Back to blissful normality...

I am a huge fan of Christmas. And obviously as Luke's first, this year it was extra special. However, as fun as the fairy light, carols and obscene amounts of food were, I surprised myself with just how much I relished getting back to normality. 

This morning was the first morning I didn't have to get up and get dressed. We had a leisurely breakfast and played with all Luke's new toys. We had cuddles on the sofa, watched postman pat, and Luke drifted off into a lovely peaceful sleep. I think it's the first time in over a week that he hasn't had his nap in the car whilst being ferried to yet another relatives house for lunch. 

We got to have a catchup with a mummy friend over lunch and when he went down for his afternoon nap, I got to snuggle on the sofa with a cup of tea and do some much needed blogging. It all felt so blissfully normal. Such a refreshing change to the past couple of weeks of running round like a blue arsed fly, desperately trying to remain festive while secretly wishing I was at home scoffing chocolate in my pyjamas. 

I love Christmas. It really is the most magical time of year. But this year especially, I have found myself craving my simple life full of play dates, baby groups and sofa snuggles. 

And today couldn't have been more gloriously, perfectly normal. 

Blogmas #9 - Baby's first Christmas card!

So if you follow me on Instagram, you will know that Luke is the star of our Christmas cards this year. We have never been ones to do printed Christmas cards in previous years, but as it's our first Christmas with a baby we decided to go all out.

I actually took the photo myself and have to say I was really please with how it turned out. It was so easy, fuss free and Luke didn't get at all grumpy.
I draped a red velvet throw over a bean bag and Luke was more than happy to lie on it and play with some fairy lights (battery powered of course!). As a finishing touch I decided to scatter some cheapy baubles around him and the end result was very festive. I felt like a very Pinterest worthy mummy!

Luke wore a little Father Christmas onesie from Next which looked totally gorgeous. However it would appear that Luke has a larger than average head and the matching hat didn't fit, meaning we had to improvise and use a sparkly one I got for a party years ago. A little bit feminine and fabulous, but no one minds on a baby!

After some careful googling I chose to get the cards printed with Optimalprint - they had a really good selection of designs and all Christmas cards were half price! They arrived within a couple of days and look lovely. It did come to more than we would usually spend on cards, but it was totally worth it and I think all our friends and family are going to love them!

All that's left to do now is write them... which will inevitably happen one panic stricken evening the week before Christmas!

Are any of your little ones starring on Christmas cards this year? We'd love to have a look, post your pictures in the comments below.

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #6 - our festive week in pictures!

Quite frankly this week has been a little bit of write off. After Luke's spectacular vomiting display in the pottery painting shop, a trip to the doctor confirmed a nasty bout of gastroenteritis so we have stayed in most of the week and lounged around in sick stained pyjamas (yummy mummy?!) 

However as promised, this weeks 'week in pictures' is a festive one! 

We had a rather lovely start to the week painting pottery for Christmas gifts and decorating the tree. However our placement of the tree turned out to be a bit of a mistake as Luke is now far more interested in the fairy lights than eating his breakfast. 

We also sent off for this years Christmas cards, with Luke starring as a super cute Santa! We took the photo last week when he wasn't poorly - I'm really pleased with it and can't wait to see how the cards turn out. The photo was so easy to set up and only involved a beanbag, a throw, some baubles and fairy lights! Not as good as a professional but they look the part. 

As some of you may know from my Instagram, Saturday was a bit of a disaster day! After a week of being mummy mattress for a poorly baby, I was extremely sleep deprived so slept through my alarm, threw my breakfast down my self and to top it all off I ripped my favourite Ted Baker skirt when I gracefully fell out of my car...! However a new skirt and Pret's nut roast sandwich cheered me up and the rest of the day wasn't too bad (and ended in watching my all time favourite movie The Holiday and drinking much needed wine!). 

And that brings us to today which has been a slightly desperate yet very fun attempt to finish the last of my Christmas shopping! Luke is also now officially sitting up all on his own, and he is getting really strong! I have to admit it's scaring me slightly as crawling isn't that far off, and that means baby proofing everything and running round like a headless chicken! 

What have you been up to this week? Let me know in the comments :-)

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #5 - The countdown to Christmas

Although I absolutely love Christmas Day, one of my favourite parts is actually the lead up to Christmas. 

