Parenting

Mealtime battles – aged 13 months

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Weaning Monkey went pretty well, he liked most of the things we gave him (though he really never liked banana) and I have really made an effort to give him a wide variety of foods including lots of fruits and vegetables to give him as many nutrients and the best start I could. His tastes have changed a little as he’s got bigger, whereas initially he would happily munch on a bit of broccoli, now he doesn’t want to know. Likewise apples, pears and a few other things. But he has also been eating some different things more recently, such as chickpea curry.

But, lately, mealtimes have really become a bit of a battle. He can be such a fusspot at the moment! For a while I have been struggling when feeding him out and about as he stopped liking eating jarred food (always handy when you are out) and he won’t eat bread (toast yes, but bread, no) and then he stopped even eating things he would eat at home like quiche. A lot of the food he eats at home is batches that I freeze and then reheat, and reheating isn’t exactly easy when you are out! So we got a food flask which helped as I could take out some of his fave foods and they would still be warm for him and that worked for a few weeks.

Then he started being really picky with foods, even at home and even with his faves. He just starts shaking his head no, and screwing his face up with whatever you put in front of him. Even food that I know he loves! Sometimes having the telly on is enough of a distraction that he will pick up and eat anything (I know it’s not the best tactic, but honestly, anything for an easy life sometimes and anything that means he actually eats!) but even that doesn’t always work. Sometimes you can get it in his mouth then he spits it out again.

I knew the day would come when we would have a fussy toddler on our hands but I wasn’t expecting it so soon! It feels like he is too young to lay down the law and hard-line it – that’s all your getting, eat it or go hungry – isn’t it? He understands a lot of what we say, but not everything, and his day still revolves around food a lot. I’m sure if I don’t make sure he eats his lunch then he will sleep earlier in the afternoon and probably not as well as I think he’ll wake up hungry. He gets such a burst of energy after he’s eaten and then sleeps well in the afternoon. I guess I’m scared about how much the day will be ruined if I take the hard-line approach and don’t give him alternatives. How much more hard work he’ll be if he’s hungry, grouchy and tired for the rest of the day! But much as I like an easy life he also needs to learn discipline and I don’t want to let him get away with things. Is 13 months too young to be worrying about this?

There are a few things he seems to always eat with no fuss, fish fingers and sweet potato and peas, beans on toast and the mild curries we make him. But he seems to have gone off all of his fave pasta dishes and the pizza I make with the special hidden veggie pasta sauce (yup, another Annabel Karmel recipe you can find it here, though I cheated and bought pizza bases) which he used to love! Sometimes if you can get him to eat a little bit, it’s like he remembers that he likes it, and then scoffs the lot, although getting that first mouthful in him is such a battle of wills. We have found that if we stab a bit of food with his little fork then give it to him to hold he will quite often eat it off of that and that can start him off. But even that doesn’t work every time! He’s been finger feeding for ages with the occasional spoon feeding for puddings, and now he really seems to want to use a fork or spoon himself although obviously has no idea how!

I’m hoping this is just a phase, that he’s just asserting his independence a bit and he’ll grow out of it soon but my fear is that it will only get worse! Any words of wisdom or support will be greatly appreciated! 🙂

Stay at home mum and … proud??

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It’s a few months now since I made the decision to be a stay at home mum and yes there are ups and downs (as with any job I’m sure) but on the whole I am really happy with the decision I made. Monkey and I are very busy and we have lots of fun together and I love being the one to see him grow and learn day by day. Yet for some reason, I feel being a stay at home mum is a difficult thing to be proud of.

One of the mums I have been getting to know at baby class asked me the simple question of ‘do you work?’ and I really didn’t know how to answer it. I just said ‘no’ and then stopped. I almost felt like I should justify the reasons why I don’t work or be self deprecating about it. I daren’t be proud of the decision as I run the risk of offending them and their decision. It’s a really hard thing to talk about with other mums who do work, as they either can’t understand why you don’t want to work, or they would love to be able to not work but can’t afford to. Either way I don’t like getting into the conversation about it. There’s kind of an ‘oh’ and a taken aback look which makes me feel really uncomfortable.

Trying to justify my reasons for staying at home almost implicitly criticises their decision to go back to work, even though that’s not how I feel. As I have mentioned a few times, I don’t judge other people for their decisions, we all have to make our own decisions that feel right for us. But if I say ‘I couldn’t bear for someone else to tell me about his developments’, it comes across almost like I’m saying ‘how can you bear to have someone else tell you about your child’s development?’ So I don’t say anything and I don’t explain my reasons because I don’t know how to without it being taken the wrong way. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone.

