My blog, this month, is five years old. FIVE years. It doesn't seem that long ago to me but according to Google it really has been five years. I think five years is a long time! I'm not sure how I've managed to keep it up but I hope there will be many more!

This year, however, hasn't been a really productive one blogging wise. Fear not - I have plans to change this - let me know if you'd like to collaborate or get involved!

So it may not have been a very productive blogging year but it was productive otherwise. I feel like I've been on a ginormous learning curve that hasn't ended ... not sure when it will to be honest. It wasn't a year like last year where we had wedding after wedding, but we did have a baby! The journey to get to that stage was a long and steady one and our bundle of joy arrived in April - we have been trying to keep up with her ever since.

A few thoughts:

• Take a break: I took a break from blogging, not one that I planned but one that just happened. What I've learnt from this is that it is important to take breaks. Take a step back. I know that if I had carried on my posts would have been scattered, inconsistent and I would have been writing for the sake of it with no feeling or motivation. 

• Talk: It's important to talk to people, keeping things in your head can sometimes drive you crazy. Remember you aren't alone no matter how lonely you may feel!

• Listen: Listen to what people have to say as sometimes you come across genuine people who will give good advice. They'll tell good stories and make you think twice. Don't take everything to heart, just listen. Sometimes listening means letting it go in through one ear and out the other because lets face it, people talk a lot of rubbish. Sometimes it means really listening to what is being said, especially when it comes from the heart.  

• Make your own decisions: This is something I personally really really struggle with. I am one of the worst decision makers you'll ever meet. My manager used to send me the menu to wherever we were going a few weeks before everyone else just so I had that extra time to decide. It's not a bad thing, it just means I'm overwhelmed by choices. But sometimes we need to make decisions for ourselves because then, at the end of the day, they are your own. I'm trying to be less indecisive! 

• Stop looking back: Stop looking back at things that could have happened, and even things that have happened. When I say looking back, I mean living in the past and constantly thinking 'what if'. The truth is that it's too late. We can't turn the clocks back and we can't repeat history. I'm pretty sure that's not possible, no matter how much we may want it to be. We have to live in the now.

What has been the highlight of your year? Any advice that you'd give? Do you have any plans for next year?

It's been a long time since I blogged properly and regularly. Mostly it was because I was busy but also because I was lacking inspiration and motivation. I just haven't been able to find things that I thought were good enough to blog about. It became a chore. It never used to be a chore.

I used to blog because I wanted to, because I enjoyed it. Thankfully, now I have the urge to blog again! I have my mojo back!! Oh yes.

Things I've been doing/an explanation for my absence:
I've been busy trying to be a mum, a wife, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a granddaughter, a friend, a cousin and an aunt. I've been busy trying, trying again and then some more, sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding. I guess you can only do what you can do - to come to this thinking however took some time.

I've not had much time to myself - I haven't sat down with my laptop or notebook in such a long time that the concept almost feels alien to me. I have spent many outings and moments trying to find something to blog about. I've racked my brains for inspiration without luck. It's crazy because there are actually so many things I could blog about staring at me in the face! SO MANY!

I could have written about life with a baby, the rewards, the challenges and the milestones. I could write about days out or places I've eaten in. I mean it's not like I had nothing to blog about... I just hadn't been able to find it in myself.

But I think I'm ready, I think I'm back and I sure do have a lot more to say this time. :)

What have you been up to? Have you caught up with my blog posts so far? Do! I had a baby!

So turns out trimester three is not the last hurdle ... there is actually something called trimester 4. Trimester 4 is the first three months after your baby is born. The same amount of time a baby is classed as a newborn! 

Baby B arrived exactly on the day the midwife told us she would. The due date. Her due date. Our little girl seemed to have no interest in coming out and waited patiently the whole time. Finally when she did arrive, it was surreal. I remember looking at her during the night and thinking 'she's mine, oh my!' She slept so quietly the first few days, waking up to feed and then slipping straight back into a deep sleep. That's how the first week has was, and for a very short while she stayed like that, eating and sleeping. 

In the third trimester, the thing I heard the most was how big I was getting - I was well aware of my bump but for some reason, people felt it necessary to mention this to me. This included random people, STRANGERS, asking me how far along I was. After hearing my answer they'd respond with "are you sure it's not twins?! You're HUGE". I was almost certain that I was not having twins but still kept having to remind others that I wasn't.

Trevi Fountains

That view :)

The Spanish Steps

Look Up!!

Inside the Coliseum

Outside