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A letter to my daughter at 13 months

Dear Autumn,

Yet another month has gone by so quickly, you’re now 13 months old! I’ve gone back to work this month. Although I’m not working full time, I’m spending over 24 hours a week away from you and that feels an awful lot. Fortunately, you seem to have adjusted well and seem to enjoy your time with your childminder. I think that you’ve adjusted a lot better than I have, actually. The first day I went back to work, the things I was able to do that I can’t with you around were something of a novelty. The second day I spent in the office, I kept thinking of you and felt tearful several times. I just have to try and remind myself that it’s for your own good that I’m doing this.

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5 pros of returning to work after maternity leave

I recently went back to work after 13 months. Due to a short hospital stay at the end of August last year, just under a month before giving birth, I started maternity leave a couple of weeks early. I’m fortunate that I am going to be working part time for the next year or so rather than full time. However, I’m still missing Autumn like crazy!

To make myself feel better, I’ve decided to try and focus on the positives of going back to work.

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The NSFW naughty side of CBeebies

The NSFW side of CBeebies

If you live in the UK have a pre-school child, chances are that you are well acquainted with CBeebies. Astonishingly, some mums (and dads) actually start to have a bit of a thing for some of the characters. Mrs Helicopter is no stranger to these feelings (don’t read if you’re faint-hearted, or weak-stomached for that matter!) While I’m absolutely certain I’ll never be one of the “tumble tarts“, (women who would actually like to get together with Mr. Tumble for some fun), you do find that your brain seems to try and find ways to make it more interesting. After all, it’s quite mundane having the same old brain-numbing thing rotated three times a day and seeing the same episodes every couple of weeks.

I’ve noticed that on occasion, things are said that sound quite dirty out of context. Sometimes it could even be misconstrued within context! I like to think that they throw these things in to keep us on our toes and see if we’re actually listening.

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A letter to my daughter at 12 months – 1 year old!

Dear Autumn,

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I gave birth to you and first held you in my arms. I was overwhelmed with love and adoration, just as I am today when I look at the beautiful little girl you’ve become. We went through a lot, but you came out fighting and caught up to be just where you should be! I’m so proud of you, but scared of how fast the time has slipped away already, despite the fact I’ve tried desperately to savour it all. I’m going back to work next week and am already terribly sad about the time I’m going to miss spending with you, as well as worried how you’re going to get on. 

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paternity-leave-interview

A husband’s view of paternity leave and returning to work

Going back a couple of generations, looking after the home and children was very much thought of as “women’s work”. However, with the rise of stay-at-home dads and dads seeming to be more hands-on in general, I wondered what my husband’s thoughts were. He’s wonderfully hands on with Autumn and has expressed in the past that he is worried about missing her doing different things like crawling and walking for the first time. I thought I’d do a little interview with him about his thoughts on paternity leave and working, leaving his baby at home.

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