To My Gorgeous Girlie… thumbnail

To My Gorgeous Girlie,

I haven’t written a post to you for quite a long time now and so much has changed since then.

The biggest change is that you are now a big sister. It has taken you a few weeks to get used to sharing me and Daddy but that is completely understandable, after all you had us all to yourself for over two years. Watching you with Jobey is so lovely and I really hope that you will be good friends as you grow up. I’ve watched your love for him grow over the last few weeks and you are always trying to cuddle and kiss him. You have already found ways to include him in your games – by putting bracelets on his tiny wrists and squeezing your toy cabbages into his pockets! When he cries you go over and say ‘it’s okay little man’ and stroke him, it makes my heart  melt.

You love helping me change his nappies and you insist of having all of the equipment to do changes on Noddy, Dolly and any other toy that has a bum. The only problem is you really believe Noddy has done a poo and if we say you can’t chuck the nappy in the bin then you get upset so we have to sneakily take it out again afterwards!

Changing Noddy's Nappy

You are such a little sweetheart and I have so much fun in your company. You still make me laugh every day and I forget that you are only two sometimes as I can explain nearly anything to you and you pretend to understand, even if you don’t have the first clue what I am talking about. You are my little friend and now Jobey is here we call ourselves ‘the gang’ – you have made up a little song that we sing when we do things together.

You love going out for lunch so once a week we go into town and have toasties and share a cake. You always have your juice in a cup with a straw and you always tip it up and spill it over yourself! You like to copy everything I do and in the morning when I’m doing my make-up I have to give you a piece of cotton wool with cleanser on it and pretend to put mascara on you, I even had to paint your toenails pink the other day, something which I said I would never do!

We went shopping to buy you some new clothes the other day and everything you chose was pink, it’s your favourite colour. Then when we got home you spent hours playing it and hung it on all the stairgates. You are such a girlie girl but you also love to play with mud and get messy.

iyla

You have started having the odd tantrum or naughty moment so we have had to tell you off a few times recently, last week you hit Daddy in the face so we said you had to say sorry before having dinner. You went mad and refused to say it for 45 minutes before finally giving in but ever since then you have said sorry whenever we have asked you to, like last night when you chucked a spoonful of peas all over the kitchen for no reason!

Overall though you are such a good little girl and I am so proud of you. I can’t believe you are going to be three this year. We went to look at a pre-school this week and I was surprised by how confident you were with the ladies working there, I no longer feel worried about you starting but part of me doesn’t want to let you go. I want to keep you beside me forever and protect you from the sometimes scary world that we live in but I know I can’t because that wouldn’t be fair of me.

letter to my gorgeous girlie

My job is to help you grow into an amazing young lady who knows her mind, never questions her worth and radiates confidence in a self-assured but not arrogant way. I want you to always be happy but I know that won’t be possible so I want you to know that I will always be here for you. There is nothing that you can’t come and talk to me about.

I know I’m not perfect, I have been a bit irritable lately due to Jobey keeping me up in the night. You react back when I’m moody and do naughty things which lead to us not always having the nicest time together but even in those times there is nowhere I would rather be (apart from maybe upstairs having a hot bath!).

I love you with all my heart and feel grateful every day that you are in my life.

Mummy xxxxxx

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Wimborne Model Village

This weekend we went to stay in some 18th century cottages on a gorgeous estate in Wimborne, Dorset.

Dad2BabyInsomniac’s mum arranged it as she has a holiday home in Spain and managed to do a house swap. The setting was amazing as the estate was just off Wimborne high street meaning that you went from being in a busy town centre to the middle of a field in two minutes.

The weekend was a typical family holiday and involved car sick toddlers, crying babies and arguing parents but it was so nice to get away and Iyla had an absolutely amazing time!

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As did this little guy who got to share a massive bed with me while Dad2BabyInsomniac shared with Iyla, who kept booting him in the back all night!

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We went for walks..

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Went to Wimborne Model Village…

Wimborne Model Village Wimborne Model Village Wimborne Model Village

Went to the beach and ate fish and chips, which I thought I didn’t like but decided that actually I really do!

The only downside was the fact the weather was so rubbish.

