Times change

... And we change with the times. It's an old Latin saying, and one which remains as true now as it was then.

Reflecting back on Isaac's first year, I always knew that life would change in many different ways, but there are so many things I do now as a matter of course that I would never have done a year ago. Here are ten off the top of my head.

1. Thinking that going to bed by 10pm is normal. (And that staying up after 11pm qualifies as “a big night”.)

2. Waking up at 5.30am on a Saturday after six hours’ uninterrupted sleep and thinking, “That counts as a lie-in.”

3. Being able to do household chores one-handed, while holding a kicking 20-pound weight with the other hand.

4. Singing nursery rhymes in public.

5. Maintaining a normal conversation while changing one of your son’s speciality super-dirty, super-smelly nappies.

6. Taking your boy out for a walk at 8am in the freezing cold and pouring rain, just so he can get some sleep.

7. Taking an hour to do what is normally a ten minute drive, so your son can get a much-needed nap.

8. Planning your entire life around your child’s sleep and meal times.

9. Using words like “botheration”, “drat” and “fiddlesticks” so your child doesn’t learn swear words.

10. Spelling out swear words when words like “botheration”, “drat” and “fiddlesticks” just won’t do the job.