One of my good friends is currently on maternity leave with her second child and is talking about when to return to work. She was asking me the other day about when I thought I would want to go back to work and what I would do, as if it was a given that of course I will go back to work at some point soon, even if not to the job I had before. It felt weird having to explain that no, I don’t think I am going to go back, at least not until after we’ve had baby number 2, and potentially not until they are both at school. It’s like it doesn’t compute why you would want to do that. I know I am not the only stay at home mum in the world but I don’t seem to know many who can empathise with me on this. Both my mum and mother in law were stay at home mums but they were different times then and it was much more common.

Society has changed so much and there’s always something in the media about motherhood. You’re criticised one minute if you work, then criticised if you don’t work and it’s hard to know which way to go. There’s a lot of pressure to be a supermum who works and is successful at work but also raises her children well and does the best things for them, but I don’t understand how you do that. I think being a mum is a really hard (though massively rewarding) full time job and I don’t know how I personally would manage a full time (or even part time) job at the same time. I think one or the other would suffer, and well if I am going to do something I would rather do one thing well than multiple things badly. And what’s more important than raising your child?

Again this is all my opinion and based entirely on me. I really don’t mean anyone to take any offence to this because we are all different and have different capabilities and are in different situations. I know that I am massively fortunate to be able to stay at home and I know that if I wasn’t able to stay at home that of course I would manage to juggle work and baby. Because if you have to do it, you just do.

I suppose maybe that’s it, maybe I can’t feel proud of being a stay at home mum because it’s really only luck that has enabled me to do it. I am lucky that hubby earns enough for all of us. It’s not my hard work that lets me live the way that we do. I can’t say that I earned loads of money pre-baby so now we can use savings to live off, I wish! Maybe all my talk about worrying whether I offend other mums isn’t the crux of it at all. Maybe, I just feel a bit humbled by the fact that they do manage work and children but I don’t because I am lucky and I don’t have to. Can you be proud of something you got through luck?

So, ok, maybe I struggle to be proud of how I can be a stay at home mum, but I wish I could feel proud of the fact that I am being one. But that brings me full circle to the beginning of this post. How can I proudly wax lyrical about how good it is for monkey to have me be at home with him, without implicitly criticising mums who go back to work? I don’t know how to do that.

It’s a difficult one and I don’t think I know the answer. This has been a bit of a rambling post I know, but it’s something that has been on my mind this week.

At home haircuts and being scared of sheep!

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Monkey was born with a head full of hair, then he went a bit bald on top and looked like a monk, but then it started growing as fast as Rapunzel’s hair and he has a lot of hair for his age. We let it grow and let it grow and he had a very cute, shaggy style. Some people commented that they thought it was cute, and a bit of a rocker hairstyle. Others (like my parents) thought it was too long and a bit girly looking. We quite liked it but it got to the point where his fringe was getting in his eyes and having it swooped to one side didn’t really suit him so we decided it was time for a hair cut.

But, we were nervous. Neither of us liked the idea of trying to keep him still in a hairdressers chair at 12 months old, wriggling and squirming with someone waving sharp scissors around. Nor did we want him to end up looking like he had a basin cut if we decided to do it ourselves. We talked it over a bit and in the end decided to do it ourselves but to try and keep his hair as choppy as possible and not too straight edged. Because we are both planners we had lengthy conversations about the methods hairdressers have used when cutting our hair in the past hehe.

So anyway we set to it, while he was playing nicely and quite occupied in his high chair, and we didn’t do too badly. It took a lot of snipping here and there, and as he got fidgety in his chair, we were even just following him around with the scissors, snipping a bit here and there when he was focussed on something! Obviously don’t recommend this method but it worked for us hehe. Here is a bit of a before and after for you 🙂

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Anyway we have just done a second haircut as it was still really thick on top and it was making his head look a bit mushroomy as it grew. Here’s another before and after 🙂 The pictures aren’t that great I’m afraid, particularly the after, he did not want to stay still for photos this afternoon bless him! Anyway think you can get the idea of the difference!

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In other news, we had my aunt to stay with us this weekend, which was very lovely, and as the weather was nice we visited a local farm centre, Sacrewell farm. Hubby and I had both been there as kids but not for years! In some ways it had changed but in others it was exactly the same as ever. Monkey was a bit baffled at first and then, bless him, terrified by the noisy sheep bleating. And I do mean terrified, crying and clinging on to us for ages! He was fine with chickens and cats and donkeys but the shire horses scared him a bit too, probably because they are just so big!

