I had the most amazing time in Costa Rica; it's such an incredible place and taking Ava was the best thing I could have done. She was so animated there and just LOVED the beach. Most importantly, she learnt to swim - not with armbands but properly diving in! Since we've come home I've taken her swimming every day.  The only down-side to all the travelling is the jet-lag, especially for poor Ava. We were in Costa Rica for 6 weeks and for the first three days she would be awake at 2am, sat bolt upright in bed! She was then a bit tired during the day for the first few days but soon got over this. She's actually really good on flights; she's been travelling since she was tiny so is fairly used to it! I bring loads to keep her occupied on flights - I've lost so many DVDs I've lost count. Obviously it's great to bring some colouring pens and paper too to keep your little ones busy. Since coming back I've been playing catch up, from presenting 'Ten Years Younger' to working on my radio show on Classic FM.  I've also been at Mothercare every other week, from 9am to 9pm, working on the new Baby K range. I've been working on this new range of bottle holders with silver foil insulation. Click here to buy the Baby K lunch bag.      Click here to buy the Baby K bottle bag.   They're a bit different and far more enticing than the usual bland range of bottle holders out there - I've lost so many of those and I think it's because they just don't stand out enough.  Mothercare have also just ordered in a second round of the Baby K change bag, pictured here. It's been so popular and has been flying off the shelves! We sold out of the first delivery of Change Bags so quickly, but the new delivery is due to arrive online on 23 August, so make sure you don't miss out again!'  I'm also really excited about the new range of bedding that I've been designing for Baby K, which comes out in November. I'm visiting loads of different houses at the moment to make sure that the bedding will fit in in different homes and I'm really pleased with the results.  As with everything I design for Baby K I really do my research. I have to test absolutely everything and my washing machine is on constantly! Everyone thinks I'm bonkers but I want to make sure that everything not only looks great but is safe, comfortable and durable. I wouldn't ever design anything for Baby K that Ava wouldn't wear or use herself; with Mothercare products you're really paying for the research and the technique that goes into making the best possible product for your little one. Mothercare even carry out rigorous pull tests on buttons to ensure they will not come off!  Ava's been having a great time the past few weeks. This weekend we went to her friend's birthday party and Ava and a little boy disappeared inside to play on the toy cash till. She has so many birthday parties to go to at the moment that her social calendar is taking over her life! I've realised recently that I'm quite a strict mummy - at this recent birthday party I was really keen to keep her away from all the junk food (although she managed to sneak a chocolate Rice Krispie cake!)Yesterday we went to this amazing Phillipino festival (my mum is Phillipino), where they had Hawaiian hula dancing and people dancing with candles on their heads. I went with my Mum and Ava, who absolutely loved it - she danced with the hula dancers and ate papaya! Someone realised I was there so I was asked to get up on stage and I took Ava with me, which I would never normally do, but since it wasn't a work thing I thought it was fine. She's really sociable so didn't mind at all!Ava's character is really appearing now and she's so funny. She's a real tomboy and loves playing with cars and trains - which Gray's thrilled about - but she also likes to dress as a fairy, so she's got a girly side too. I even caught her painting her nails with ketchup the other day! (I think she'd seen me painting mine and wanted to copy the look). I had an embarrassing incident recently when we were staying at the Four Seasons hotel. I  popped to the loo and when I came back Ava had got the felt tips out and drawn a huge line all over the beautiful white Egyptian cotton duvet! And yes, I did own up...Ava can be very determined when she wants to be, like any other wilful toddler. The other day I was in a shopping centre and Ava went limp as a jellyfish, dropped on the floor and wouldn't move! Someone even said to me 'Pick your child up!'. The only thing I could do was pick her up - which was a bit of a struggle - take some deep breaths and walk on. So for any gurgle mummies who've been in this situation, I know what you're going through!We're having a 'staycation' this year, as we've been jetting about so much recently. I'm planning on taking the whole family away at some point - maybe to Thailand or the Caribbean - but I'll wait until Gray's back. He's been away for two and a half months already and is away for another month; in that whole time he's only been back for one day! It's always been like this - I met him on tour - so I'm used to it, but of course I do miss him. Luckily as Ava's now talking we can both chat to him on the phone.The next big event is Ava's birthday party in August. We now have a tree house in the garden - an early birthday present for Ava - and we're going to have a bouncy castle and a ball pond at the party, so it should be a lot of fun. Ava loves the Little Mermaid so she'll probably be dressed as either a mermaid or a fairy and the boys can come as pirates. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!Finally, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who supports the Baby K range. I always want to give mums a bigger choice so there are lots of new things for you all to look forward to; we've got a range of buggies coming out in the Spring, for example. I'm also really excited about the musical play mats that I've designed for the Baby K Orchestra range, which are a great way to introduce your child to classical music. They will be hitting the shops early next year, so keep your eyes peeled. Thank you again to you all!Love Leenie x View less