Entering the Toddler Years with Umm Mu

I can't pinpoint exactly when or how Sophia transitioned from baby to toddler. I just woke up one day to find that she was this walking, talking, bubbly little ball of feistiness, and just like that the baby days were over.

Somehow, I learned to adapt to all of these changes almost overnight too, just like I had with every passing phase in her development that had come before. That's just what we do as parents I suppose! We possess special kinds of superpowers that I didn't fully appreciate before I became a mum.

The biggest change I had to adapt to was, of course, the fact that she is now completely mobile.

Remember the horror you felt when your baby started crawling and you rushed to baby-proof the house which you had neglected doing for so long because, well, for about ten months you were surviving on 45 minutes sleep and half a Digestive? God forbid your little tortoise might somehow hoik themselves up towards a shelf or table and pull your 20 volume set of the Oxford Dictionary onto their head.

Forget that time. This is ANOTHER LEVEL. These days, if you turn your back for more than 2.5 milliseconds then your toddler will have painted the carpet with your new Mac lippy, emptied the contents of the bin into your new Coccinelle handbag and will be busy munching on a crayon.

Suddenly, I needed to overhaul Sophia's entire wardrobe, not only to accommodate her increasingly long legs (wonder who she got that from?!) and adapt to the accelerating heat of the Doha summer, but to include some outfit options which were a bit more practical for toddling around the place in. 

The problem is that practical and pretty don't usually go hand in hand. For this reason, I decided to bypass H&M and have a couple of outfits handmade for her instead, so that I could customise them to tick all of the boxes that I needed ticked. In Doha there is only one lady that I go to when I want baby and toddler clothes making, and that is Umm Mu.

Remember this adorable little outfit that she made for Sophia at the end of last year, and which I included in my New Mum's Christmas Gift List and Baby Gift Registry for 2016?

Well, I think she might have exceeded herself this time around.

She made us a pretty pink peplum top, in floral-patterned cotton, with cut-out straps and statement buttons on the back...

And a stunning pastel romper, with a peephole back, and lace trim.

My little explorer enjoyed romping around the grounds of the Ritz Carlton hotel in her outfits during a recent staycation.

The cut and fabric of the garments ensured that she stayed cool...and let's face it, she looked pretty cool too!

The staycation provided the perfect opportunity for us to spend a bit of quality time together (while twinning in our identical sun hats). 

I couldn't help but wish that Umm Mu made rompers in adult sizes too!

For anyone wishing to place an order, unfortunately Umm Mu has shut up shop for the summer now. However, in the meantime, you can have a peruse of her Etsy shop here and place a pre-order for September.

Plus, stay tuned for a very special Umm Mu promotion on Follow Your Sunshine coming soon...