I love the decorations, the fairy lights and the carols. The markets, the mulled wine and dressing up for the work Christmas party. The Christmas food, the of buying presents and all in all that general festive feeling. 

But simple as it sounds, one of my favourite traditions in the lead up to Christmas, is opening the Advent calendar.

My parents are religious, so growing up I was never allowed a chocolate advent calendar (it took away from the meaning of Christmas) I had ones with pictures. As a 6 year old, you can imagine how unimpressed I was when all the other children opened their door to find little Santa chocolates and I got a picture of a robin. 

Ironically now I much prefer the picture calendars. You can get such beautiful ones with lovely pictures and (you've guessed it) lots and lots of glitter!

This year, when my Daddy dropped by with an Advent calendar 'for Luke' I wondered, at 8 months old, how interested he would really be. 

On the December 1st while we were having breakfast, I put the calendar in front of Luke and was surprised at how taken in he was. His eyes were like saucers and he had a look of total wonder on his little face. It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen, made all the more special by the fact that the calendar was from Grandad. 

Now we open the calendar every morning at breakfast and Luke is totally entranced. It has made one of my favourite Christmas traditions all the more special and I'm actually going to be quite sad when we get to the last door. 

What is your favourite part about the lead up to Christmas? I'd love to hear your count down traditions. 

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #4 - I want I want I want...

Anyone who knows me will tell you, I am a very materialistic person. I can't help it, I just LOVE stuff! Shoes, bags, clothes, make-up, homeware and don't even get me started on jewellery. So as you can imagine, when Christmas comes round, I am in my element. I already have a rather long Christmas wishlist this year (which I shall be publishing properly in the next few weeks, should any of you wish to get me a present!) But to give you a rough idea, is currently looks a little something like this:

- Lancome mascara
- Yankee candles
- White Company candles
- Estee Lauder lippy
- Ted baker coat
- Riding boots from Dune
- All saints shearling coat
- Whistles bobble hat
- Diamond present necklace from work
- Tiffany bracelet
- New handbag
- Fur bed throw
- Sparkly cushions
- New phone case
- Emma Bridgewater espresso cups

I won't bore you with anymore for the moment, but you get the gist. A lot of the time with me it's want, want, want.

While pottering round town the other day doing some last bits of shopping, I added several things to the ever growing list.
As I walked past Starbucks immersed in my own little world of Christmas and trying to decide between an americano and their rather delicious hot mulled fruit, I spotted a homeless man curled up under a blanket looking cold and suddenly my mental Christmas list seemed a little bit insignificant. I felt horribly selfish that the most important thing to me was making sure I got everything that was on my list when there were people who wouldn't even have dinner or a place to live this Christmas. It got me thinking, it is so easy to get caught up in the materialistic side of Christmas and just want want want, that sometimes we take our lives for granted and forget to just be thankful for what we already have. I am blessed with so many wonderful things that not everyone is lucky enough to have.

I am blessed with a husband who works incredibly hard so I can stay at home with our little boy.

I am blessed with parents who are always there for me at the drop of a hat.

I am blessed with a job that I love.

I am blessed with a happy, healthy, smiley little boy.

I am blessed with a fridge full of food (cliche but true) and a warm home (once the heater gets fixed...)

I am blessed with a dog who gives me cuddles and a cat who brings me socks as presents.

I am blessed with a wardrobe full of lovely clothes.

I am blessed with friends who are there for me, no matter how far away.

I am blessed with people who make me smile when I feel low.

I am blessed to have all my wonderful Grandparents still with me.

I love Christmas and I love giving and receiving presents, seeing my family and sharing delicious food. I am not saying that we shouldn't enjoy these things but maybe while you are writing your Christmas lists this year, think of those less fortunate that you and make a mental list of all the wonderful things you are blessed with.

Happy Blogmas everyone :-) X

Our week in pictures #3

Hello all welcome to another week in pictures! As promised, I did more this week than just sit around in my pyjamas and take selfies! 

We started off our week with a trip to baby gym class with a mummy friend and Luke's best buddy Ted. It is so much fun for the boys, and us mummies had a wail of a time on the trampolines (they're the sort of thing that you find extremely exciting when you're a mummy!) 

