It’s Official We Have a One Year Old!
A Little Life Update
Life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately, full of milestones, magical moments, and a few bumps along the way. After taking a much-needed break to catch our breath, we’re back and ready to share what’s been going on behind the scenes.
It’s been a season of big opportunities, little hiccups, and plenty of emotions in between leaving us feeling both incredibly grateful and (if I’m honest) a bit fried. Life, right?
Here’s a little update on what we’ve been up to.
A First Birthday to Remember 🎉
We celebrated a first birthday surrounded by friends and family. One of the highlights was a trip to Efteling, a theme park often visited as a child. It has a magical fairy tale forest filled with animatronics, which our little one absolutely loved. It was a hot and busy day, but one we’ll always treasure.
At home, we decorated with a Sesame Street theme (especially Bert and Ernie). We painted and built decorations from cardboard together in the days leading up to the big day, which made it all the more special.
To celebrate, we made a Bert-themed banana bread smash cake and brought it to the park. At first there was no interest at all, but as soon as it was realised it could be grabbed and eaten, it was loved! We sang “happy birthday” in both English and Dutch, just like on the day of birth, which made the moment feel extra meaningful.
We kept the whole celebration low-stress by spreading it out: friends who wanted to celebrate visited at different times, so we could enjoy their company without the pressure of hosting everyone at once. Later, after bedtime, we marked the moment by sharing some champagne and watching a birthday video I had made, reminiscing about the incredible year we’ve had.
Thoughtful, Simple Birthday Gifts
We kept gifts simple and mostly second-hand — something we felt was both sustainable and less overwhelming.
Here’s what was received:
A IKEA play kitchen (we even added a working tap, so there’s now a place to wash hands and play with veggies how very Montessori of us!)
A basket of building blocks (we’d saved pieces that were too small during babyhood and reintroduced them now)
Two birthday-themed books one in English and one in Dutch
Two sets of plastic animals (dinosaurs and jungle animals)
A Montessori-style next-step puzzle
It actually took a whole week to open everything, which confirmed for us that less really is more. Every moment was loved, and having family visit from England made it even more meaningful.
To be honest it also brought on a wave of “immigration guilt.” Seeing our little one bond so quickly and deeply made me question our choice to live far away. It’s a feeling I’m still working through.
Trying (and Failing) at Working Again
After the birthday excitement, I tried to return to work and actually succeeded twice! However, both opportunities fell through due to timing and gut feelings. I do not think i am ready to put my child into childcare just yet.
This experience helped us realise that Antwerp isn’t our forever home. It’s been a beautiful place to live for the past six months, and we’ve met some wonderful people, but something has been missing… community.
In England, volunteering and charity are everywhere. There’s more of a “we’re all in this together” spirit. Here, we’ve struggled to find that. At first, I thought it was just homesickness, but after chatting with other expats, I realised it’s that strong sense of community I’m craving.
Small Steps for Ourselves
On a positive note, we’ve started going back to the gym and yes, here comes the cliché: it’s done wonders for our mental health.
Now that our little one is sleeping a bit better, we finally have the mental and physical space to move our bodies again. Just a little movement has made such a difference: I feel more energised, more grounded, and more present for my family.
We’ve even both got bikes now, which our little one enjoys riding on the back of for short trips. I hadn’t been on a bike since about age 12, but now I ride all the time! We’ve built a simple rhythm around it: one day I cycle to the gym (about 10 minutes), do a 45-minute weights session, and cycle home, and the next day my partner does the same. Having that structure means we both get time to move and recharge, while still keeping our days family-focused. The cycle there and back has even become a natural warm-up and cool-down, which feels amazing.
Not every day is easy, but I’m finally feeling more comfortable in myself and my role than I have in a long time. It took taking a break (and a bit of a breakdown) to get here but I’m proud of that progress.
What’s Next
We’re diving into autumn and Halloween prep now! 🍂
Our autumn collection will be released on 21st September (the official start of autumn), and our Halloween resources will launch on 1st October.
We also have an exciting blog post coming out on 22nd September: “Why Teach About Emotions” packed with reasoning, tips, and fun activities to explore feelings with little ones.
Thank you for being so patient while our family took this much-needed break. Me (and my trusty translator) are back now, ready to share more with you.
Yours always,
Miss Summers 🌸
