We arrived in Birmingham after a much more agreeable drive – short & sweet – and got unpacked in our flat for the week. We stayed directly opposite the Mailbox so really were in the centre of everything! With Isla’s birthday on the horizon I was keen to find something really amazing to celebrate the day – and I think we found the perfect activity for our water baby! More of that later…!

The first day we had an amazing afternoon exploring the beautiful Library of Birmingham! Isla ran around the Secret Garden on the roof (videos over on our facebook!) & had the best time reading all the books in the extensive children’s section! The under 5’s area is fantastic with cushions, toys & teddy’s! It even has a clean & easy to access baby change right next to it!

The next day we headed over to visit our lovely friends who have just welcomed a gorgeous baby boy to their family! I, of course, had to take a few snaps of him… and we even got a little Harry Potter creative with one of the shots! Look at those tiny baby toes!!!

Isla’s birthday came round so fast – but here we are celebrating 1 year with our amazing girl! We had her party coming up at the weekend so decided to explore the Thinktank Science Museum which was an incredible success! Isla had the time of her life exploring – there is so much on offer, including role play & costumes, water play/experiments, an amazing outdoor playground and so much more! You could spend a whole day (or two!) and still not see everything! They have their own cafe, shop & easy to access baby change.

The rest of the week was spent running around frantically getting all the last minute bits for Isla’s party in the Bull Ring – which really is the best shopping centre I’ve ever been too! They could do with a few more lifts but once you get your bearings it’s fantastic. I can’t wait to share Isla’s party with you soon & then we are headed onto Edinburgh! Recommendations gratefully received as always! 🙂

*All of Isla’s outfits in this post are from Zara Baby.