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They also have some beautiful peacocks roaming around but Monkey really wasn’t keen on the noise they were making either bless him! Quite funny really. He did have a lot of fun in other parts of the farm though which was lovely, it just meant that we didn’t stay there quite as long as we had planned to. I’m sure he will love it as he gets older and a bit less scared!

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For anyone who is interested I have been beavering away with my granny squares and now have over 50, so nearly a third of the way through. Having a bit of a lull yesterday and today so need to refocus again and do some more! Will keep you posted! 🙂

 

Toys made from household objects – approx. 6 months plus

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Right, I have been meaning to write a post about this for aaaages! Bringing up kids costs a lot of money and there are so many toys out there in addition to the things you actually need. But I have found that as he has got older Monkey has basically been interested in anything and everything. He doesn’t differentiate between toys and other objects, everything for him is a toy and another opportunity to learn.

So I thought I would share some of the things that Monkey plays with from around the house, making for cheap alternatives to toys. I would obviously like to note here that any containers etc. have been washed out and he is supervised at all times with these toys to prevent (as much as humanly possible) any random injuries! Also, he has never come to harm with any of the following. He does however trip over his feet a lot (3 times in the last 2 days, quite a collection of bumps and bruises!).

Sorry for digressing, I’ve mentioned a couple of things in other posts, such as using a cardboard tube to roll balls through, and making homemade musical shakers but here are some bits and bobs that require little to no effort 🙂 I’ve put the age of 6 months plus, but each thing varies a bit agewise so it is a bit vague this one!

Measuring spoons

Basically a cheap musical toy as monkey likes the way that they jingle around. Keys work in the same way although I know keys can link to worries over cleanliness and sharp pointiness whereas our measuring spoons are nice and clean and rounded. He also likes Granny’s measuring cups, more for banging and stacking though.

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Empty water bottles

For some reason monkey loves empty plastic bottles. He likes squeezing them to hear the funny noise they make, he likes waving them around and he likes banging them on the ground. Honestly, endless fun with just a simple empty plastic bottle!

Empty toiletry bottles

His favourites include old empty roll on deodorants (sanex ones and he has not once tried or figured out how to take the lid off or anything), and an empty baby bath wash bottle. Basically the same as empty plastic bottles, they are good for waving around and banging!

Old remote controls

Monkey loves to push buttons, so old games console remotes and old tv/dvd remotes are a fave. So much so we have to hide the ones in use in a high place so that he can’t get at them and do funny things with the tv etc.! If you have old ones at hand (with batteries removed of course) they can be a great distraction! (Yes he is sitting in a canvas box in the first pic :))

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Empty Purse/handbag

Not sure what it is says about him but monkey loves playing with one of my old purses and one of my clutch bags. The clutch bag he can waggle around and it is pretty sparkly and seems to entertain him and the purse is  a three fold wallet so he likes opening and closing and generally just fiddling about with it.

A pack of cards

I was given a present of a pack of cards titled ’50 things to do with your baby’ and I got a few good ideas from them, but they have been particularly useful lately as he loves holding them in his hands, trying to put them back in the box, folding them in half, trying to clap them together… honestly a million different ways. I am sure a normal pack of cards would work just as well, though I guess it would have to be one you didn’t mind getting a bit destroyed!

Cardboard boxes

Of all shapes and sizes. He likes banging on an empty cereal box like a drum. He likes sitting in and being pulled around in a bigger, stronger cardboard box. We have cut up a box holding baby wipes, and put doors in it for him to put things in and take things out. I know this one won’t be news to anyone but cardboard boxes are great! Although when he was in full on teething he did manage to gnaw a big chunk of cardboard off the side of one he was sitting in!

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Brown paper wrapping/padding stuff

Not sure what to call it, but as you can see in the picture it was a length of brown papery card that was used as padding from someone like amazon or something. Monkey was entertained for ages, waving it around, like the noise and just experimenting with pulling it in various directions. Was really funny to watch.

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Tupperware

Monkey loves Tupperware. He likes trying to put the lids on and take them off. He likes putting things in and taking them out again (particularly his food at meal times, in between bites). One of the weaning pots we have has a lid which is joined on one side, so he has great fun waving it around so the lid flaps about. Tupperware also bangs very nicely 🙂

A shoebox or similar

One of my friends gave us some baby presents in a gorgeous storage box type thing and at the moment we are using it for playtime as a what’s in the box type of thing, which is great fun and we vary what is in there. Many of the above items go in there and sometimes things he hasn’t played with before like ribbons or dried pasta etc. Just for some fun exploring. A shoebox with a lid would work just as well!