The cottages were really lovely and had been decorated in so much white that they didn’t feel at all spooky which is a good thing as anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I heard an old lady singing at 2am on the first night. Then on the next night I heard exactly the same thing at EXACTLY THE SAME TIME! If that wasn’t spooky enough, it was followed by Iyla waking up screaming about a hand with fingers coming down out of the loft hatch, she has woken up a couple of times in the middle of the night at home before but never saying anything like that.

I totally believe in ghosts though and houses that old are bound to have had things happen in them so I guess it’s to be expected!

We had a great weekend and have now been on our first holiday with two kids, good job we weren’t flying though as with the amount of luggage we had it would have cost us a fortune!

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When One Becomes Two

When One Becomes Two thumbnail

I have been a mummy to two children for just over a month now and in some ways it has been easier than I imagined but in others it has been a lot harder.

Initially I was worried about how I would do the every day things like manage to get us all dressed in the morning but Jobey is a pretty chilled out baby so none of that is a problem.

What I wasn’t worried about was how Iyla would cope, I really thought that she would adjust to being a big sister without any problems whatsoever but that was probably a bit naive of me.

To be fair to her, she has been pretty good most of the time but because she was so good before, seeing her misbehave has been a bit of a shock. Luckily it doesn’t happen all the time but if she gets tired or bored and I am at home with the two of them then it can be rather challenging.

(Read More….)

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Karcher Steam Cleaner

I have always been a fairly messy person, in a clothes on the floor type way as oppose to a mouldy plates on the floor type way.

 A bit of mess never used to bother me, in fact I used to quite like it and can remember at one time saying that I could find things easier when they weren’t put away.

Then I became a Mum.

Now I would do anything to be able to see my floors and walk up my stairs without tripping over dirty washing, shoes, toys and packs of toilet paper that no-one thought to pick up on the way up.

Things were bad enough when we just had Iyla but now Jobey is here trying to keep our house clean and tidy has turned into an impossible task. Iyla is like a magpie and will cling onto any piece of crap that catches her eye and although  Jobey can’t actually make any mess the nappies, wipes, nappy bags and spare clothes that need to be within a one metre radius of him aren’t helping. Nor is the fact that Iyla has developed an obsession with putting her bits of crap in these nappy bags and hanging them from anywhere she can.

(Read More….)

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Little Man At Four Weeks thumbnail

 I can’t believe Jobey is four weeks old already.

Our new life has become normal and it feels like he has always been a part of our family.

He is still such a chilled out little guy and has been having some fairly long periods where he is awake and alert. I am also sure that he has smiled at me twice, he did it whilst fully awake so I am pretty sure it wasn’t wind, I can’t wait until he starts doing it properly though.

He still doesn’t really cry, apart from when you get him out of the bath but even then it’s a quiet little noise, bless him.

(Read More….)

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Puckababy Review

Puckababy Review thumbnail

 Early readers of my blog will know that Iyla was a terrible sleeper. After a few weeks of not being able to put her down without her waking up I turned to Google for answers on how I could get her to stay sleep.

I came across some articles about ‘swaddling’ and some forum discussions about how it had really helped some mums get their babies to sleep. I decided to give it a go and it really did help. The only problem we had was that I didn’t start doing it until she was about six weeks old so she was a bit old for it to have the best effect.

(Read More….)

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He’s Not My Brother. Chuck Him In The Bin thumbnail

It’s time for another installment of Iyla’s rather amusing one-liners.

Following the birth of her brother, there are also a few Jobey inspired phrases in this one!

Here goes…

Do you want some spicy cake with soft and colourful seeds on?!

Would you like a juice kiss daddy?

Shall I make you a cheese sandwich with noodles and cream?

It’s going to be Summer in minute.

I’ve got a static head!

Take your jumper off daddy, it’s not even cold.

Where’s Jobey? He’s got a willy.

I’d better follow that tomato.

I real might go to bed in half a minute.

Iyla – Pick up Jobi, he’s crying. Me – Ahh is it making you sad? Iyla – No, it’s annoying.

Pointing at my boobs while I’m breastfeeding Jobey – He’s getting dinner out of that side and milk out of that one!

