I get to be a kid again

There are so many benefits to having a baby. There are the obvious ones like experiencing unconditional love, knowing that you created a tiny human being and seeing them learn new things for the first time. Nothing can top the way they smile at you when they see your face (except maybe when she says mum for the first time, but we have a long way to go before then). I also now have a little buddy to keep me company when T does his night shifts, although she does sleep most of that time. One of the more superficial advantages of having a baby that I am absolutely loving is that I can be a kid again!

I now have a legitimate excuse to buy toys and play with them. Yes, they're for my daughter. I have already planned out everything I want to buy for my her "big girl" room. I know shes only 10 weeks old, but you can never be too prepared, right? There's the table and chair set so we can do drawings together. The fake food set and tea set so we can have tea party picnics on the floor. The blackboard so we can draw pictures together (may have to rethink putting that in the bedroom though because I can see carpet and chalk is going to lead to disaster). The little play kitchen so she can cook like mummy does. Oh sooo many things to play with! I can't wait.

Whilst trolling through all of the toy catalogues online back in July (before she was even born) I realised I may have been getting a bit ahead of myself. For now I'm looking forward to playdoh, bath toys and lego. I absolutely loved lego when I was young and my mum kept all of our lego so I will get to play with it again with bubba. I used to build big houses with horse stables and gardens. I had this awesome ice cream shop set that I cant wait to play with again too. To this day every time I see pastel colours they remind me of that lego set. T is really into lego too so Im sure they will spend hours playing together as well. Although he will probably try to get her to build cars. I just hope she is not smart enough to ever do this....

Another thing I'm really looking forward to doing with her is watching cartoons. The other day we watched The Little Mermaid together (well she lasted about half an hour into the movie and then fell asleep and woke up just before the end). She couldn't work out how I was singing the same words as the tv. When I was younger I absolutely loved Ariel. I wanted to be her. I remember I used to sing all the songs in the shower. What's scary is I still remembered them word for word and I hadn't watched the movie for years. There are so many other movies I cant wait to watch with her - The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast and Finding Nemo to name a few.

In so many ways I feel as though I missed out on a childhood because I had to grow up so quickly. That's probably why Im so overly enthusiastic that I get to relive it with my daughter. I cant wait to see her experience the joy and innocence of childhood and the fun of play. I intend to enjoy every second of it right along with her.


What was your favourite thing from childhood you wish you could do again? Have you ever bought a toy for your kids that you secretly wanted to play with?


Toni xx