Adam Croasdell: Back from the Wilderness!

Wow. It has been five long months since I last posted on here! So much has happened it's hard to know where to begin... but these months have simply been some of the happiest times of my life and I think perhaps I'm a lot better at writing about bad times and dark feelings than I am about the good stuff. And there has been an absolute abundance of good stuff lately!

So - to surmise what's been doing on... we finally left the big smoke in March and moved down to my home town in Kent. We took on a small rental house - two up two down - in a lovely little street of red brick Victorian terraces in the 'village' part of the town. It was pretty much the only available house to rent in our price range so we pounced on it, well I did! The Boy didn't even get to see it before we moved in it all happened so quickly! But it couldn't have worked out better. It's a 10 minute stroll from my folks (and my sister and her husband are currently living with them while they try to save to fund a deposit for a house), 5 minutes from my best friend and her family and the doctors, 10 minutes from the station, 10 minutes from the high street... you get the gist. And there is a lovely cluster of shops at the end of our road including a fab cafe, a couple of second hand and antique shops and a very nice card shop. I honestly don't think I've stopped smiling since we got her. The place absolutely feels like home and as nervous as I was about leaving London after having lived in zone one for over a decade, I honestly haven't missed it once. We are completely in the right place at the right time - for once in our lives!

The days rattle by happily. We have a good little routine here - my mother-in-law visits on a Monday morning, my Mum comes Monday afternoon, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I take Lucy to a couple of music classes locally, and then we normally see NCT friends on a Thursday. I keep Fridays for myself and Lucy to spend together to make sure we have enough quality one-on-one time together and that if we have busy weeks or weekends then we can guarantee at least one quiet day at home. I've always loved Fridays, but now more than ever!

It's been a happy time. We've had a few great weekends away in Camber Sands on the coast, Hopton in Norfolk, and more recently in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. Holidays are certainly different to how they used to be - the car creaks as we set off, fully loaded with travel cot and mattress, pushchair, highchair and bags of toys! - but they are still a real treasure. It's hard to explain how much joy I feel from watching Lucy see new sights and places for the first time and how much it invigorates you seeing the world through her eyes - a scintillating and fascinating spectacle of colour and hope.

I am totally besotted with Lucy, who is now - gulp! - nine months old. While the Boy is still everything to me, Lucy rocks my world in a way that I didn't believe possible. I hang on her every word - well, babble! - and she brings such happiness to my life. I could watch her all day, and I fear I have not only become the Baby Bore I used to sneer at in my pre-motherhood days, but far surpassed her! I merrily clog up the Facebook feeds of my poor friends with photographs of her on an almost daily basis. I suspect quite a few pals have hidden my feed away actually! I know I am a total walking cliche - but I don't care. It was a bit of a bumpy journey getting my girl, and now I have her I want to share her with the world!

And on that note - here are some of my favourite snaps from the last few months - mostly featuring you know who; feel free to look away now! More soon xx

Our new street