A New Year

2012 has been an amazing year.  Like everyone, I have had my ups and downs, but I entered the year with a gorgeous, dependant and smiley little baby, and am leaving it with an inquisitive, giggly, energetic and happy toddler.  2012 has seen me start a blog and work very hard at it,  return to work part time and fall pregnant with Squish.  2012 has seen me turn 25, bake my first cake and move into our new house.  

Every new year, I make resolutions - promises to myself to be a better person.  By the end of January I have usually completely forgotten what they are, but come December, it seems like a great idea again to come up with a new set.  This year will be no different I am sure, but the main promise I want to make is to give my son more distraction free time.

My number 1 priority

My mobile phone is never out of reach, and I rarely turn the laptop off.  There is always a little icon popping up on the top left hand screen on my phone to let me know that I have a new email, or a tweet or that someone has liked a post on Instagram and I am guilty of giving in to the temptation to check the notifications almost as soon as they pop up.  My new years resolution this year is to spend a little time every day with my phone either switched off or in another room.  I want to take away the temptation to check on the outside world and just sit and play a bit more.

I am not going to set myself a time goal or anything more structured, just a promise to make more of an effort to ignore technology and show my gorgeous little boy that he is my priority.

I have also found a fabulous idea which I intend to try this year- 

 A '2013 Jar'

I will fill the jar with happy memories from the year, big and small.  Special days, moments, feelings and objects that make us smile, written down on pieces of paper and popped in the jar.  At the end of 2013, I can look back and remember how I felt, what we have been up to and leave 2013 behind on a positive note.

Do you make new years resolutions or have a great idea of how to keep 2013 on track?  

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My Beautiful Boy

You may have noticed that I love to take photos of my gorgeous little man.  Not only is he utterly scrummy, he is my life right now and I love recording our adventures.  All my photos are courtesy of my smartphone though, and although I am never without it, there is something special about those perfectly posed pictures with a quality camera.

When Dylan was only a few weeks old, we got his photos done, and his gorgeous Cat in the Hat picture still hangs pride of place in the living room.  We went back to the same photographer when he was six months and twelve months to have some more pictures done.  

It is with great pride in my beautiful boy that I share some of my favourite photos of Dylan

6 Months Old

Daddy's little penguin

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Merry Christmas!

Christmas has suddenly crept up on us and according to Disney Junior (which has been acting as a babysitter today whilst I am too ill to leave the sofa) it is only two sleeps to go!  This week has been eventful and tiring and blogging has taken a back seat.  This week we have met Santa and attended a whole host of Christmas parties. I have made lists for, bought and wrapped all my Christmas presents, I have looked after a poorly toddler who caught the dreaded tummy bug going around and the bloke and I have spent the weekend coping with it ourselves just as the toddler recovers and starts demanding more attention.  

My Poorly Boy

I am hoping that the sickness will all be over by Tuesday and we can enjoy the nice family Christmas we have planned.  A day in pyjamas filled with naps and litres of water and I am starting to get my energy back and Christmas eve is one of my favourite days of the year so an early night tonight is on the cards.  I remember well the anticipation, the magic and the colours as we counted down until the big man in red paid a visit.  The bloke is off work tomorrow so we have a lovely family day planned with our own traditions.

Dylan's homemade Decorations

Tomorrow day we have a couple of last minute things to do and buy so we will take a stroll down to the town and enjoy a nice lunch while we are there.  It is when the sun starts to go down that the magic really begins though and although I am not overly religious, I will never forget the wonders of the Christingle service.  The children, the lights, the sweets and the songs.  Last year I took a baby boy with me, who sat peacefully on my lap.  This year he will be joining in with 'Away in a Manger', he will wonder at the hundreds of candles lighting up the church and I am pretty sure he will demolish the orange and raisins as soon as he is allowed!  

Me - Pregnant and dressed up!

After the Christingle we will come back home and watch the most Christmas Eve-ish film I can think of - The Snowman.  Dylan has a lovely little snowman toy and although he is not too interested in the TV yet, teamed with mummy and daddy cuddles on the sofa, how can he resist? We can then all eat dinner together, and set out a plate with Santa's mince pie and milk and Rudolph's carrot and the boys will go up and have bath time together to make sure the little guy is lovely and clean for the big day.  More cuddles and we will tuck him up tight, and lay his stocking down near his cot in the hope that Father Christmas pays a visit in the night.

Christmas morning will be spent at our home as a family of 3 but for the rest of the day and night we will be at my Mum and Dad's with Dylan's Aunt and Uncle enjoying our roast turkey, Celebrations and games.  I can't wait to enjoy the day with him and help him open his exciting new toys.  I can't wait to have him sat at the dinner table with us on Christmas day enjoying his share of the yorkshire puddings and roasties, as last year he hadn't started weaning yet.  I can't wait to dress him in his lovely new outfit that I am pretty sure Santa is bringing him and hopefully get some lovely pictures of the three of us, as by next year there will be two tiny terrors around.