Grannies are stinky aren’t they? (Dad2BabyInsomnaic is to blame for that one!)

Jobey is bloody rubbish. He’s not my new brother, chuck him in the bin.

Can you fix it fix it muh ner muh ner mix it?

Rip his feet off and get your boob off him – when she’s being mean to Jobey.

Ahh it’s okay Jobey Wan Kenobi / Little Man – when she’s being nice to Jobey!

smile for the camera

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Keeping Everyone Happy

Keeping Everyone Happy thumbnail

We have been a family of four for nearly a month now.

The period of adjustment has come to an end and life is starting to feel normal again.

As the mother in the family I feel like it is my role to make sure everyone is happy, something which I probably stopped doing around the time I feel pregnant and morning sickness kicked in.

I really struggled with this pregnancy and didn’t feel like myself at all, even following Jobey’s birth I wasn’t at my best. I felt dizzy, weak and had terrible sciatica which meant I was hobbling around for a few weeks. I find it hard to think about much else when I feel crap and it makes me pretty selfish so we haven’t been having as much fun together as a family for a little while now but I am pleased to say that for the first time in nearly a year I feel like my old self and am ready to get life back on track.

(Read More….)

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Then This Happens…

Then This Happens… thumbnail

One of the good things about being pregnant is not having periods.

Nine whole months of no bleeding, avoiding white underwear or having to buy ridiculously overpriced tampons – surely they should be free?!

Some other good things about being pregnant include thick hair, full boobs and getting away with wearing leggings EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Then you give birth and get to experience the best thing about being pregnant – your baby.

Then this happens….

(Read More….)

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UGG Boots Review

UGG Boots Review thumbnail

I bought my first pair of UGG’s nearly ten years ago, back when they were only known for their sheepskin boots.

These days you can buy a wide range of styles from UGG Australia (including slippers!) and even people who aren’t fans of the classic boots should be able to find something they do like.

I personally love the original UGG boots, they are just so comfortable and that will always come high up on my list when choosing what clothes / shoes to buy, so when I was asked if I wanted to review some I was more than happy to agree.

As always my little girl was desperate to get inside the box!

(Read More….)

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Little Man at Two Weeks

Little Man at Two Weeks thumbnail

Our little man has been here for two weeks and has settled in nicely.

He is such a chilled out little baby. We have nicknamed him Seagull as the only noises that come out of him are these little squawks, in fact he doesn’t even do that very often and whenever he does make a sound we all turn to look at him in shock! I am making the most of him being so quiet though because Iyla developed colic somewhere around this age and we had to listen to about three hours of screaming every evening!

2 week old baby

(Read More….)

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When Iyla Met Jobey…

When Iyla Met Jobey… thumbnail

I can’t remember when I started talking to Iyla about there being a baby in my tummy but I do know that it was fairly early in my pregnancy as I wanted her to get used to the idea of becoming a big sister.

By the time I was due to give birth she was reading stories to my bump and knew that the baby would be coming out any day to meet us. I feel like I did everything I could to prepare her for the new baby but I was still unsure about how she would react as it is such a big change.

(Read More….)

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Jobey’s Homebirth Story

Jobey’s Homebirth Story thumbnail

Anyone who has read Iyla’s Birth Story will know that it wasn’t the experience I was hoping for. I met my little girl at the end of it and for that I am so grateful but when I found out I was pregnant this time I wanted to try and do everything I could to have a more natural labour and I am pleased to say that I did.

Jobey was born, in my bedroom, at 1.51pm on the 5th of April.

I decided to have a home birth when I was about 30 weeks pregnant as I was starting to feel really anxious about the thought of going to hospital, and especially of having to potentially be away from Iyla for one night or more. To start with Dad2BabyInsomniac was a bit worried but by the end he was 100% supportive of the plan which helped me to feel more confident.

I bought the Maggie Howell Natal Hypnotherapy book and CD and listened to it regularly up until the birth, I even had it on in early labour and I would recommend it to anyone as I know it helped me so much.

Anyway the birth….

So I went to my 41 week midwife appointment and she gave me a sweep, she also told me to go by my own dates which only made me 2 days overdue (Iyla and Jobey were both born 4 days over their due dates in the end!) and said she was fairly confident things would happen within a couple of days.

