A 4th and a 1st Birthday
I feel like I literally blinked and in that time, suddenly my birthday month turned into the birthday month of my babies; both of who turned out to be unexpected and surprising little bundles of not just joy, but hard work, perseverance and a test of my patience beyond anything that has ever tested my patience before. But despite feeling like I’m turning into an actual cake after all the cake that has been consumed thus far this month, I’m honoured that the boy child and the girl child chose the same month as their Mama to take their physical presence in this world. That’s really special (and also extremely bloating, but let’s focus on ‘special’ for the purpose of this post).
4 Years Old
Our gorgeous little boy turned 4 at the beginning of December this year, celebrating for the first time in the company of his beautiful little sister. I know everyone says that time flies, but I feel that when you have children – despite some days feeling like you will never get to crawl into bed and close your eyes to the broken sleep that most certainly awaits you – it seems to quicken its pace even further. How is my chunk of a little boy who entered this world resembling Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (not gonna lie), now a strong, capable and a practically genius little man? How did that happen?
I am just so proud of the way he has grown, adapted and accepted so many changes over the past year. From settling in to a brand new country away from familiar faces of family and friends, to understanding and embracing his joy of a little sister for who he has such immense love (although we really need to work on the whole ‘sharing’ thing). I feel like for being only four years old, he has wisdom beyond his years, perhaps even coming to this world with a soul older than mine. Sometimes he’ll say things that will make my husband and I stop in our tracks and literally be like “woah!” and I am pleased to announce, that finally, after almost 29 years of being on this earth myself, I can now name all eight planets in ORDER thanks to him. We’re currently working on my remembrance of all the dwarf planets, but I have the best teacher in the world so I’m sure it won’t be too long coming. And even though he still doesn’t sleep through the night and we spend at least a few minutes everyday cleaning up his vomit (topics for other posts *insert wailing emoji here*), I just love him so much. He turned my whole world upside down when he popped out in a pool at St. Mary’s Hospital on a freezing cold winters night 4 years ago, but I wouldn’t change him for anything.
1 Year Old
We’ve also just had the blessing of celebrating our four-toothed, afro-haired little girls 1st birthday, who was born right here in Mauritius, also in a pool, on a boiling hot summers night last year (it’s summer here when it’s winter in England, and vice versa). As we’re four hours ahead of the UK, I was pleading with myself for her to be born at a time when it would be the same date in both countries – and go me! We made it by 23 minutes, when she decided her time to enter this world would be 11:37pm Mauritian time.
I don’t even know where to begin with the girl child, as I feel like this year has sped by quicker than any other year of my life. What can I say? As apprehensive as I was about having two children, she is simply just wonderful and adds joy and light to our days, every single day. When I was pregnant with her and before we found out her sex, I felt as if there was another boy on the way – but when we were told that what we were seeing on the screen was ‘definitely a labia’, I can’t explain how I felt knowing that we were having a little girl. It was just pure joy and in those moments I realised how much I actually wanted to have a little girl. And now she’s here and she’s been here for a year and she’s clever and feisty and strong and beautiful… I’m just overwhelmed that God sent another such blessing our way, trusting us to raise her right and teach her well.
His 4th and Her 1st Year of Life
What has been one of the most amazing things to be witness to in the boy child’s fourth year of life and in the girl child’s first, is the relationship that they share with one another. Honestly, it’s one of the most stunning and natural things I have ever seen: the jubilation on each of their faces when they first spot each other during the school pick-up; the way they cuddle and sleep together in the early mornings; the way he will bring a toy to her if she doesn’t have any to play with and the way her first word was his name on his birthday. It’s frankly just amazing and I just pray that their relationship is preserved and protected always, always, and always.
Sometimes I do complain and moan about them, telling anyone who will listen just how difficult they can be and how I haven’t had a decent nights sleep in absolutely forever (look, there I go again!) but what I do know in my heart is that even though I didn’t choose this journey for myself, the Universe guided me to what was best for me, to enable me to grow and develop in this life to the best human being that I can be. My children are the best guides and teachers for me in a way that I can’t fully explain, but I guess the most profound thing in them – that is in all children – is their ability to just be, with no concept of time or space; always just living in this moment, right here, right now.
A huge Happy Birthday my little humans and thank you for blessing me with your presence. I love you both right here, right now… forever.