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There are many many more things that monkey picks up around the house as he is busy learning about the world and everything in it! he was busily engrossed in one of my emery boards the other day, and earlier he pulled a dirty sock out of his laundry basket and was waving it around! He loves to play with the stones on our gravel driveway and to pick daisies in the garden (I have to make sure he doesn’t eat either!) . So I guess my point is that in addition to all the toys that he has, he learns a lot just from general bits and bobs too. 🙂

Overcoming boredom with checklists and crochet granny squares

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On the whole I am very much enjoying being a stay at home mum and I spend a lot of time trying to make sure that the monkey is entertained and happy, and also that he is learning as we go. I also try and keep the house tidy and I am enjoying lots of cooking at the moment. But recently a feeling of boredom has snuck up on me. For quite a while I was really into my crochet and made a few toys and bots and bobs. I have been working on a project of a big granny square blanket, but if I’m honest I haven’t really been bothered with it lately.

I am hugely impatient and it is going to take a while to make the 168 granny squares I need to make this blanket, and it is going to take eeeven longer at the moment as I haven’t been doing any. In fact I have been completely unproductive lately and actually spent a lot of time playing angry birds on my phone, of all things. I started playing one day when the  monkey was a bit upset and I let him snuggle up and sleep on me, and in order to stave off complete boredom I had a quick game, and well, got a bit hooked. Until a week or so later when I was getting bored of it.

So I decided that in my odd bits of downtime (usually during monkey’s naps) I would read. I’ve reading a book my mother in law lent me -A suitable boy – which is really good and very interesting, but it is extremely long. (Hubby actually thinks it may be the longest book in the English language – I haven’t researched to find out if it’s true.) It is also huge, and not exactly easy to carry around, so it never seems to be in a handy place when I need it. So on another afternoon with a snuggly monkey,I decided to read a book on the kindle app on my phone. I’d downloaded a load of cheapy chick lit books, which are predictable but quick and easy to read, so this kept me going for a couple of days, then one of the books really annoyed me because all of the characters were just stupid and a bit pathetic.

It was at this point that I actually realised how bored I had become, you’d think I would have known before now, but I think I had just been getting on with things and doing jobs. But the problem is that because I have actually been really bored, I was losing interest just in the general tidying and jobs that need doing because boredom led to lethargy. And lethargy is not a good thing when you are a stay at home mum, I find. I imagine you would have the same issues if you are self employed, as you have to motivate yourself to keep going, there is no boss or colleague who is going to pressure you or inspire you to work hard, you have to do it for yourself.

So I have given myself a good shake and tried to re-motivate myself. The idea hubby and I had for using a whiteboard to share jobs out wasn’t really working properly, so I have changed it a bit and it is now just my way of writing a list of jobs to be done over the week. That way I can see easily what I want to achieve during the week, decide which job I feel like doing, and tick them off as I go. It may sound silly but I do like lists and the feeling of achievement when I tick them off. It’s not just housework that goes on there, but other things, like if I want to make some homemade play-doh or cook something new, that will go on there too. (Plus if I tick them off when they are done then hubby can also see easily what jobs need doing and *hopefully* do something like clean the bathroom for me hehe.)

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I have also been re-visiting my granny squares project. For anyone who don’t know what a granny square blanket is, there are a couple of lovely examples here and here. I think they are gorgeous but they really do require a lot of time and effort. Was chatting to hubby about it one evening this week and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Right, well I can easily knock out 2 squares an evening while we watch tv/films,    so thats 14 a week

Hubby: How many more do you need?

Me: Errrm I dunno, about another 140? So I should be finished in

Together: 10 weeks

Me: Groan

Which is why I have been so slack at producing the granny squares every day, it’s hard to think about not finishing something for another 10 weeks!! Never mind the fact that they then all need sewing together and then a border being put on the blanket…

Nevertheless I am determined to actually get them done! The jobs checklist is going well and have got lots of jobs done this week, and have been trying to get lots of housework done while the monkey is awake. I normally wait and just do them while he is asleep but I need to use as much time for granny squares as possible, so we had great fun changing the bed together one day (or at least lots of peekaboo and hiding under the sheets while I change them). So the last few days I have managed to make 5 granny squares a day. I don’t expect to be able to do 5 every day but every extra square that gets made per day speeds up the process a little!