They are getting so grown up now, it's hard to imagine they were once tiny newborns with floppy heads! 

I also had quite an emotional week. While writing a blog post on being a preemie mummy, I scrolled back through all my photos of Luke as a newborn. I have to say it hit me harder than I expected and I got all blurry eyed looking at my little boy in an incubator and realising how far he has come. 

Our week has also been filled to the brim with mummy play dates this week.  Although it is mainly so us mummies can keep some degree of sanity and gorge on obscene amounts of chocolate, I also feel it's really lovely for the boys to have some bonding time (and I think they enjoy seeing something other than mummy's boring face!)

Despite the gloomy weather today, our week couldn't have had a more perfect end to it. As my husband has been away a lot this week, we decided to have a family trip into Bath and wonder round the gorgeous Christmas market. I had the most wonderful time, keeping myself toasty with an all important glass of mulled wine and I am now finally getting into the festive spirit! I was also spoiled rotten and my darling hubby got me a new iPhone as an early Christmas present! Mine was rapidly dying and I had been angling after the rose gold one ever since it came out (My wedding ring is rose gold so of course I needed a matching phone!) 

We were cold and damp by the one we arrived home so cooked and devoured a delicious roast - I think I have decided it's my all time favourite meal. Sunday's are the best :-) 

Lastly, we hit a very important milestone this week - exactly one week before he turns 8 months, Luke is sitting up by himself! So I am an extremely proud mummy. 

Be prepared for a very festive 'Our week in pictures' this coming week - we are putting the Christmas tree up, making hand print decorations and blitzing the Christmas shopping! Expect tinsel, baubles and obscene amounts of fairy lights! 

Baby boys Winter wardrobe!

I think winter is my favourite time of year. The crisp, cold winter mornings (which sadly we haven't had many of recently). Warming, hearty, slow cooker beef stews and of course best of all the lead up to Christmas! 

Winter is one of my favourite seasons for my own clothes, so you can imagine how exciting I've found it getting a winter wardrobe for little pickle! Here are just a few of my favourite winter wardrobe picks from Next and Tesco. 

Now Luke is starting to look a bit more like a little boy, I quite like having the option of proper trousers rather than just trackies or onesies. I am a bit in love with cords at the moment and have bought a grey pair from Tesco and a navy pair from Next. They both have adjustable waist bands which I loved or baby boys trousers as it makes them a lot more comfortable. 

I really hope we get some cooler weather heading our way soon as I am totally in love with the little chunky knit jumpers that are in all the shops at the moment. Between Tesco and Next I got some gorgeous jumpers for Luke - my favourite ones are the little cream one with the brown suede on the shoulders (which looks gorgeous paired with the grey cords I got) and the little car jumper from next because it's just such a little boy jumper! Also the colour makes Luke's eyes look amazingly blue. 

I also got a couple of little baby shirts from Tesco as Luke we are having Luke christened in A couple of weeks and I wanted him to look a little bit fancy! He's going to wear the navy cords and gorgeous little checked shirt! 

Lastly my mother in law got Luke a gorgeous coat from Tesco. It's a little parka style coat with fur round the hood which looks totally cute when it's up! Also from a practical mummy point of view it is really warm and has extra padding - the sort that makes your child resemble a starfish! 

On top of all that I of course stocked up on little tops and obscene amounts of babygrows! I also indulged in some little Christmas outfits but you'll have to wait until Christmas day to see those! What are your favourite winter buys for your little ones and where is your favourite place to shop? 

Being mummy to a preemie

I remember repeating it like some sort of mantra - "he's due the 11th May" I would say over and over again to each person who looked at my bump and asked when he was coming. So when I was taken to hospital on 28th March and told that my waters had broken and baby would be with us in the not too distant future, all I could think was "but he can't come... my baby's not due until the 11th May.

Funnily enough I had a feeling throughout my entire pregnancy that Luke was going to make an early appearance (lets call it mothers instinct). I had my hospital bag packed from about 26 weeks after having a horrible nightmare in which I went in to early labour and had nothing to take with me. That weekend I promptly bought everything I needed for my bag and left it buy the door, waiting for babys birthday to arrive.

