• parenting

    What My Almost 15-Month-Old Eats in a Day (Realistic Indian Toddler Meals, Tiny Portions & Working Mum Life)

    A realistic look at what my almost 15-month-old eats in a day in an Indian household — tiny portions, breastfeeding, picky eating, and what’s helping us (without force feeding). If you’ve ever Googled:“What should my 15-month-old eat in a day?”…and ended up feeling slightly inadequate after seeing perfectly plated toddler meals with rainbow vegetables, chia pudding, mini pancakes, and carefully arranged fruit animals…This post is not that.This is a realistic toddler eating post.My son is almost 15 months old, and honestly? Toddler eating has humbled me.I’m a working mother, and while I absolutely love baking and genuinely enjoy cooking, I simply don’t have the time to make fancy toddler meals…

  • parenting

    13-Month-Old Milestones: What to Expect (Real-Life Update)

    Your baby is officially in toddler territory now—and this stage comes with so many small (but exciting) changes. At 13 months, you might notice new movements, more communication, and a lot more personality. But it can also feel confusing trying to figure out what’s “normal,” especially when every baby seems to be doing something different. My son just turned 14 months, so I’m sharing what we experienced during his 13th month while it’s still fresh. If you’ve been wondering “Is my baby on track?”—this post will give you a realistic look at what this stage can look like, along with what’s actually normal. What’s Normal at 13 Months? At 13…

  • parenting

    13-Month-Old Sleep Schedule: What’s Normal + A Real Working Mum Routine

    Trying to figure out a 13-month-old sleep schedule can feel confusing—especially when every baby seems to follow a different routine online.Should your baby be on 1 nap or 2?What time should bedtime be?And why does it feel like the schedule keeps changing? If you’ve been searching for answers, you’re not alone. In this post, you’ll find: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What Is a Normal Sleep Schedule for a 13-Month-Old? At 13 months, babies are often in a transition phase, which is why sleep can feel unpredictable. Here’s a general guideline: Some babies: If your baby’s schedule…

  • motherhood

    Life With a 13-Month-Old: What Motherhood Feels Like Right Now

    I don’t think I say this enough, but I genuinely love being my baby’s mum.At 13.5 months, this stage of motherhood — life with a 1 year old — feels very full in a way I didn’t expect. The days are busy, sometimes messy, and often unpredictable, but they don’t feel like something I’m just trying to get through. I actually enjoy being in them.We waited a long time before deciding to have a baby, and if I’m honest, I never really saw myself as a particularly ‘motherly’ person. I wasn’t someone who naturally gravitated towards kids — which is probably why this phase has surprised me the most.That said,…

  • parenting

    10 Common First Birthday Planning Mistakes (And What to Do Instead)

    Planning your baby’s first birthday? Here’s how to avoid unnecessary stress—while creating a celebration that works for your family. Planning your baby’s first birthday is a special milestone—but it can also feel overwhelming.Between decorations, food, guest lists, and expectations, it’s easy to plan things that don’t actually work for your baby, your schedule, or your energy.Whether you’re planning a big celebration or a small one at home, the goal isn’t to do more or less—it’s to create a day that feels manageable and meaningful for your family.This post isn’t about doing less. It’s about avoiding unnecessary stress and making choices that truly work for you and your baby.If you’re in…

  • Baby & BLW,  parenting

    My Baby Won’t Eat What I Serve: Real-Life Mealtime Struggles and Wins

    If you’re a parent, you’ve probably felt the frustration of preparing a meal only for your baby to refuse it—or take just one bite. That’s been our reality too. Our mealtimes are messy, unpredictable, and full of tiny victories, and I wanted to share our story to help other parents navigating the ups and downs of baby eating habits and feeding struggles. The Excitement of First Foods When it was time to start solids, I was thrilled. I wanted him to explore food in his own way—tasting different textures, experiencing new flavors, and learning to feed himself. The first few meals were a learning curve. He didn’t quite know what…

  • Home Life

    First Birthday Expectations vs Reality: What My Baby Actually Did

    Before my baby’s first birthday, I was the one who was excited about everything. When planning a baby’s first birthday, it’s easy to imagine a day full of excitement, reactions, and picture-perfect moments.The decorations.The cake.Planning the outing.Even the day before, after finishing work, I spent time putting up balloons all around — number 1 balloons, cupcake-shaped ones, animal-shaped ones. I had imagined how he would react when he saw them the next morning.But for him, it was just another day.He was just as happy playing with a simple balloon as he would be on any other day.And that made me realise something important — babies don’t really understand birthdays the…

  • Home Life

    Simple First Birthday Celebration: How We Celebrated Our Baby’s First Birthday

    It’s been a little quiet here on the blog lately. I was busy preparing for a very special milestone in our family — our baby’s first birthday.The first year of parenthood goes by incredibly fast. One moment you’re bringing your baby home, and suddenly you’re celebrating their first birthday. I wanted the day to feel special, even though we kept the celebration simple.In the end, it was just us — the parents, both grandparents, and our two dogs — spending the day together. And that made it even more meaningful for us.If you’re looking for simple first birthday celebration ideas, here’s what our day looked like. Birthday Plans (and the…

  • Home Life

    Baby Didn’t Eat First Birthday Cake — What It Was Really Like

    I had imagined this moment so many times — my baby sitting in front of his little cake, digging in, getting messy, maybe even enjoying a few bites.But when the moment actually came… he didn’t eat the cake at all.Not the sponge, not the frosting — nothing.And honestly? It wasn’t what I expected, but it also didn’t matter as much as I thought it would.For my baby’s first birthday, I kept things really simple — I’ve shared more about how we celebrated the day in a separate post, but this part is all about the cake and frosting. The Cake Smash Trial (A Few Days Before) A few days before…

  • Home Life

    Life with Indie Dogs and a Baby: Love, Loss, and Learning to Coexist

    This isn’t a guide or a set of rules — just our lived experience of navigating new motherhood alongside rescued dogs, slowly and imperfectly. Before I became a mother, I already was one — just in a different way. For seven years after my marriage, my dogs were my only children. We rescued three indie dogs over time, and they weren’t just pets — they were the center of most of our decisions. Our routines, our friendships, even our weekends quietly revolved around them.When my husband got the opportunity to move to Dubai, the first question we tried to answer wasn’t about work or logistics — it was whether we…