Hubby and I also laid the 32 I have made so far out and looked at the colours of wool I have and it is all looking a bit ra! so far, so I need to buy some pastel coloured wool soon to even it all out. Luckily, my mum works in a lovely craft shop – Art & Stitch – and they have just added some gorgeous wools to their stocks, so the next time monkey and I pop by for a visit I shall pick some up.

So stay tuned, I will keep you abreast of my progress, unless I get bored again and divert my attention elsewhere 🙂

N.B, this is how it looks so far!

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Monkey is 1! Birthday celebrations and domestic arrangements :)

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Yep, I can’t believe it but my little man is 1! A whole year has passed and boy what a year it has been. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so tired in my life as I have over this past year. It’s certainly had it’s ups and downs and more than it’s fair share of challenges, but of course I wouldn’t change it for the world. Our cheeky little monkey is my world, he keeps me very busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So we had a lovely party with family on Saturday and hubby and I spent Friday evening baking a cake for it. I always remember my mum making us the most amazing birthday cakes, huge forts and princesses wearing skirts. Now as we know, I am no great baker, but I am determined to try my hardest so that monkey has the same type of memories. I had in ym head that I wanted to make a cake in the shape of a 1. Hubby loves to do these things too so we did it together. After deciding which baking tin to use we made a template to cut the cake up into the shape of a 1 when cooked. This took a few goes but was well worth it. We used a really simple sponge recipe and our favourite buttercream icing recipes so it was really just the shape that was unusual for us.

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Having said that though icing the cake provided a few challenges as at first  couldn’t find the right sized nozzle I wanted and so it went a bit flat. But, well it all turned out pretty well in the end thankfully 🙂

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The family party was very lovely and monkey coped really well. Although it was only family, with both of our families combined that works out to be quite a lot of people all of a sudden! After a few mins where he was clearly wondering what was going on he soon warmed up to everyone, enjoyed opening his presents and loving all of the attention he was getting! Even playing cheeky games with his great grandpa who he is normally a bit shy of. He was going to give great grandpa a toy, then pulling it back and giggling, I think it made great grandpa’s day!

His favourite thing at the moment is clapping and he was clapping all the time at the party and loving the responses he was getting from everyone. Of course he loved all of his new toys too. His very clever granny (my lovely mother in law) made him an amazing cuddly monkey – a monkey for a monkey, and he loves him!

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So a lovely party and lovely weekend all in all! Then on Monday was my birthday treat! My mum, for my birthday, arranged a spa day at a local spa so that we could have a relaxed day. Probably the most time off that I’ve had in the last year since Monkey was born and it was really blissful, I really enjoyed the peace and quiet. And the swimming, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, and the most amazing hot stone massage to soothe my aching muscles! 🙂

Speaking of aching muscles, much as life with Monkey is very fun at the moment it is basically exhausting too! Hubby and I have had lots of chats lately and we have talked about me having a bit more me time, a) so daddy and Leo can have some more time together and b) so I can feel a bit more like myself, rather than just feeling like a mummy 24/7. I know lots of my mummy friends are in the same boat as me as we all put our children first all of the time, which is of course how it should be, but after a while you have to try and look after yourself too.

Hubby and I have also been looking at ways of sharing out the chores more, even though I am at home all of the time I am hardly ever sitting down as there’s always so much needs doing. Being a stay at home mum doesn’t mean you have all the time in the world for housework! But I am at home all the time it does feel like it should be part of my ‘job’ at home. Hubby works really hard but thankfully is happy to help out as much as he can and doesn’t see it as just my job to keep the house clean.

So we’ve come up with the idea of a whiteboard listing the jobs. We thought about allocating jobs but I don’t think anyone wants to be responsible for cleaning the bathrooms every time! But the idea is that with a list of jobs there we can easily see what was done when, and thereby what needs doing, and choose/prioritise jobs when we have time. That way rather than him asking me what needs doing and or what I want him to do, the responsibility for every job is more evenly spread and I don’t feel like it is all down to me.

So we’ll see how it goes and whether it works or we need to rethink our methods. Will keep you posted!