         The day that Luke arrived 

I was measuring big from very early on and on the night of 28th of March, I sprung a hind water leak at my friends engagement party (thunder stealing much?!) I will never forget the feeling of panic and uncertainty when the doctor told me "your waters have started to go. We will keep baby in as long as we can but it looks like he's coming early". What followed were a very stressful few days of blood tests, steroid injections, bed rest and scans. We managed to keep him in an extra week but on 6th April, exactly 5 weeks early our little baby boy entered our lives.

                  Baby's first photo 

Having your baby come early, every step of the way is filled with worry. I was lucky to have a relatively straightforward labour and birth. However at the end of it I only got to hold Luke for a couple of minutes before he was whisked away from me and taken to NICU. I didnt get the post birth cuddles and closeness. When everyone else was on the ward with their babies next to them, I was alone with what seemed like a million miles between me and my little boy. It seemed so unfair at the time that everyone else was getting newborn cuddles and spending time with their little bundles of joy and then there was me. Stuck in a nightmare of bad news.

          Luke at just a few days old 

There is also a slight sadness to being a preemie mummy. I am hugely grateful and feel very blessed that Luke ended up being ok. He is now no different to any other 7 month old. However I can't help but feel a pang of jealously whenever people mention being in that 'newborn bubble'.
Being mummy to a poorly little preemie you don't get to be in a bubble of feeding and cuddles and pyjama days on the sofa. My bubble was full of wires, machines, blood tests and hospital food. It is a really hard place to be in, especially when it feels like the rest of the world are living in a happy little bubble of love. And quite honestly with all our problems along the way, I didn't find it got any easier until Luke hit 6 months.

            First cuddles with Daddy 

Unfortunately when you are pregnant, you don't get told about how to deal with being mummy to a premature baby. No one tells you how hard it will be, how drained and helpless you will feel when it all starts to go wrong. When we were in hospital, we had to deal with things I hope I never have to go through again: Our baby being rushed to the resuscitation table, not being able to hold him properly until he was 2 days old, having to navigate your way around a mass of wires whenever you wanted a cuddle. No one prepares you for what it will be like if your baby comes before your due date.

Having a baby earlier than planned is a really scary, difficult thing and I personally think that pregnant women should be educated and made aware of what they could potentially face. I am just thankful that I was lucky enough to have a really wonderful support network of friends and family along with my lovely husband.

     Now a happy, healthy 7 month old 

Our week in pictures #2

To be quite honest we have had a relatively lazy week this week. Luke has been teething like crazy and as a result we have had a slightly grumpy baby and a very grumpy mummy! 

At the beginning of the week my Daddy came to see us and we had a Grandad day. He works away a lot so I treasure the rare times I get to spend the day with him. Luke is totally in love with his Grandad - seeing them together makes me heart melt. We went to Starbucks and I tried their hot mulled fruit which is hands down the best Christmas drink ever (except actual mulled wine!) totally in love!

I also got my first set of Christmas nails done this week which I got extremely over excited about and I have already planned my next two sets! They look kind of like Frozen nails, however this wasn't intentional and they are actually meant to match our Christmas decor at work - I felt super co-ordinated this weekend!

At least 3 days this week I have also invaded my friend Rebecca's house (partly due to the lack of coffee in my house and partly because she is lush and plies me with chocolate!) her little boy and Luke are totally cute together even though their play dates usually involve chewing each other feet and trying to grab each others faces!

My biggest feat this week is a little bit pathetic but a major triumph in mummy world! Trying to get Luke to sleep when he is poorly is a total nightmare so this picture was a very proud moment! Haha lame I know!

Honestly the rest of the week has mainly involved snuggles and selfies with a teething, poorly milk monster - my sincere apologies that I haven't been up to anything more interesting! 

I will do my best next week to get out of my pyjamas and get some more interesting and exciting pictures for next weeks 'Our week in pictures'!

What have you been up to this week? Share your favourite picture below! 

6 week milk update - CMPA

Looking back through the archives today I stumbled across my first ever blog post that I did 6 weeks ago on Luke's new milk. Things have changed so much in that time so I thought I'd do an update post on how Luke is getting on. Hopefully it'll give any fellow mummies out there a little bit of hope in a potentially dark and difficult time. 

After exactly 6 weeks exclusively on the amino acid formula, Luke's reflux has almost completely disappeared. We have gone from violent projectile vomiting every hour to a little bit of sick once or twice a day (usually after meals and as a result of bouncing or rolling around on the floor like a lunatic baby!) 