Christmas is so much more magical with children around and I cannot wait to share it with my gorgeous boy.  

So to all my readers, I hope you have the perfect Christmas.  I hope that you spend it with the people you love, that there is laughter, giggles, smiles and chocolate.  I hope that whether there are little or lots of presents under your tree, that they each bring happiness and that you have a well deserved day of festivities.  

A little sceptical of the big guy

Merry Christmas!

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The Second Baby

With a second baby due in only two months, I have been thinking a lot about what I will do differently.  I feel like I was thrown head first into motherhood the first time, with no clue what I was doing or how to look after this tiny helpless little newborn.  The love was instinctual and I knew I would do anything to protect this baby of mine, but I didn't always know how.

Breastfeeding seemed to come naturally, and I made decisions based on what I thought was right, what I read and what I felt my son wanted.  I am far from knowing what I am doing even now but I do have a gorgeous, clever, friendly and generally well behaved toddler so I would like to think at least some of that is due to me getting something right as he has grown up. 

With Squish, I have been wondering what I will do differently,

Whether I will feed him for longer, or not so long?

Will I will be stricter about him being in bed with me in the early days, or will I will be more relaxed?

Will I dress this baby differently?  Treat him differently as he is my second child?  Wean him earlier?  Spend less money on him?

Will I be the same parent to both my children?

In all honesty, only time will tell how things go once I have my two little boys around, but I do know that I want to bring Squish up in as similar a way as possible to Dylan.  I know that I want to breastfeed for around 9 months, just like I did his brother.  I know that should he want to sleep on me in the early days then so be it.  I will need my sleep more than ever and babies need the security.  There will come a point, much like with Dylan where Squish wants his own space and he will go into his own bed.  I will worry less about it because I know now that it was the right thing for us the first time around.

I know that this baby will have a lot of hand me downs, but also his own clothes and his own personality.  No two children are the same, and I am not expecting another little Dylan.  I want to look after this individual and do what is right for him, at the right times and in the right way, ignoring what I did with Dylan.  Obviously previous experience plays a huge role, but so does following the signs and I hope I can do this with little Squish.

I know that things will not be the same.  I will not have the time to stop and stare at this beautiful little life as much as I did the first time around.  I will not be able to tailor my days around this second baby as the first has his needs still, but hopefully having a brother, a playmate and another person to love will make up for this for both of my boys.

I know I will love this child just as much as I love Dylan, and I know I will do whatever I can to make sure he is happy and healthy.  I can only hope that I make the right decisions along the way.


Did you do things differently with a second child or do you think you will?  

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Liforma Bump Band Review

I thought I had tried every trick in the book to try and prevent the dreaded stretch marks so when I heard about Liforma I was curious.  Liforma is not just a cream, it is a bump band, innovatively made with raised spots on the inside that are designed to stop stretchmarks in their tracks.  

The pack comes with a day gel, which you put on and allow it to dry for a few seconds, before pulling on the bump band.  The band comes in several sizes so you can pick the right one for your shape and stage of pregnancy, and are much like the bump bands I have to hide my tummy when my tops are too short or jeans don't do up.  The idea is that you wear the bump band under your clothes all day and then apply the seperate moisturising night cream before going to bed and taking the band off.

One of the first things I noticed was that the band was nice and snug, even in a large and I felt like my back was getting some protection.  I work as a waitress which can put stress on my body during pregnancy, and I have found that wearing the band gives me less back pain at the end of the day.  I found that the day gel needed to be reapplied midway through the day as if your skin dries it can become itchy, but reapplying once was enough to keep my bump feeling moisturised and soft and only took a few seconds.  The night cream is lovely and rich and the same texture as many other pregnancy body lotions.

I did find that occasionally the band did get uncomfortable, and the lower elastic band could become too tight, even though I was wearing a size large and am only a size 8 pre-pregnancy.  I also found that wearing thinner tops meant you could see the spots on  the bump through it.  As this pregnancy is mostly through winter, this isn't an issue as I am usually quite covered up however should it be a summer pregnancy it would be difficult to wear the band under a white vest or T-shirt without it being quite noticeable.

I can't say for sure how effective the band is, as I have numerous stretch marks from my first pregnancy and have not worn it every day so far but reading the science behind it has reassured me that Liforma may really be onto something.  I think that worn properly this would be quite an effective treatment and worn occasionally I find it helps support my back and keep my bump moisturised and looked after.  It is not the cheapest method but it is your body and you only get one so I don't think there is a price you can put on having a scar free tummy should it be one of your priorities.  I would love to hear some testimonies from people that wore this religiously throughout pregnancy so should you have the Liforma kit, please let me know!

