soo..... in january this year my parents booked our trip to lagos, nigeria for christmas! baby judah wasn't born yet but his screaming spot on the plane had been reserved.

fast forward 11 months and mama was busy running around getting all the last minute bits together for the trip.if  you are black and reading this you know that is a lie. my mama was just starting. it was as if she just booked a last minute ticket! ok fine - somewhere in between is the truth....she kinda packed at the end of summer as she put our stuff away. then she relaxed and suddenly panicked when there was a week to go. cos that's just how she rolls. why write that important uni essay in week 2 of the term when you can work on it solidly in the last week of term with back to back cans of red bull?

anyhoo, we made it out of the UK with 6 suitcases. yes. 6. plus 4 pieces of hand luggage. no, we haven't relocated. mama said we actually travelled light. we were allowed another suitcase & she would've happily filled it had we actually been in possession of one.

i woke up early - ok, i was woken up after 4 hrs sleep. i had stayed up to watch the spectacle that was mama, daddy & my uncle Taz trying to weigh & rebalance the suitcases. my daddy did not want any drama at the check in desk. no moving of shoes from one suitcase to the other whilst onlookers marvel at the contents of said suitcases -"did I just spot a pack of sausages in there?! hope she isn't going to australia - she'll be on Banged up Abroad or Nothing to Declare!". none of that. and no wearing of five coats as there is nowhere to put them. none of that said mama. nobodys got time to be looking like a pimp at heathrow. so i watched, got bored and decided to open one of my christmas presents from my cousins toluwa & tobani....because I could.

so yes, i was rudely woken up but i was excited. nothing could dampen the excitement of getting on an aeroplane!that was until I got downstairs and we opened the door. "where is the aeroplane?" i asked. daddy explained that he isn't bill gates, at least not yet, and that we'd be going to an airport. hmm...in peppa pig they walked out of the door and next thing they were in the sky. is daddy pig bill gates?

anyhoo, airport was fun. i rode my brand new trunki suitcase whilst mama proudly took in all the "aww she's so cute!" and "how adorable!" comments I got.

the plane journey was a breeze for me. i watched a bit of. cbeebies then slept. there was a distinct lack of peppa pig but other than that it was a good flight. baby judah on the other hand seemed to have come prepared to make his presence felt. whilst mummy was trying to make a mental list of all the things she'd packed in her suitcase incase she needed to make a claim(yes, she was!) - baby judah decided to strike. he wailed in his sleep and then slept off again. this was repeated a few times on the 6 hour flight but my parents didn't get flustered. they had decided they were going to have a stress free journey...and despite judah's best efforts, they did. we were de-layered upon arrival and as we left the plane a local lady stopped mama and said "ah! have you not dressed this baby?!" mama smiled and explained that he had a short romper on. the lady heaved a sigh of relief and said "ah! thank God o! It's cold!". mama rolled up the sleeves of her shirt, and wiped the sweat off her brow as she walked into the humid airport. "welcome to Lagos!", she said as I scooted on my trunki.

ps:  incase you are wondering...yes, I've taken to calling my mummy "mama".

Disclaimer: the airport check in events mentioned in the text may or may not have happened to people we may or may not know. if it happened to you...then it's definitely coincidental. definitely.

xoxo

SO after the last post mummy sat me down to point out that there actually isn't a glamorous side to parenting....well, except the glossy pictures we take just before me or baby Judah mess up our clothes. mummy went on to tell me a few things that will never make it onto a magazine cover but are actually a more accurate image of parenting:

1 - the after-effects of the super-poo that goes all the way up the baby's back

2 - the face of a mum who has been up entertaining someone who thinks it's perfectly ok to wake up for a little play at 3 in the morning.

3 - the face of the same mum during teething season (in our household this began when Judah was 8 weeks old and has carried on with no teeth in sight...)

4 - the face of an inconsolable screaming baby

5 - parent bent over the bathtub cleaning up after baby has relaxed in the warm water & done her best to gross you out

6 - mum doing what only a mum can do to unblock her baby' s nose when it's blocked and the man-made contraption isn't working....

i stopped mum there because i'd like you guys to come back and visit this blog! mummy often likes to delve into the joys of labour & childbirth but again, i somehow managed to sidestep that one. so there you have it, far be it from me to ever mention that parenting is glamorous.

here is mummy a few weeks ago before it got really cold - she is currently obsessed with spots!

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 what mummy wore:

shorts - zara (out of stock)

jumper - h&m 

shoes - topshop (old)

bag - river island (old)

xoxo

just when mummy thought motherhood couldn't get anymore gross and humbling, i pushed her to the edge with two words:

POTTY TRAINING.