I bought my house before I met my ex, and well before I’d even considered children, luckily I bought the biggest house I could afford at the time so therefore it is plenty big enough to accomodate Jackson as he grows, and possibly even a sibling (or two at a squeeze!).

I did everything to my house, it needed rewiring, new central heating, replastering, new woodwork, new kitchen, new bathrooms, and even walls building, and it was incredible to do. I saw my house rise from the dust and I have loved finally getting to live in it for the last year.

I am a total perfectionist, and I had planned for white walls and minimal ‘stuff’, however, there have been some things that I have had to accept since Jackson came into my life.

Firstly, ‘stuff’ and babies just go hand in hand, it’s just a fact. If it’s not a first bath to clutter the bathroom, it’s a mountain of toys to rival Everest. Baby clothes litter many rooms and socks disappear under the sofa to be found weeks later (after I have given them up for lost and bought more) by an inquisitive cat!

Worse than the ‘stuff’ which, given adequate cupboards could be cleared away, are the little accidents – my walls have gained knocks and marks from health visitors carrying large scales and they’ve been kissed on occasion by little mouths. Nappy leaks have led to slightly yellow patches on my carpets, and snot trails on my sofas are just the norm now, I don’t even notice them anymore, much to the horror of guests I am sure! My woodwork has had things knocked into and I’ve had to just suck it up, knowing that my nice fresh house is just being lived in, and that this is what it was for.

I have mellowed a bit, wanting pictures of Jackson on my walls, meaning drilling – shock horror, though I am yet to actually put these up – searching for the perfect frame, oh come on, I haven’t mellowed that much!

But the bits that have hurt the most was putting up stairgates – how stupid is that! They’re totally necessary and I can’t not have them, but drilling into my fresh plasterwork and most painfully my woodwork did make me cringe!

I love my house, and honestly, with every little thing that we do to it, necessary or cosmetic it is feeling more and more like mine and Jacksons home, so I wouldn’t have it any other way!