I think this is the biggest difference we have noticed on the new milk and I am so thankful - I was beginning to think I'd never catch up on washing!

The other major difference we have noticed is Luke's skin. Since he was 5 weeks old he has had terrible eczema which got no better despite the various lotions and potions we plastered on him. 

Although his skin isn't quite 100% (we still get bad face flare ups when he's teething) it is so much better and with the help of Aveeno moisturiser we are able to keep the worst at bay. 

Another big change I have noticed is Luke's weight gain. He has always been a clothing size below what he should be, however now at the grand age of 7 months old he is in the 6-9 month clothing that he should be! This is a major breakthrough for us as he was still in 0-3 month clothing at 5 months old! We have a health visitor appointment next week so I'm super excited to see what my chunky monkey weighs now! 

Smiles and giggles now just get more and more every day and Luke is turning into such a happy little boy, that the nightmare first months of motherhood that almost broke me are slowly becoming nothing more than a distant memory. 

If any of you out there have a little one who is suffering with CMPA keep going, it does get better and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Our week in pictures #1

When I decided to start doing a recap blog post of what we have been up to each week and I had no idea how much fun it would be! Looking back at the photos I took this week and remembering what did was lovely and I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this post! 

Now I am back at work the weeks just seems to whizz by in the blink of an eye and before I know it we're starting all over again. 

This week has been lovely and full of friends. We had some of my favourite people round at the beginning of the week and made my sweet potato hash recipe for brunch. The recipe is up on my blog - it is the perfect autumn/winter meal and is super tasty as well as being healthy! 

This week it was also Mr yummy mummy's birthday (his first as a daddy!) so we had presents and cards and lots and lots of cake! Unfortunately Luke got a little bit excited about the card and decided he wanted to eat the envelope - we went with it and pretended the soggy patches were kisses! I realised on the day that Luke wouldn't be able to try any of the cake because of his CMPA, so next year I'm going to find a good dairy free cake recipe and make one so he doesn't feel left out. If you have any good ones please let me know! 

We met up mid week for coffee with Granny and Grandad which is one of Luke's favourite things to do. We are very blessed to have my parents near by which means Luke gets to see a lot of them. He absolutely adores them (and they are besotted with him - they're very dotey Grandparents!)

We also got to see Auntie Anna this week - We don't get to see her a huge amount as she is a mega cool and very busy 17 year old! 

She came over on Thursday to read bedtime stories and Luke absolutely loved it. He settled like a dream so I have told my sister she has to come and do bedtime every night! 

And then we were suddenly back at Friday and Saturday which are my working mummy days. I was run off my feet both days with customers buying beautiful jewellery. However it made me realise how behind I am on my Christmas shopping - I haven't even started making lists of who I need to buy for yet! You know you're disorganised when even the men are beating you to it! 

We also had a big first this week - Luke has cut his first two teeth! (which explains why he's been such a grump recently)

You can already see his face shape changing. I got all emotional as my little baby has gone and he's starting to turn into a little boy! It's scary how fast they grow up and I am determined to make more of an effort to savour every second of it. 

That was our week - next week I am getting my first set of Christmas nails done which I am super excited about. So keep an eye on my Instagram for pictures! 

I am thankful for wine.

I was talking to a friend recently and we realised that we are not thankful enough for the things we have and how lucky we are to have them. It is so easy to focus on the things that aren't right and the things you don't have in your life and while doing that, we forget all the wonderful things that we have in our lives. Big or small, I think it will do me the world of good to focus on the positive things, be more grateful and realise actually how lucky I am. So here goes... What am I thankful for?

My husband. Yes sometimes he does my head in. Yes he doesn't always do what I'd like or help as much I want. And sometimes I swear I'm going to commit murder. But then I actually think about it and realise how lucky I am. 

He is always on my side. He hugs me when I'm sad and buys me chocolate when I'm really sad. He dances around the kitchen like a lunatic to make me laugh. He works his butt off to give us a good life. He de-ices my car on frosty mornings so I don't get cold hands. And he buys me my favourite wine when I've had a stressful day. He's not always perfect but I think I need to appreciate more often that he's actually pretty bloody good. 

