I had been feeling like a guilty mum.
When we had our eldest daughter (now aged two) there was a lot of baby/mummy one-to-one time. I joined my NCT friends in weekly baby sensory classes and we had frequent coffee dates while the babies rolled around amongst the brand new, brightly coloured Lamaze fireflies. Alice, like the rest of the population, had a brand new Sophie la giraffe - who looked fresh as a daisy and still had her squeak (alas, no longer).
Our second daughter Lara (now aged four months) is very much coming along for the ride, fitting in with our 2 year old's schedule. Of course she doesn't care, she loves the sound of her sister's voice, beaming when she sees her each morning.
Let's face it, there's a lot less one-to-one time with baby number two (aside from feeding). I have the two of them together for most of the week, so new baby classes and endless coffee sessions are a no-go.
One of the things I enjoyed the most with Alice when she was small was baby massage. Along with a few NCT friends, I attended a baby massage course and Alice really responded to it. It was a great bonding experience. I was determined to find the time to do the same with Lara and, a few weeks ago, managed it.