2019 has been the most surreal year of my life. It feels equally as though I closed my eyes and the year was done, but also that it lasted at least 5 years. Maybe this is a new mum thing? Like it’s kind of insane to me that this human that is such a massive part of my life wasn’t even born this time last year. Surreal.
But a year it has been. And quite a different year to many that have come before it.
You see, I do these little end of year roundups every year (here they are for 2018, 2017 and 2016). For me they’re almost like an end of year review at work. I look at all of the places I’ve travelled, the collabs I’ve worked on, my personal achievements, and feel eternally grateful that my little corner of the internet has given me so many awesome experiences. A few years ago I started throwing in my personal achievements too, things like my 30th birthday and getting engaged. I think it puts my year into perspective and again just makes me feel content with how I’ve spent another year on this planet.
So here we are, the end of not only 2019 but a whole decade (crazy!), and I’m rounding up my favourite moments of the year once again. This year is obviously different as I have done considerably less travel than usual, so you’ll see a lot more personal moments in this edition. But I hope you enjoy reading about my year. I’d love to hear about yours too – what did you get up to in 2019??
The Very Best Moments of 2019
I had a baby (duh).
I mean, quite obviously, having a baby is the biggest thing that happened to me in 2019, and probably my life. Indi arrived into my world in January so I’m nearly at a whole year of motherhood, and seriously, I don’t think I really understood how much it would change my life.
It’s being really hard at times and I’ve struggled juggling all the different aspects of my life. But it’s also been rewarding and dreamy and has given me a new level of contentment I’ve never really experienced. I think I’ll write a whole post about my first year of motherhood because there’s a lot I want to say. But yeah, it’s been life-changing.
I also feel weird saying having a baby has been the highlight of my year because the actual act of giving birth is right down there as one of my least favourite experiences ever! But y’know, I got this little pickle out of it, so I guess it wasn’t all that bad.
READ MORE:
- The Birth Story: Welcome To The World, Indiana!
- Recovering From Childbirth
- How To Survive The Newborn Days
- My Bottle-Feeding Journey
- An EDITED Hospital Packing List
Champneys Spa for Mother’s Day
For my first EVER Mother’s Day, the absolute babes at Virgin Experience Days sent me for a pamper at Champney’s Tring. It was very much needed after the trials and tribulations of The Fourth Trimester and I really liked getting away for the day, relaxing and having a lovely facial. It was definitely a treat.
It was also the first proper thing I had done for my blog since having a baby, and made me feel a lot more like me again.
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My Mum Got The All-Clear
Just after I had Indi, my mum was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer after a routine mammogram. She had to undergo surgery and radiation therapy and it was a really scary time for my family. But I’m so grateful that she got the all-clear a couple of months later.
It was a really tough time for my family and a huge weight was lifted when we got the good news. The C word is completely terrifying and I’m just eternally grateful that it was caught and treated by our wonderful NHS.
Our First Night Away At The Seaside
I didn’t really talk about this on the blog, but we experienced our first night away with Indi in May. We packed up the car and drove down to the seaside to visit my grandparents. It was a bit of a test to see whether we could travel with Indi and at the time felt way more stressful than it now seems in retrospect.
But it was a lovely trip and definitely gave me the confidence to do more as a family. And of course we got to hang out with my grandparents, go for a pub lunch, hit the arcades and have a nice walk along the beach.
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Mac & Wild Steak Masterclass
Ooh another Virgin Experience Day treat! This time it was a butchery and steak masterclass at Mac & Wild in London. I admit this wouldn’t have been my first choice, but as it was Father’s Day I let Josh choose. And actually it was a really nice date night. It kinda felt like we were on Masterchef as we learned how to cut the meat. And then we had a lovely dinner in the restaurant, talking to the owner and another couple that were on our masterclass. Pretty cool night!
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Road Trip To The Cotswolds
After our successful trip to the seaside, we decided to try a road trip to the Cotswolds, staying in an AirBnb and exploring the chocolate-box little villages in the area. It was a beautiful weekend to explore and go to the pub beer garden, plus Indi was a dream on both journeys. Delightful staycation, I’d say.
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Spice Girls at Wembley
My pal Sam and I went to London to see the Spice Girls at Wembley and it was SO GOOD. We sung our little hearts out, bought t-shirts, remembered long-forgotten album tracks, danced all night and lost our voices. It was a much-needed night off from parental duties and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
We Bought A House!
The plan for 2019 was to save for a house deposit whilst we were back living with my parents, and I had expected to buy a house at the beginning of 2020 if I’m honest. Y’know seeing as I was on mat leave and we were starting our savings from scratch. But we got a crazy-good deal and everything moved so quickly and voila, we moved into our brand new house in August!
I’m not one of those people that thinks you need to buy a house, but it was the right thing for us and I feel very settled in our first family home.
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Our First Family Holiday To Seville!
Eeeeek I finally bit the bullet and went on our first family holiday this year; to sunny Seville!
I was very nervous about flying with a baby and worried that it was going to be quite stressful. But although it wasn’t like the relaxing holidays of yor, we had a really lovely time as a family of three. It’s definitely encouraged me to try more travel adventures as a family in 2020!
READ MORE:
- Our First Family Holiday To Seville
- Is Seville A Baby-Friendly Destination?
- Food Diaries: Where To Eat In Seville
- Flying With A Baby…
Fell In Love With The Theatre Again
Bit of a random one, but I always moan about not going to the theatre enough, and in 2019 I actually went to a few shows! My friends took me to see The Bodyguard as a birthday treat (good singalong), my bestie took me to see Waitress as a birthday treat (amazing show!!) and for my pal’s birthday we took her to see 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton is just great). Basically my friends and I have run out of stuff to get each other so just go to the theatre now lol. But I’m here for it. More in 2020 I hope.
My Pal’s Wedding
Wedding season has begun in my friendship group. We’ve been to the odd wedding over the last couple years but this was the first wedding from our inner circle, and there are a lot more to come in the next few years! (Hopefully mine at some point…lol)
It was a very fun and glitzy weekend in London. We had a boozy night on the Friday, spent the Saturday at the Hindu ceremony, and got glam for the wedding reception on the Saturday night. Going to friends’ weddings is just the best, isn’t it?
The Ultimate Date Night At De Vere Hotel
De Vere Cotswold Water Park invited Josh and I for a slap-up dinner and a night in the hotel last month. It was such a lovely stay, complete with dreamy spa sesh and delicious three course dinner. But the main thing is that we had a baby-free date night away. I think it’s really important to have time as a couple after you have a baby, and this was a good chance to have some time together. So it definitely makes the cut in 2019’s best moments.
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Indiana’s First Christmas
Last year’s Christmas was a bit of a write-off. I was 9 months pregnant, couldn’t go out with my friends, couldn’t eat a proper cheese board and obviously a delightful mug of mulled wine was off-limits.
But this year it was time to make up for the lost crimbo of ’18. And I certainly did that. There were some boozy nights with pals and too many baked camemberts involved.
But obviously the best part of Christmas 2019 was spending it with Indi. She’s a bit too young to really know what’s going on but I think she liked it. We took her to see the local lights switch-on and to the singing reindeers at Frosts Garden Centre. And on Christmas Day we did stockings in bed and then opened presents whilst listening to Christmas records. It was really exciting to see everything through her eyes and I’m even more excited to see how she likes it next year!
So that’s my 2019, kids. Not quite as adventurous as previous years (travel-wise anyway), but there were some pretty huge milestones in there. And for 2020? Well other than Glastonbury, I don’t have a single plan. So I guess I’m just winging it.
Happy New Year everyone!
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