 

A few of my favourite things for surviving the first year with baby

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It’s the run up to Monkey’s first birthday and boy a lot has happened in the last year! My mum said the other day that the first year is always the hardest, and while we’ve had lots of fun along the way it certainly hasn’t been easy at times! I’ve been thinking a lot about the last year and about some of the purchases or gifts that have been hidden gems and made our lives a lot easier along the way! So I thought I would share some of my top products to hopefully help others through the difficult first year. I’m no expert and I’m sure others on the market are just as good but these are what worked for us!

Johnsons Breast Pads

Yep I’m starting with breast pads. I tried loooooads and who knows, maybe I am just fussy but I found the Johnsons ones to be the best. Most makes have plastic backing on them which just made me feel quite sweaty. The Johnsons pads were absorbent and breathable and massively helped through the difficult days of breastfeeding and boob leakage!

Cotton wool pads rather than balls!

In those first weeks when you are only supposed to use cotton wool and water on baby’s sensitive skin, don’t go for balls, use the pads you use for taking off make up, much easier for wiping and don’t leave bits of cotton wool all over their little bottom. We used them first when we had run out of balls but never went back to cotton wool balls after that day!

Avent bottles and pump

I found the Avent pump to be great and we never had any problems with Avent bottles, but then I didn’t try others on the market so I can’t really give a good comparison, they worked well for us though!

A Microwave steriliser

A friend recommended a microwave steriliser and it absolutely makes things easy when you need to sterilise bottles etc. We used an avent one as it went with the bottles but I’m sure they are all good.

Beco Gemini baby carrier

There are so so many baby carriers out there and it took me ages to decide which one to get for Monkey, but in the end settled on this one and absolutely loved it. It’s really comfy and gives great back support. It’s also great because you can use it three ways. On your front with baby facing in to you, or out ahead. You can also wear it on your back. Monkey absolutely loved this in the facing out position so he could see where we were going and kick his legs about, and it is very easy to put on. Brilliant carrier, definitely recommend it!

Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo

Fabulous toy, monkey absolutely loved bouncing around and spinning about in it. Not cheap so worth trying to get second hand but so worth it as it is lots of fun! He used it for months too so useful purchase 🙂

Fisher Price EZ clean highchair

We have said a number of times recently how much we love this chair and how pleased we are that we bought it. Again I’m sure there are loads out there which are equally good but for us this has been perfect. Monkey has been comfy in it from day one, the tray is so easy to lift on and off with one hand (very useful as any mummy will agree) and is not fiddly in the slightest. There is a top layer of the tray which can be removed so if they make a massive mess with dinner you can take it off to clean while they eat their pudding off the next layer of the tray. As the name suggests it is also very easy to clean. I have also found that he is so well supported in it. So many highchairs that I have used in restaurants Monkey has slid down in or he can stand on the foot rest. He’s not a small baby by any means but he seems swamped in them. With this chair we have had no worries on that score at all. It is also easy to move around. It’s quite big but luckily we have the space to push it out of the way when not in use. Fab highchair though 🙂

Chicco walker (or any walker)

I know not everyone thinks that walkers are a good idea but monkey was always so frustrated at not being able to get about and wanted desperately to walk. We were given one second hand by some friends whose girls had all enjoyed it and Monkey loved it too. May not be for everyone but we definitely had a very happy monkey whizzing around for a few months until he realised he could walk without it 🙂

Green thing – aka Star Fleece Baby wrap

Yep interesting title I know, but this was another present and it’s like a fleecy blanket and it was so useful in the winter. Our was green, hence our nickname of green thing. When you need to make a short trip in the car somewhere, rather than fighting to get baba into coat, hat, shoes etc, we would just slip monkey into this and he would be instantly cosy. Probably not thick enough for long walks or anything but in and out of the car briefly it is perfect. It also helped Monkey sleep well in his naps as he was lovely and snug in it 🙂 (Bought from Not on the high street)

Star Fleece Baby Wrap

Annabel Karmel weaning book

I have mentioned this book before and I am sure I will again because her recipes are amazing! For me it was a must and am sooo glad I bought it!

Maxi Cosi Axiss car seat

We had the Maxi Cosi cabriofix car seat when monkey was tiny which was great for in and out of the car, but our next car seat is fabulous. The Maxi Cosi Axiss is brilliant because it swivels. My back doors in the car don’t open that wide so in busy car parks especially it can be difficult getting him in and out, but because the car seat turns to face the door it is so much easier as I can get him in from the side, strap him in and then turn him to face the front. So easy and he’s v comfy in it. Love it!

So there you have it, a few of my favourite things to help survive the first year with baby!

