Everybody tells you it’s the big achievements in life that are important. Buying that first house, getting married, owning that expensive car. All of which I hope to one day achieve. However they don’t tell you about the little ones that mean just as much..

Wether it’s getting Fred to do three consecutive wees on the potty, spend a day without his nunu stuck in his mouth or brush his teeth by dancing around like an eighties pop star singing the brushy brushy song. These are the little steps that seem like huge accomplishments at the time. Soon to be forgotten when they become a regular thing but if you manage to combine a number of these in one day then you’ve hit the jackpot and can look forward to a good nights sleep ahead.

Sometimes I think we need to remind ourselves that one day the big achievements will come so why worry now. We’ve enough little steps to accomplish first..

Every year for the last three years we take a trip to what feels like the end of the earth and a little place called Aberdaron in Wales. Ever since we had Fred it’s really just us highjacking nanny and grandads holiday for a few days. This year was no different it’s just this time we tackled it with a toddler.

The few days spent watching our three year old run back and forth putting out sand fires with a bucket of salt water and seaweed seem to fly by and without trying to sound like I’m on the tourist board this really is a great place for little ones. A mile long beach only occupied by the odd washed up jellyfish (which provides plenty of intrigue to both me and fred, mummy of course was on jellyfish guard) and the odd retired couple walking their pooch is the perfect playground to spend away the sunny days.

Only a few weeks earlier we’d took a trip to Spain where the mere sound of a wave crashing ten feet away would turn Fred into a cross between Usain Bolt and Pavarotti as he ran screaming back to safety, albeit only to return two seconds later for the next thrilling close encounter. However the few weeks since seem to have given him the confidence to wade out into the deep and ensure all four people on the beach would go home knowing that these were super ginus waves!

Until next year Aberdaron..

Potty training hasn’t gone that well for us so far. If I’m being completely honest sometimes we get lazy. Fred’s pretty good, he has plenty of ‘no nappy time’ and we’ve pretty much got number 1 down but number 2 hasn’t been so straight forward.

I’ve tried to encourage him to copy me whenever he bursts into the bathroom asking me what I’m doing as I sit startled like a deer in headlights, but instead he’ll just stand next to me waiting to push the magic button on the top of the toilet. Even pretending to use his potty for my own needs doesn’t entise him to try, merely to look at me smiling as if to dare me to follow through with my actions. Then there’s the bribery option but enevitably this often ends in a quick ‘windy pop’ and then an immediate request for the reward.

That was until a sudden breakthrough the other night, unfortunately for us this breakthrough did begin on the sofa. As I whisked him away to continue his venture on the potty and poor mummy to deal with the sofa we suddenly found ourselves cheering on our 3 year old from the sidelines, not something they tell you about in the books.. I swear I could hear the fan fares.

One thing I wasn’t prepared for however was what at the time I could only describe as the supermodel poo. This technique involved both hands on the ground behind him, arched back and his best blue steel look.

He does get something from his dad after all..