Last month I took a break from my blog to focus all my time and energy on moving house. Well not only moving house but on completely relocating across the boarder and moving down to the South of England.
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| Home sweet home. |
When we first decided on the move I knew it was going to be difficult to leave the home and life we had built in Swansea behind but I never realised quite how emotional the whole process would be. I understood that I was going to have to say goodbye to people and places I loved, to the city where Oli and I got married and where Leo was born. However, none of these things were as difficult as closing all the doors of our little semi detached house for the final time and posting the keys through the letter box.
To anyone else it was just a building but to me it was much more than just a load of bricks.
The house that was our home
I was leaving behind a kitchen where many meals were lovingly prepared by my husband and more stressfully prepared by myself. A place where I rekindled my love of baking and Leo and I first baked together. The room where many an argument was had but them resolved over a cup of tea and a hug. The central hub of the house, always buzzing with activity. Singing, cleaning, cooking and dancing, this now empty room has seen it all.
Countless hours have been spent in this living room. This is the room where Leo had his first ever bath and spent most of his early days feeding while we snuggled on the sofa or sleeping in his bouncy chair. Where he learnt to roll over, crawl, walk and talk. It is the room where Oli and I would cuddle up after a busy day and where we first watched our now favourite TV shows for the first time. Probably too many take aways have been eaten in this room and definitely too much chocolate. This is where Oli and I have attempted to solve all of the worlds problems, talking late in to the evening. Now nothing but a room with a fireplace waiting for another family to bring it back to life.
I have had to say goodbye to the place where so many meals were shared, with just the 3 of us but also with family and friends. This dining room is where Leo had his first taste of solid food and then in the months that followed proceeded to cover the floor and walls with it. In more recent times this room has been the home of several temper tantrums and mealtime battles and negotiations to get Leo to eat his tea. This floor has been swept more times than I care to recall, usually about a hundred times a day. A place for crafts as well as eating and also a place for writing, when the table was clear that is. Only four dining room chairs are left from our time there.
The bathroom was my sanctuary, a place I would escape to after a long day. So many books have been started and finished in this room, often read late in to the evening with the smell of scented candles in the air. A quiet place for me but a noisy, exciting place for Leo. A water baby from the start, Leo loved his baths and this now dry floor was soaked every single evening, later littered with towels to disguise the mess. I have so many memories of baby Leo playing in this bath and more recent ones of him singing and giggling at his Daddy.
The box room or the multi purpose room. It started off a room for music, a piano and two guitars were about all that it could accommodate. Oli and I played away the hours, attempting to learn new songs and jam together. It was not long before this room became a nursery, the room where at 6 months old Leo spent his first night alone. Animal fairy lights once draped themselves across the window while a cot, chair and changing table were tightly squeezed in. Later this became a place for guests to stay, a room with a bed, before returning to it’s original name and during the move became a room full of boxes.
The room Leo will miss the most, his first big boy bedroom. The room where he played happily with his toys, ran around in circles at bedtime and sometimes woke wanting cuddles in the night. Originally a room for guests but guests were not regular enough for our son to need to stay in the small room. A room where many nights were spent rocking a crying baby back to sleep and many mornings were spent playing on the floor and reading books. Now empty and waiting to hear the sound of another childs laughter.
Saying goodbye to this room was the most difficult of all. The room I shared with my husband. The home to so many memories. Sleepy chats in the mornings, more serious conversations in the evenings. A place where we could be together, where plans were made for the future, tears were shed and romantic moments were shared. A room where Leo spent his first 6 months sleeping and where I breastfed him all through the night. The place for big family cuddles in bed and silly games. A room I once shared with my boyfriend who one day became my husband. I have never been as reluctant to close a door as I was the day we handed our keys in.
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| Displaying our mixed emotions perfectly! |
I know we are going to make so many amazing memories in our new home but at the moment it doesn’t feel like a home, it’s just this place we live in with our stuff. Number 12 was our home and it was so sad to say goodbye to the place where we became a family.
I will cherish every single memory I have from living in that house but now it is time to move on and stop looking at the new house as just a building, start making some memories and really make this place our new home.
Have you recently moved house? How did you feel leaving your old home? I would love to know if you found it as emotional as me.
