THE first of a number of changes to hit my little boy happened last week. Ben had his last day at the nursery where he has been going since he was nine months old.

I remember vividly leaving him in the care of people I barely knew wondering if I was doing the right thing, whether he thought I was abandoning him, or if the staff would wonder what on Earth they had taken on.

In fact Ben has always thoroughly enjoyed his time at Play Away and never once did I have to resort to bribing him to get in the car or detach him from my leg in order to get him through the doors.

He also met his best mate Thomas while there, the pair of them were as thick as thieves. Perhaps he took to him because he shares the same name as his favourite tank engine but what ever first led him to strike up the friendship the pair have remained true buddies to the point where he even declared: “I love Thomas” some weeks back.

I don’t think that not seeing him on a regular basis has quite dawned, but with any luck we can sort of couple if play days with his mum in the coming weeks to ensure they stay mates.

The thinking behind Ben leaving and to a pre-school nearer home is owing to the imminent arrival of a new little peanut.

It will be all I can do to amble down the road in my pyjamas with two children in tow come October never mind the idea of getting them and me dressed up and in the car by eight.

Also, having recently moved I was a bit conscious of Ben being a ‘Billy No Mates’ on his first day at school.

I thought a few familiar faces would help ease the passage up to big school, which shockingly is only a year away.

It seems like no time at all that I was leaving him at the doors of his nursery as an anxious back-to-work-mum, it isn’t half true that the time flies.