Me and Mine April

April has absolutely flown by in a whirl of hospital appointments, soft play afternoons and nursery runs and I didn't even realise the month was ending until today.  Luckily, we have taken two sets of family photos this month, and as I couldn't choose which to include, we have both.  The first set were taken down the beach over the Easter weekend.  Every Easter sunday we visit my parents, and always end up taking a stroll after dinner along the seafront as they live round the corner.  The other set are from the day we dressed up as superheroes, and I love how random they are! They aren't the best photos as I forgot that I had changed the settings on my camera, but they make me smile.

Life With Three - Month Two

It has been over a month since we brought Finn home from the hospital, and we have had plenty of time to adjust to the new dynamic in the house.  Those first nervous days seem so long ago, and whilst I wouldn't say I have everything sorted, we have certainly found our groove now.

Preperation is key, and whilst I used to leave things until the morning, I now make sure I have the changing bag full, packed lunches made and outfits picked out for us all the night before.  In the evenings I can run around getting things done without tripping over little feet and it makes getting out the house before 9am a little less stressful.  We have even made it to nursery on time once or twice without forgetting anything.

The Last Few Months

Last Thursday I joined thousands of other anxious parents frantically checking their emails to see which school their child had been accepted into.  Somehow over three and a half years have passed since our Dylan entered our lives, and in September he will be donning a navy blue uniform and heading off to school.

It seems like only yesterday that we were bringing him home from hospital on that warm summers day, and it is hard to believe three years ago he was sat in a highchair with the chubbiest thighs you have ever seen and food smeared all across his face as he learned new schools.  In the last three and a half years we have witnessed and shared so many firsts, from smiles, to words to steps to hops.  In five months we will pack him off for his first day at school, which gives us five months to enjoy the freedom that comes from no commitments.

Prepararing for a New Sibling

Twice in his three and a half short years Dylan has welcomed a new baby brother.  He is a naturally laid back child which has made things easier, and as he was so young when Archie was born, I don't think he remembers a time before his brother arrived, but there are still a few things we did to try and make the transition as smooth as possible.

We told Dylan about the pregnancy after our first scan, so that he didn't go blurting the news before we were ready to share.  He was very excited and after about 3 weeks of being asked every morning whether the baby was here yet, we stopped talking about it so much.  Toddlers have not got a great sense of time and six months isn't easily distinguished from 6 days.  We then decided not to make a big deal of it until we were in the final weeks and that seemed to work well for us.

8 Weeks Old

These first 8 weeks have been full of drama, tears, change and learning, but things are starting to feel more settled and on track.  There were things I thought I knew about parenting after having two, but Finn is rewriting the book, and I feel like a first time parent with him all over again.

We finally have some growth, although he is still a teeny 8lb 8oz (Still smaller than Dylan was at birth).  Finn still fits in newborn or up to 1 month clothing and the smallest nappies we can get.  People often comment on how alert he looks as his size is misleading.

He is a very alert baby though, awake for long periods of the day and his wide eyes always search for me.  He likes to be able to touch and see me at all times but I am rewarded with smiles and coos now.  I wouldn't describe him as the smiliest of babies, but if you catch him at the right time of day, you see his beautiful little face light up and his brothers delight in telling me that they are his favourite every time a smile goes their way.

Frugi Breastfeeding Dress Review

Frugi have a gorgeous new range of clothing designed for breastfeeding mamas and they sent me one of their Spring dresses to try out.

Whilst Finn is the third baby I have breastfed and I have a bit more confidence feeding in public than I did the first time around, I still like to be discreet, and this dress is perfectly designed to feed comfortably and without having having much skin on show.  

Four Batmen and a Catwoman

Dylan has recently discovered superheroes, and despite not knowing very much about them at all, he is pretty obsessed! We were invited along to an event at Toys'r'us last weekend to attempt a world record for the most amount of Superheroes at one time.

Being just a little bit geeky, I couldn't resist the opportunity to dress up, and we were sent costumes for the whole family.  I have two very happy little guys and one rather happy bloke as well!  

And of course, we had to try them on . . . and then pounce around the street too, fighting off baddies.  Even Finn had his own outfit, although it was a bit cold outside for the littlest superhero, so he held the fort for us.

Hypnobirthing - My Experience

I hadn't heard of the term Hypnobirthing until after Dylan was born, and I wasn't convinced enough to try it until after Archie.  I was lucky enough to have two relatively quick and simple labours and when I found out I was pregnant with Finn, I knew it was something I wanted to try.  I have never felt quite as powerful as those moments after giving birth, and with both births  I had been utterly amazed at what my body had accomplished.  I wanted to trust in it even more this third time, be more in touch and have a third fantastic labour.