Wine. Ok it sounds cliche and maybe a bit desperate. But seriously can you think if anything that beats sitting on the sofa after a long day which started at 5am full of nappies and sick and crying, and taking that first sip of delicious, tummy warming wine. Mmmmm I can't...

My dog. She steals nappies and tries to eat the contents. She wees on the floor when she gets excited and she barks at anyone who comes within a mile radius of our house. She steals my pants and takes them to bed with her. But she is the most loving dog I've ever met. She gives me cuddles on the sofa at the end of a hard, tiring day. She is always excited to see me, no matter how much of a grumpy cow I'm being that day. She sits with Luke and doesn't bat an eyelid when he grabs her fur. And she has a mega cute wrinkly face which makes the world a better place. 

My mummy friends. My mummy friends have helped me through one of the toughest and most challenging times in my life. They've seen the hysterical tears (sometimes of joy, but mainly of desperation!). They've seen me looking exhausted, disgusting, un-showered and covered in sick. We have talked about poop, labour, sex, useless husbands and lady parts. There are no boundaries and yet they continue to love me and be there for me no matter what. And I think that's amazing. I honestly couldn't live without them. 

My parents. I am lucky enough to have my parents close by. That doesn't mean they have to help. But they do. Whenever they can and without question. Yes sometimes they interfere when I wish they wouldn't and I find myself wishing they lived in Australia. But they've enabled date nights to happen, sleep to be caught up on and most recently for me to be able to return to work. And I can't thank them enough.

Mascara. Because let's be honest - it doesn't even bare thinking about what I'd look like without it. All I can say is Lancôme, I love you. 

My little boy. My beautiful, healthy smiley little boy. It's sometimes hard to be thankful for babies. Of course we are, but when it's 3 am and they've been screaming for the past 2 hours it's hard to be thankful. And when you give everything you've got and it still doesn't seem to be enough for them it's hard to be thankful. 

But then I think, and realised how blessed I am to have a baby who is healthy and happy. 

He smiles when he sees my face first thing in the morning. He gives me kisses (well he kind of licks/eats my face - that counts right?!). He snuggles in to me when he's sleepy and gives me amazing cuddles. He coos at me and has the most amazing giggle. And he makes me feel so full of love that sometimes I feel like I actually might pop.

It is so easy to forget the wonderful  in life, no matter how big or small they seem. This next week I want you to do something for me. Every day write down 3 things you are thankful for. It can be as important as your husband or as trivial as your favourite lipstick. But give it a go and I think when the week is up, you will be amazed at how many wonderful things you have in your life that maybe you didn't realise or appreciate until now. Let me know below what you are thankful for. 

Confessions of a nearly yummy mummy...

I've read a couple of confession blog posts recently and they always make me chuckle. So I thought I'd share mine with you in the hope that I'm not the only one who does these! 

I use babywipes for everything...

Yes I do literally mean everything. Cleaning baby, cleaning surfaces, wiping Windows. I even use them as makeup remover wipes (sometimes I just don't have the energy to cleanse, tone and moisturise!)

Sometimes I pretend to be asleep... 

Usually at the weekend to see if my husband will take a hint and get up to feed Luke instead of me (it never works but it's worth a try right?!)

My 6 month old watched CBeebies...

Not often. But sometimes I need to clean or put on the washing. Or do my makeup so I don't look like a 15 year old sleep deprived drug addict! And sometimes the only thing that keeps him quiet is the Twirlywoos (even though it does my head in)

I have called my baby an arsehole...

Ok this I am not proud of. I will try and justify it by letting you all know that it's usually preceded with "I love you but..." Still not great I know, but when it's 3am and you've been awake for the past 2 hours for the millionth night in a row it's kind of true...! 

I'm a bit addicted to shopping online...

I have always been a slight shopaholic but since having a baby I have so much more time to browse the Internet (mainly asos while feeding/being a human mattress) which inevitably ends in multiple deliveries to our flat and a sad and empty looking bank account at the end of the month...! 

By baby's favourite toy is my iPhone...

At this rate he will be more tech savvy than me (not that it's particularly hard) by the age of 2! 

Monday's are pyjama days...

Every week. There's something about Monday mornings that just make me not want to leave the house or get out of my super comfy jammies (they're Ted Baker and I LOVE them)

Sometimes I dry shampoo my hair 3 days in a row...

