not at all what they had wanted for me, once Ella was born they fell in love with her. It's impossible not to. She's the most beautiful girl. The years went on and Ella went to nursery , which meant that I could get back to working towards a career. This was important to me, as although I love being Ella's mum, I also wanted to remember that I was a person too. It was hard because it was tiring trying to get Ella and myself ready in the morning. It was a real effort getting her to nursery , me to work, leaving work, picking Ella up, getting home, giving Ella lunch, cleaning the flat, entertaining Ella, going to the park, the list goes on! And that's without doing the food shopping and endless washing. I survived it, though. Ella is six years old now, seven in November, and I am 23. In May of this year I had my second daughter , Lucy Emily. I am no longer with her father, so it's back to being a single parent all over again. But this time it's different. I'm older, and I'm wiser. Having Ella when I was so young was the hardest thing ever, but I have such a well-adjusted little girl to show for it that I know I can do it again. Sure, it's a little harder as there is Ella and Lucy to take care of now, but it's not always going to be tough.