I was offered the opportunity to try out The Calm Birth School's online program and it seemed perfect for us.  It comprised of a series of videos delivered straight to your inbox along with podcasts and a facebook group where we could chat to other mums and the two ladies behind the idea, Suzy and Holly.  Being a busy mum of two already, being able to take the course at my own pace was ideal and the facebook group means you can ask questions whenever they pop into your head, even if that is 3am.

The Milestones

When Finn arrived, we had no idea that we had such an ordeal ahead.  He cried and he cuddled, he fed and he cuddled some more and he was our perfect baby boy.  When he was 12 hours old, he was found to have jaundice and when he was 24 hours old, the doctors decided there was an underlying problem.  It was discovered that he had been born with a virus, and suddenly there was a lot of unknown.

The virus can manifest in many ways, and there is so much uncertainty ahead.  Our baby boy is a fighter and is doing so well, but we were left with so many questions and so much that we would need to  'wait and see'.  

One thing we were told is to keep a close eye on his milestones in the first year, as it will be a good indicator of his future development.  I found myself worrying daily about what he should be doing, despite having had two newborn babies before and knowing that not much is expected in the first weeks.

This week marks six weeks since the dinky one arrived, and today he smiled at me.  He smiled in the morning, and cooed away, he smiled in the afternoon, despite being rather grumpy all day and he smiled before bed as we lay on the floor having tummy time.  He watched me, alert and interested, his eyes lit up first and finally his mouth curled up into that goofy toothless smile.  I couldn't capture it on camera, I was too busy enjoying that little face, but today Finn smiled.

The Cosatto Ooba Review

We were sent the Cosatto Ooba in Charleston to use with our newest arrival and I am really impressed with it.  Not only does the Ooba look bright and fun, but it comes with some great features and extras that make it stand out.

The monochrome design of the Ooba is eye-catching without being too bright and completely unisex too in my opinion.  The frame is really easy to fold, using two simple mechanisms (which are handily labelled too) and folds pretty small, although the carrycot does need to be removed first.  Because of the way the frame crosses over the basket, I was worried it would be hard to use, but we have had no problems putting a changing bag underneath or using it with shopping bags.  

Alternatives to Baby Blue for Baby Boys

With Finn being my third boy, I have to admit that I am done with pale blue.  When we were expecting Dylan, we stocked up on the traditional baby blue and he suited it completely but I have discovered over the last three years how great a variety of boys clothes there can be, and Finn has a wardobe full of white, grey and colour.  His clothes are fun, comfy and perfect for a baby boy without being overly blue.  

I love colourful baby clothes, playful styles and pictures that remind me of childhood.  Dylan has loved choosing clothes for his little brother, and he always goes for bright (and usually covered in dinosaurs too).  I have found some great independent stores, scandinavian brands and even places on the high street that have great colourful boys clothes.  This sleepsuit is from Melijoe and I love the colour scheme. 

Blue doesn't have to be pale, Finn looks lovely in blue, but we have chosen darker or brighter shades.  No matter how you dress a baby, you will get asked repeatedly whether it is a boy or girl, and dressing him in blue helps other people to recognise them. It also makes it a lot easier to shop!

There is something so precious about babies in white, and I can't resist that angelic look, especially in the first couple of months.  There isn't long where white works as weaning and crawling soon eliminate it from their wardrobe, so I love white on my babys, although with two big brothers who love playing with him, Finn won't be keeping white clean for long either!

These gorgeous babygrows can all be found on the Melijoe website

Disclaimer: Featured Post

Our Easter Weekend

With everything that has been going on, I completely forgot that Easter was coming, so when the long weekend crept up on us I was pretty happy.  Having the bloke at home for 4 days, seeing family and the best excuse I can think of to eat too much chocolate and not feel guilty.

On Friday, I was treated to a much needed lie in, although it feels more like a series of long naps as I still have to feed little Finn every two or three hours.  Friday afternoon the bloke went out, and I managed my first solo bedtime with all three quite successfully.  Mastering something new with all three always makes me feel good, so it was a pretty great start to the weekend. 

Three Under Four - The First 5 Weeks

No change is ever as big as having your first child.  Your life is turned upside down, there is always another person to think of before yourself and you experience a love you never knew existed.  Moving from one child to two is a challenge, there are now two mouths to feed, two bodies to dress and there is learning to balance two different sets of needs, giving both children attention.  I have found going from two to three the hardest change so far though.