By Alex: 021

Wow, it's been a while huh? I am now the proud parent of a 13 month old - time flies!

After having my son in April last year I was inevitably swept up into the newborn whirlwind, and it really never let up until a few months ago. The one word I always use when people ask me what it's like to have a baby?

RELENTLESS

There are no holidays, no weekends, no time off - especially when you have no family around you to share the load (yay, ex-pat life!). I have even more respect for single parents than I did before, because seriously, how do they do it?! Superheroes.

So, people talk about losing their identity when they become a parent, and I really get it. For me though, it hasn't been about not knowing how to dress or having a different outlook on the world (though those things have happened here and there), but it's been more about the loss of time for myself for the little things. Self-care has become an up-hill battle, as my needs went straight to the bottom of the pile - quite literally...the laundry pile. My husband certainly does he share, but it has always been my nature to get things done quickly and 'properly' myself, so when those 'things' triple overnight, something has to give - my skincare routine for example.

As you can imagine then, there has really been no good time for me to start writing again - apart from for work requirements - or at least it has felt like it.

To be honest though, I just didn't want to write until now. There have been a million subjects that I could have written about during this first year as a Mama, but most of the time I was just too busy surviving it, plus I really felt that there wasn't much I could add to the parenting discussion anyway.

Most importantly though, there was always a voice in the back of my mind telling me that I just didn't want this blog to become all about being a mum - and for the first 12 months that is really what I had become.

Now the fog is clearing.

My son has turned one and started going to nursery a few hours a week, and as he turns into a toddler I feel more confident in other peoples ability to take care of him, and his ability to survive without me. So I am taking time for myself (usually after everything else has been done, but not always!) and this blog is a part of that.

I know that #mumlife and all that it has brought will still be in here, because it is a huge part of who I am now and an important aspect to explore, but I also hope to use this space to convey all the other aspects of myself too.

So on that note, here is a photo of the man himself. Damn he's cute.