My heart has been pounded twice this week! First the school application deadline. School. Real big boy school with grey knee length socks and homework.

Next being told my 'baby' is ready to move up to the Toddler room at nursery.

I'm not sure what hit me harder. The fact that we'd left the school application til the very last minute, didn't trawl around all the local schools as we went with our hearts, in some subconscious resistance to our first born being a big boy, or the fact that my 'baby' was being recategorised.

I think the emotions of the first one going off to school is softened by having a little one still at home. I've still got 2 pre school nativity shows and nursery milestones to enjoy.

I predict major tears when it's Ollie's name on the online form. Although when Sammy is given his birthday balloon, that has been hung on the wall of pre school since the day he started and they all 'fly away' it may result in parental hysteria.

I know I will lose something really precious when Sammy heads through those school gates. He calls us Mama and Dada. His vocabulary is advanced for his age but I imagine when people hear him say Dada it must seem strange. We hoped it would help Ollie talk but nothing seems to help him at the moment. We have caaar, nana (banana), Mama and Dada.

It lights up my heart when he calls me Mama, it doesn't occur to him that it won't be cool at school. Mum. It's seems too grown up for me especially when I hear little ones as young as 3 calling for their 'Mums' in the supermarket.

I love this time, before the extensive wish lists of gadgets that cost a fortune, before birthday parties with jelly and ice cream are passé. I'll be crushed I LOVE birthday parties.

It's impossible to stop them growing up but it is possible to stop them growing up so fast!

Treasure the little moments. I found this photo of my brother's first day at bog boy school. I might just have to find a little satchel for Sammy. Oh wait, he might insist on a Ben 10 back pack like the cool boys! Aaah!

When you haven't been able to play outside because of the terrible miserable drizzle there is only one thing for it. Wellies, an umbrella and a handful of bottles of food colouring.

We chatted in the rain about how the colouring turns the water in the puddles different colours, just like how the rain turns the sky into a rainbow. We made magical mud potions with stirring sticks and then scurried into the house to warm up with a glass of milk!

It is often the case when a sibling comes along, that the nursery is updated and the elder child gets to have a big kid room. We spent several weeks talking to Sammy about his big boy room and involving him in where his precious things would fit into the new bigger room.

Actually Sammy was making way for a home office but the principles still apply and might be more useful for soon to be parents of two!

I used some of his colouring paper to mark out on the floor the different pieces of furniture so I could play around with the layout to maximise the space. It took several shift arounds for us to agree on what worked best. Thank goodness we weren't lugging the actual furniture around!

He has a wonderful nautical inspired space with all his possessions he has had since birth. Unfortunately, ever since he moved rooms, his sleep pattern has been dreadfully disrupted. I can count on one hand the number of full nights sleep he has had in his own bed. (We didn't change the cot bed, just moved it from one room to another.)

I would be grateful for any hints or tips anyone has to share on how to help soothe his night terrors. I am all for leaving them to cry it out but with a younger one in the room next door, we take the quick easy option and scoot him in our bed so as not to wake Ollie.

Anything except move him back! I didn't realise just how distracting it was working downstairs until I had a dedicated office!