You can purchase this Liforma pack through an approved stockist for £84.99

Disclaimer:  I was sent a day gel, night cream and bump band for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Family Day out at London Zoo

We have only a few short weeks left as a family of three and I am trying hard to make the most of it.  As the bloke works during the week and I work one day every weekend, we only have the one day a week to spend as our little three and this weekend we decided a Christmas treat was in order.

Our adventure started early (well early enough anyway) with a train journey up to London, and Dylan loved walking around the carriage making friends with everyone that smiled back at him.  He is happiest when he has lots of attention and was in his element!  We decided as there was two of us, we would take him on the underground and he sat happily in his pushchair watching the commuters, tourists and Christmas shoppers as we made our way to the zoo.  Dylan seems to have developed a little obsession with animals and our days are spent practising our animal noises, doing animal puzzles and pointing out every monkey, dog and lion in the books we read. I knew he would love the Zoo and so London Zoo was our destination!

Just a little excited!

Whilst the little man napped, the bloke and I took in the smaller animals and bugs and once he woke up the fun really began.  We went to see the monkeys and gorillas, and he was fascinated as they swung around and climbed the ropes.  I could hear a constant ooh ooh, aah ahh and it wasn't coming from inside the cages!  I am so used to visiting zoos in the summer, but in the winter the animals are all so much more active and it is lovely to watch.

Next he was captivated by daddy's favourites - the penguins.  We went along for an informative talk, and sat and ate our picnic lunch as we watched them devouring their fish.  I amused myself and Dylan by making the penguin follow my finger around and I wonder whether he was interested in the penguins on my mittens!

The lions and tigers were a big hit and Dylan seemed very fascinated in watching the tiger eating his dinner - rabbits! It must be a boy thing, as Daddy was captivated too!

We saw the otters, giraffes, reindeer, zebras and butterflies as we walked around (all three of us as someone decided the pushchair was unnecessary when there is so much to look at) and Dylan marvelled at them all, suddenly realising that the creatures exist in the real world as well as in his books and toys.  

By the time the sun was setting and we decided a quick visit to the gift shop was necessary, the little dude was utterly exhausted and I was feeling the same way! There may have been a couple of stragglers in the bag when we left as well.

Mr Gorilla and Rawr the Lion

 Dylan had his first go on the Merry-go-round and he loved riding on a giraffe as we went round twice, waving at Daddy every time we passed him and dancing to the music.  He had been so interested in how tall the giraffes were, I think it was an easy decision when it came to which animal he should ride on!

We all had a wonderful day at London Zoo and my favourite part was spending my time with my two favourite people, doing something that was fun for all of us.  Watching Dylan's face as he took it all in was magical and it was the perfect family day out for us.

Disclaimer:  I was provided with tickets for London Zoo by Money Supermarket

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30 Weeks Pregnant

I am now 30 weeks, which means I am three quarters of the way through this journey and I am starting to get asked very often if I am getting fed up with being pregnant.  I am quite honestly one of those people that enjoys pregnancy though, and as much as I cannot wait to meet my little baby, I am in no rush to do so!  Every morning I wake up and admire my bump and I love feeling the little wriggler kicking away.

Here is the 30 week bump:

On the Inside

Things may be getting more cramped and sometimes Squish's movements are getting quite strong now.  It can feel like he is trying to break out at times but luckily this is mostly in the evenings when I can just lie down and give him the space to wriggle.  During the day the movements are much more muted, but getting harder to mistake.  I still have no cravings or heartburn but after a long day on my feet and a little rest, I do struggle to get back up again and sometimes have tummy pains.  I think this may be a sign of overdoing it but I am so used to my active lifestyle I am struggling to slow down at all.

I am starting to feel much more connected to the baby and spending more time with my hands on my tummy just feeling him kick away.  I have also started planning his room and looking for the perfect material to make his crib bumper.  I am still nowhere near ready for his arrival, but entering the thirties means I am thinking about it more.  Once Christmas is out the way, hopefully I will be a bit more organised!

On the Outside

I feel like bump has not really grown much recently, and it is slightly smaller than when I was pregnant the first time around.  I have the midwife next week, so I can find out just how the little one is measuring.  The bump is definitely a different shape to last time as Squish is still lying across and so pushing out at the sides.  This means that my bump is not as neat as last time, but I still think it looks like a typical 'boy bump'.  I do think it looks very low already though so let's hope baby is not getting ready for an early appearance!

I still don't think Dylan understands much but he is starting to show an interest in my bump, and has been giving it a few cuddles recently too.  I know it is going to be a complete shock to him when the little one arrives, so if I can help him understand any part of it then I will keep trying.

Next update will be after Christmas now and I can only imagine bump will be twice the size with all the Christmas dinner and yule log I plan on munching! 

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