo in our lives. I remember my friend Sammy Blagg telling me that every morning felt like Christmas morning after she had given birth to her first baby girl Indiana... that she woke up with an excited feeling every morning because she knew she was going to see Indy's beautiful smiling face. I now know exactly what she meant.

Almost one year old... where did the time go.

Happy, Happy, Happy...

Maddie's development has gone into overdrive. In the past couple of weeks she has started to babble constantly and has even started to form full words (even though she doesn't know what they mean yet). The sweetest thing is that the first word she has fully formed (apart from mumma, dadda and bubba) is HAPPY. She repeats it over and over... happy, happy, happy! I hope that her life is always filled with happiness. It is quite amazing to watch as she soaks up information. She can now point to her nose, mouth and ears and she loves clapping along to nursery rhymes and waving good bye. Simes has taught her the word 'cuddle' and she breaks my heart by resting her head on our chests when we ask for a cuddle. Just heavenly!

One of her favourite things in the world is being read to. When we approach the book shelf her little face just lights up. I was so excited to find 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle in a gorgeous children's book shop in Primrose Hill. It was one of my favourite books when I was little and it is wonderful to be able share it with her.

Life in London goes on... lovely catch ups with friends and extended family. Simes and I are both busy at work. Fox have 4 films in the London Film Festival later this month and we have lots of film premieres coming up. Even though I still love attending these events, and I am as passionate as ever about film, getting home to Simes and Maddie just seems more important than walking up the red carpet these days. Funny how your priorities change. I never imagined that two people could bring me so much joy... but they do.

Passing Milestones...

It is quite amazing how quickly little Maddie is developing. Since our last blog update, she has passed quite a few milestones including learning how to wave, clap and shuffle across the floor on her bottom. She has decided that 'bum shuffling' is a much more interesting way to get around than crawling. It isn't wildly elegant, but it gets her around so I say good luck to her! Judging by the way she is pulling herself up to the standing position, I don't think it will be too long before she is walking.

Maddie continues to be a complete daddy's girl. Nobody can make her laugh like Simes can. Nothing makes me happier than hearing her squeal with laughter as her dad sings her one of his songs or tickles her. It's just the best sound in the world.

I can't believe that Maddie is going to be a year old in just six weeks. Sometimes I wish I could slow down time so that I could enjoy each stage of her life for longer... but then I realise that she seems to get more and more lovely with every stage. We are going to celebrate her birthday with seven of her little friends at a party in Queens Park on October 15th. She is also going to have a joint birthday party with her dad on her actual birthday (Oct 31st) for the grown ups in her life.

Autumn is with us and the leaves are starting to fall from the trees. Although it is a beautiful time of year and we are making the most of the gorgeous colours and the final rays of sunshine, you cant help thinking about the dreaded London winter that will be here before we know it. Oh well, I guess it's a good excuse to stay home and cuddle!

Dragon Boat Races and Carnival Weekend

We have all had a pretty hectic week including; a trip to Glasgow and Edinburgh (such a beautiful part of the world), a visit from Simon's Auntie Sue and Uncle Gordon, a staff party featuring dragon boat racing at Canary Warf, a lazy lunch in Queens Park, a beautiful BBQ on Howard and Barnie's East London roof top terrace and an afternoon of dancing at Notting Hill Carnival (dad did the dancing with Richard Fearne while Maddie and I chilled out away from the mayhem with friends). Thank goodness it was a long weekend... we all needed the extra day to recover.

Maddie is such a cool character. She is so sweet, social and happy. She just fits in everywhere we take her and happily dozes off when she starts to feel sleepy, no matter where we are. She is pure goodness.

I read a lovely article the other day that reminded me not to take one single day with her for granted. Here is a little extract...

I remember once as a kid, I did something dumb. My actual crime was I lied about where my friends and I were going one night. My father - because he wasn't born yesterday, either - caught me out, and I felt appropriately stupid and embarrassed. And then, in a rare moment of parental candour, explained, "It's OK. your job is to try and get away with stuff. And my job is to try and stop you. That's how the game works." And it is a game. A really fast game, too. No kidding - it really does go incredibly fast. and you'd think knowing that in advance helps, but it doesn't. Everything the good stuff, the bad stuff, the hard stuff - it all ultimately goes away. It evaporates, with no clear warning. One day, you just notice, "Hey, you stopped asking me to read you a bedtime story. Hmm... I guess that's over". Or, "Hey, you don't waddle when you run anymore - when did that happen?" The changes are so imperceptible. But, I suppose, how else could it be? Nowhere along the growth curve do toddlers announce, "Daddy, y'see this little fleshy part of my thigh that's really soft? Well, take a good look, because that's all changing. Wednesday at three." No-one tells you that, but come Wednesday, sure enough, it's gone.

So as it turns out, my father did know what he was doing. His game plan was simple but on-the-money: "You be the best kid you can be, I'll be the best father I can be, and let's see what happens."

Lots of love xxx

More Festival Fun

Apart from a nasty gastric bug that struck Maddie and Simes last week, life has been grand. Maddie had another rockin' weekend catching up with friends on Saturday and grooving to a fab array of bands at the V Festival on Sunday.

I am off to the Edinburgh Film Festival for a couple of days this week and we are looking forward to a visit from Simon's auntie and uncle this weekend. Simon is also heading down to the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday... think Maddie and I will give that one a miss... much too hectic for the Nicholls girls!

Maddie is looking suspiciously like she would like to crawl! Simes and I are actively discouraging it. We like her being in one spot where we can keep her out of trouble!

Take care & lots of love xxx

Maddie's Mates and Birthdays Galore!

This weekend, Maddie caught up with some of her best mates. On Saturday she joined her playmates for a BBQ at Scarlett's house in Queens Park. They jammed together on their musical instruments and giggled the afternoon away in the paddling pool. It was blissful to see the little munchkins so happy together.

On Saturday night, Simes and I helped Barney and Howie celebrate their 30th Birthdays at a fabulous members club in Soho, while Poonam (the lady that takes care of Maddie at nursery) came over and looked after the little minx. It was the first time we left Maddie with an official 'baby sitter'... she slept through the entire experience!

Our beautiful friend Pam had a garden party on Sunday to celebrate her 60th birthday. Pam (Nattie's mum) has cooked us Christmas lunch every year that we have been in London and has showered little Maddie with love from the moment she was born (including cooking her batches of delicious baby food teaching her wonderful African nursery rhymes). It was such a pleasure to help her celebrate her birthday in the sunshine surrounded by lovely friends.

We are looking forward to another music festival next weekend. I hope Maddie doesn't get too used to this rock'n roll lifestyle... I don't know if I have the energy to maintain it!

Congratulations are in order for so many of our lovely friends and family members in Australia with the arrival of hoards of gorgeous new babies. Wishing all the new additions good health and good luck always.

Lots of love xxx