(Read More….)

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Our New Arrival

Our New Arrival thumbnail

Things have been rather quiet on here over the last few days and I am sure you can imagine why!

On Friday the 5th of April, at 1.51pm, our little man – Jobey finally arrived, weighing 7 lbs 8.

Our New Arrival

I will write up his birth story in full soon but it couldn’t have gone better. I had him at home, there were no complications or scary moments and I was only in established labour for 3 hours (although I was in early labour for all of the previous night and ended up calling out the midwife twice only for it to be too early!).

He has fitted in perfectly and is such a chilled out little guy, although I am aware that could change at any moment!

Breastfeeding is going well and other than my boobs feeling like they are about to explode we haven’t had any problems yet. He is a typical boy and doesn’t stop eating but he is an efficient if frequent feeder and when he was weighed today, he was exactly the same weight as when he was born so at least I know it is doing some good!

I am absolutely loving the newborn cuddles and to be honest, I have only put him down when going to the toilet or having a bath. I think he will be our last baby so I am making the most of every minute!

Sleeping isn’t too bad, he has been in our bed as it’s so much easier to do night feeds so I haven’t felt that tired. I’m not sure how long we will co-sleep for, I am planning to just see how things go.

Iyla has adjusted really well and loves being a big sister. She finds all the nappy changes so interesting and stands over watching me or copying with Noddy. She also seems fine with me feeding him all the time too, in fact she has decided that he is getting milk out of one side and dinner out of the other!

I have noticed today that she is starting to attention seek a little bit, mainly by doing things we tell her not to so I am trying to ignore the negative and give the positive behaviour extra praise. It is a big change for her and it has only been five days so we are making sure we include her in everything and waiting for it to pass.

Our New Arrival

I am just so happy he is finally here and we can start our life as a family of four!

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Girls Have Got Bum Bums and Boys Are Messy thumbnail

I started writing down the funny things that Iyla says a few months ago as I knew I would forget them, I have shared them with you a couple of times before…

Stand on Your Knees and Eat Your Bloody Cake

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Can I Have Some Crapstack?!

I now have enough of a list for the 3rd installment.

Here it is…

(Read More….)

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Waiting Patiently

Waiting Patiently thumbnail

I’m now two days from my due date and it’s quite a strange time.

It feels like our lives are in limbo as we wait for our new arrival.

I don’t like to go out very much, just in-case, and I’ve been feeling so tired that it’s hard to even find the energy to do much around the house so it really is a case of just waiting.

(Read More….)

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Felt Play Food

Felt Play Food thumbnail

I love being crafty but for some reason the month leading up to Christmas is when my creative urge really kicks in and I end up crafting over other things that need doing, unlike the rest of the year when I rarely find the time.

(Read More….)

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39 Weeks Pregnant

39 Weeks Pregnant thumbnail

One week to go and I am feeling better than I have done all pregnancy.

It’s obviously my body’s way of making sure I end on a good note and want to carry on procreating!

It’s got to the stage where everything could be a sign of labour. I’ve had a few twinges and cramps and also had lots of energy but that’s about it. I am actually really enjoying  these most of these last few weeks / days, first time round I was so impatient but as excited as I am about meeting my little man, I am also aware that my evening and nights will no longer be about relaxing and sleeping but more about feeding / changing nappies whilst not sleeping. Of course it is all worth it but I’m making the most of the last bit of me time I will have for a while!

(Read More….)

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Something To Remember

Something To Remember thumbnail

As the end of my pregnancy approaches I’ve been starting to appreciate my bump a bit more because I know that I will miss it when it’s gone. Especially as I’m not sure whether or not we will be having any more children.

There is something so special about carrying a baby and although I haven’t enjoyed this pregnancy as much as I could have, there is no denying that my body has done something incredible.

I only have a couple of photos of me when I was pregnant with Iyla and I really regret not taking more so this time I have been taking photos fortnightly. I want to do as much as I can to remember how my body looked when pregnant.

There is also something else that can be done as a reminder and that’s belly casting, you can even then have your cast turned into a ceramic belly sculpture.

(Read More….)

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Mum2BabyInsomniac