If you enjoyed this post I would love for you to share it 🙂
Moving house is SO hard. We just moved house…it was so stressful but once you are in and settled it IS an exciting place to make lots of wonderful memories. Happy new home! #sundaystars
Oops sorry the above is from me, Talya @ Motherhood: The Real Deal not sure why it didn't show up
http://www.motherhoodtherealdeal.com
This is so emotional Wendy! Moving house is always really hard. For me the hardest was moving from one country to another country. I left Peru in 2004 to move to Madrid. I was there one year before I moved again but this time to England. It was so dam difficult. And at that time I was alone. I din't have my husband or daughters yet. I missed so much home and I cried a lot the first months but then slowly things were changing, new memories were building and a whole new chapter of my life was starting again for the best. This house will always have those beautiful memories, all the firsts of your baby and all the great moments you have experienced there but now just turn the page and start looking forward for the future that it would be even better!! I wish you all the luck with your new adventure in your life and I hope you settle soon in your new home!! Thanks so much for linking up with me at #KCACOLS. I hope you can join me again next Sunday! 🙂 x
http://www.amomentwithfranca.com/
I hope that you thoroughly enjoy the next chapter in your lives, in your new home. It is hard saying goodbye but think of the new adventures in store. My husband and I are considering a relocation right now and I feel so excited. I know that I will miss home but I tell myself, if it goes wrong, we can always come back xxx #TwinklyTuesday
Wow, you brought tears to my eyes! I can tell from your words just how much you will miss that house. I did a lot of moving around when I was younger and am lucky enough to live somewhere we don't intend to leave. Of course circumstances could change and we could end up leaving but I, like you, would be very sad to leave. The house we live in now is the only home my boys have ever known. Sending hugs xx #KCACOLS
Oh gosh we've moved 3 times in 5 years and I'm happy to say I'm stuck here in this house until we buy hehe. I HATE moving, it's stressful.
Well done for surviving your move..it is soo stressful! I am already starting to feel happier here, it just takes time to adjust to new surroundings but we're getting there.xx happy new home to you too 🙂
Ooops!xx
Ohh wow Franca, you have moved a lot!I can't imagine how hard it would be to move to a different country and on your own too, you're very brave. Thank you for the advice lovely, I am trying to move on and this place is slowly starting to feel more like home. Leo has settled in so well, you would think he had lived here forever. Thanks for hosting xx
Thank you Ria, it is exciting but very scary at the same time. Not knowing anyone is really hard at times but I keep thinking we will make new friends and our old ones are only a car journey away, be it a 4 hour one! Good luck for your move if it goes ahead 🙂 xx
Ohh you are an amazing lady, I think moving that many times would break me! I hate packing and all the stress that comes with moving. I don't blame you for wanting to stay put for now xx
Thanks for the hugs Morgan and the lovely comment. I really do miss that house, so much happened there. I am trying to focus on making this place feel more homely and making lots of happy memories here too xx
I can only imagine how hard moving house is when you've had so many memories in one. We are in our first owned house but it felt emotional leaving our rented flat because it's where Zach spent his first year and a half, where he celebrated hiss first birthday and where he learnt to walk. We have already made so many happy memories in our new home though so have fun with that and remember the old house fondly. It'll always be in your memory. Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
Thanks for your lovely comment Lisa. It is hard but starting to get used to living somewhere new now. It has just been extra hard because everything is new..not just the house!Thanks for hosting xxx
Oh gosh, I can completely relate to this. We moved house just over 5 weeks ago. And although I love our new home. It was so sad to say goodbye to our little 2 bed flat. That was the home we returned to as newly weds. And that was Little Miss H's first home. So I can completely understand your mixed emotions. But soon you will make wonderful new memories in your new home. Such a beautifully written post. Thanks for sharing with #SundaysStars. I am sorry it has taken me so long to comment. Hugs Mrs H xxxx
It is so hard to leave a place where so many firsts happened isn't it? I hope you are settled in your new home now. We are getting there slowly and every day I am making the house feel more like ours and having lots of fun in it. It is just sad Leo will probably have no memories of his first home. Thanks for the lovely comment xx