P.S I do not own copyright of any of these images, all were taken from Google image search.


ohsoamelia

From baby to toddler, a whole new world!

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Yep our little monkey is up and walking! He will be 1 in a week so is doing very well but both hubby and I were early walkers, and he has never really liked crawling much. He has been walking for a while holding on to mummy and daddy’s fingers, and took his first solo steps about a month ago, but in the last week has come on hugely! I think that the baby classes we go to have definitely played a part as he has seen the other toddlers walking around and got the bug.

So I am a very proud mama, but of course this means our baby isn’t much of a baby anymore! We are definitely in to the realms of toddlerhood and that brings a whole new array of challenges. The most obvious being that of course he can now get around independently a lot more, so I need to grow eyes in the back of my head. The door gate on the kitchen hadn’t quite shut behind me the other day (it has a spring to shut it) but I didn’t realise until I turned around and the monkey is standing right behind me! Stealth baby! Must be more careful.

So yes I am now going to be watching him like a hawk, but this big step forward has really made me stop and think about how parenting a toddler is different to parenting a baby. Parenting a baby is all around feeds, poos, naps etc. of course watching them develop and grow, and who knows maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like parenting a toddler is going to bring a whole other level of responsibility. I feel like now comes the real teaching, teaching him manners in addition to the physical developments. Teaching him how to cope with life’s frustrations. Teaching him how to share, how to treat others and how to behave in general.

The things we teach him over the next few years will shape the person he becomes! Talk about responsibility! Things that aren’t big things now could become big things if left unchecked. For example, monkey likes picking things up and dropping/throwing them on the floor, which is obviously just part of his development but it has extended to food on his tray, when he doesn’t want food anymore he throws it on the floor. How can teach him not to throw food on the floor when I let him throw his toys on the floor? And what example am I setting when I throw things into his toy box, or throw anything without thinking?

Of course I know this isn’t an overnight process. He’s still very young and I can’t (and don’t) expect him to grasp everything I try and teach him all at once, but I do think it’s time to start sowing the seeds of good behaviour. Time to start teaching that we don’t throw toys or food around for a start! It’s not going to be easy but then what about parenting is easy?

I am loving watching him toddle around though and watching him learn so I’m sure we’ll have some fun along the way!

 

Rough patch!

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Pfffff. Deflated is how I feel right now, been a really tricky couple of weeks. Monkey is going through a reeeally fussy patch and is so grumpy these days. He is getting so frustrated with things so easily and we have definitely got the start of tantrums when he doesn’t get his own way, or when mummy has to leave his side for a few mins! I get that this is really just to do with his age and I guess what’s making it worse is the fact that I am so shattered at the moment.

The reason that I am so shattered is that my hubby isn’t very well. It’s nothing serious or life threatening but his IBS is causing him a lot of pain at the moment and he is having to spend quite a bit of time in the loo, in a lot of pain, poor thing. I feel awful for him and he’s trying to carry on, but he just can’t. He’s working through it but when he is at home he’s tired and in pain. Which means he can’t help me as much as usual with Monkey.

I’ve always been a bit in awe of single mums and I know that when you have to cope, you just do because there is no alternative but I can’t imagine doing this on my own. One of my closest friends is a single mum and I know she struggles but I’m so in awe of her too as she really does an amazing job. The last week or so has given a bit more of an insight into what it could be like as from 6.30am when monkey wakes up, till he goes to bed at 7.15pm it’s pretty much just me at the mo. Like I say, hubby is trying to keep doing his usual pre-bedtime bathy and helping with the bedtime routine, but he can’t bend down or move around as quickly as monkey wants.

And the honest truth, I am really struggling with it. I really rely on hubby’s help first thing in the morning and when he gets in from work in the evening. For an hour or so at each end of the day I get to do some jobs or sit and read the news or stand in the shower while daddy is in charge. The last week or so I haven’t been able to do this as much and of course I am coping but it is wearing me down. Last weekend was a bad weekend as monkey was poorly too and I don’t physically have enough energy to be sympathetic and caring to both of them so unfortunately daddy has to be on the back burner while I look after monkey.

Monkey has been better this week, no more temperatures or crying through the night but he’s still not right and is so fussy and is dozy in the mornings (which I hate because it messes up our routine and I rely on our routine to get out and about to see people, get jobs done and generally stay sane!) and generally just keeping me on my toes! We have the bank holiday weekend this weekend and normally I would be jumping for joy as I have hubby for three whole days to help with Monkey and house chores and just lovely to have family time. But this week I am not looking forward to it at all because I’m worried that hubby is going to be poorly again, and I’m already low and again I’ll cope, but I won’t enjoy it.