Yes this does mean that I haven't washed my hair for about 5 days. But sometimes it's just too much effort. And dry shampoo makes it look so lovely and volumous! 

I 'go to the toilet' so I can check Facebook...

And get some peace and quiet. I know it's trivial but sometimes I need to know what's going on outside mummy world! And sometimes it's the only way to get my husband to take the baby and not hand him back after 2 minutes! It does however make people a little suspicious as to why you spend so long in the bathroom. 

I told you mine... Now tell me, what are your best and worst confessions - mummies and non mummies! 

Baby led living...

Baby led living. Or 'sod it and do whatever the fuck works on the day parenting' as my friend likes to call it. 

We have had a bedtime routine for Luke since he was about 6 weeks old and it works brilliantly for us. However the rest our day was a little bit all over the place so, I recently decided to try and create a schedule for us so our days had a little bit more structure to them. 

As the mummy of a 6 month old I have read my fair share of baby books. Add in the fact that my little one has allergies, doesn't sleep fantastically and suffers with reflux and I probably have enough books to start my own library (plus the ones I have frantically downloaded to my kindle at 3am while desperately trying to rock Luke back to sleep!) So I flicked through the pages and came up with a vague plan to get our daytime routine started. 

I decided to go with the general idea of waking him at a set time every day, putting him down for a nap around 10 and then another around 2. A lot of advice told me that putting my baby in his cot at a set time each day would eventually lead him to learn that those were the times he should nap and that waking him at a set time every day would help set his circadian rhythm. We tried this and it did not work out well! I persevered and all I ended up with was a cranky baby and a grumpy, tired, stressed out mummy. 

So instead of trying to force Luke to do things at set times I decided to follow his lead and see what he wanted. As soon as I started to take note of Luke's natural routine rather than one I was trying to force on him, things started to take shape. I have since learnt that Luke needs to wake up when he is naturally ready and not be woken (this can be as early as 6am and very very occasionally as late as  8:30). I have learnt that he won't take a nap as soon as he shows sleepy signs - he has to be pushed as far as he can until he's exhausted, then he's out like a light and usually has a good nap! And I have learnt that sometimes he'll have a long 2 hour nap and other times he'll be wide awake and raring to go after only half an hour! We just have to take it one day at a time. 

I think books sometimes help by enabling you to get an idea of what could work. However it is so so important to remember that every baby is different, what works for one baby won't necessarily work for another. And just to make it even more confusing, what works one day for your baby might not work the next (they change their mind from day to day just to keep us on our toes - because it's not hard enough already!) 

Although strict routines work for some people, I think that baby led living may be the way forward for others. Don't worry If it's all going wrong and trying to create a routine isn't working for you - try having more of a rhythm to your day rather than a rigid routine and be led by what your baby wants to do. After all, think of it from the point of view of an adult. We are not always tired at the same time, sometimes we want an early night and sometimes we can stay up late into the night. I don't imagine babies are any different. That's just my take on things, but if you're struggling with routine then being led by your baby may just be worth a try. 

New tastes - milk free weaning.

My little boy had to be weaned earlier than recommended due to a cows milk protein allergy. 

Weaning at 4 months wasn't the most exciting as they're only allowed fruit and veg, but now Luke has hit 6 months it's so much fun! He absolutely loves his food (although refuses to do BLW and will only be spoon fed - typical lazy boy!) 

Here's a few new things we tried this week. 

Roast dinner. 

Luke had his very first roast dinner this week and loved it. This was so easy to make as I just cooked up some extra of what Pete and I were eating. This is a great way of getting a whole range of vegetables packed into one meal. 

Porridge:

We've both started having porridge for breakfast and Luke LOVES it! I usually mix in some sort of puréed fruit to make it less bland - we tried Apple, pear and mango. 

Salmon:

I was unsure about What Luke's reaction to salmon would be as its quite fishy. But he really enjoyed it. I used an Annabel Karmel recipe which mixed it with carrots and tomatoes. 

We also had a bit of an allergy break through this week. Last month Luke had an allergic reaction to banana. We were told to try it again after a few weeks so we had a little taste this morning and good news - no reaction! Hopefully one day we'll have a similar experience with milk one day.