I feel so selfish too as he’s the one who is poorly and he’s the one in pain, and of course I want him to get better so he isn’t in pain anymore, but I mainly want him to get better so he can help me! He went to the doctors yesterday and I was really hoping they would give him something to help but they basically said to keep taking what he’s taking, do what he’s doing and he’ll get through it. Great. Feel like such a rubbish wife that I am so concerned about myself but I can’t seem to help it. I’m just so tired and worn down, I have a huge mouth ulcer, which is always a sign with me, and a couple of times this week I have slept in the afternoon when Monkey sleeps, so the housework really isn’t getting done!

– I started writing this blog a couple of days ago but didn’t have time to finish it then! The weekend isn’t going as badly as I thought and Monkey is doing a lot better, but Hubby is still quite poorly bless him. Still, he is at least able to help enough that I am catching up on some jobs and we’ve spent some time in the garden enjoying the sunshine which has been lovely. Still shattered but not as low as I was at the start of this post, and after writing down how selfish I felt I have been trying a bit harder to give hubby some tlc. At least now monkey is doing better I have a bit more energy spare for hubby 🙂

Despite the rough patch, and even when I was feeling really low, I’m still happy overall with my decision to be a stay at home mummy. It’s not always easy but then what in life is really? Just got to cope during the down times and enjoy the ups 🙂 Monkey and Hubby are both asleep so I am going to grab my book and a cold drink and have a few mins peace in the garden I think!

Busy busy bees, walking, teething and more baby classes

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Phew, so it has been a while since my last post and though there has been lots I have wanted to write I do not seem to have had the time!

It was my 30th birthday this week so last weekend we had the monkey stay at my mum’s so that we could have a big party to send off my twenties. I had friends coming from all over the place, including Edinburgh and Malta so there was a lot of advance preparation to be done and we had practice runs for monkey to stay with the grandparents. Despite all this though Monkey was not a happy bunny when I tried to put him to bed at their house and knew something was up so it all got off to a very stressful start with lots of crying (and not just from him 🙁 ). He went off to sleep in the end though and after one or two drinks to calm down the party was fantastic and I felt very lucky to have such lovely friends.

Monkey was also very happy the next morning playing with his grandparents so although I was filled with guilt, I am sure it didn’t do him any harm for one night. That said though he has been really clingy this week, but also just very fragile, mainly because of his teething! Grr! His back teeth are coming through and it is certainly throwing him through a loop! He is really tired but also can’t seem to sleep for very long, so there was me boasting about his long naps in my last post! Tsk! I should have known better!!

So it has been a busy couple of weeks, and we returned to tumble tots on Tuesday but also started a new class on Wednesday which is called Music for Little People, and well the clue is in the title it is all about music for little people 🙂 It was quite a busy class with a bit more of a variety of age ranges between 0-2 so he wasn’t the youngest in the class but there was still a fair few older than him. Anyway as I have mentioned before Monkey loves music and he seemed to really enjoy the class so we shall be going back there on a regular basis I think 🙂

Then on Thursday we met some of my other friends with little ones at a local park to play and enjoy the sunshine which was just lovely and hopefully we will have a summer of nice weather so we can play outdoors a lot 🙂

The big news of the week really was that on Thursday afternoon Monkey took a great leap forward with his walking abilities! He took his first steps a few weeks ago then seemed to lose his nerve, but on Thursday when Daddy got in from work we had a really good game of him walking backwards and forwards across the living room to mummy then to daddy then to mummy etc etc, with us extending the gap over time. He had so much fun and we just loved it! I’m sure all mummies feel that pride when their little one really starts going for it and getting more independent! Scary though it is! So now he has been doing more and more unaided walks which is lovely, although I now am rethinking child safety again and am terrified what he will now be able to get up to when I leave the room! So yes, scary but exciting!

But sadly he has got really poorly in the last 24 hours and is currently having a good long sleep. We think it’s his teeth but really, when they are babies do you ever really know 100% what is bothering them? He has a slight temperature but is just really unhappy though doesn’t seem poorly particularly. He’s rubbing his ear, but he rubs his ears all the time to signal tiredness, hunger, boredom etc. so well, who knows! Obviously getting lots of love and cuddles (and calpol as necessary) but just pleased that he is sleeping as he didn’t have a good night at all the poor thing! Fingers crossed he gets better soon!