Making the nursery

I’ve just remembered I had promised to update you after I’d finished my baby boys nursery.  I don’t know if you remember but I had been planning to go with a grey theme (take a look at this post about my style ideas and inspiration…Dreaming up my perfect nursery – old post).

I thoroughly enjoyed transforming the space into a little man’s den, and feel that it’s still peaceful and calming enough for mummy to enjoy too.

My favourite item HAS to be the awesome light box above, which comes from a gorgeous shop called THISMODERNLIFE.  I’m planning to use it as my night light for feeding through the night.

I made these wall prints myself on a graphic design website called PICMONKEY because I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for online, so thought sod it I will make my own.  They say “Sunshine you are my sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey”, which is very appropriate for how my little man will make me feel when I’m having a grey skies day thinking about my other little man.

I’ve created book displays/shelves with Ribba picture frame holders from IKEA.  The cloud mobile was handmade by me and a load of felt and string from hobby craft.  The cloud cot bumper and blanket are both made by a designer called FARG&FORM and can be found at the shop THISMODERNLIFE as well, and the cloud wall stickers were found online in the shop ETSY.

Now I just need a gorgeous little bubba to snuggle with in there! Hurry up baby Baz!

Mrs.E

x

Full Term…finally

I’ve made it, I’m here, I’m finally full term. A whole 37 weeks of pregnancy. Which for me is a little like a prison sentence, I’m just not good at being pregnant. There really isn’t a lot about it I enjoy. All this – ‘You are creating a human being malarky’, yes, yes, well done me, but can he just be here already, I’m much better at the cuddling and caring for the human being bit.

It’s been a fairly bumpy ride, and bumpy itself is MASSIVE. In these final weeks, I’ve had many growth scans. In which one of them, the scanographer actually said to me…’ok, hold your breath, this baby is big, he is due to weigh 11 pounds by your due date’. On top of that I have a condition called Polyhydraminos, which basically means I am also carrying alot of water as well, so my bump is huge and droopy and I can hardly hold myself up without toppling over. But my consultant called me a ‘strong mummy’ for coping, which was just the pat on the back I needed.

So I’m finally at the last hurdle. The last few weeks are the worst, you’re filled with anxiety about what’s to come. Every little twinge you think is a sign. The entire last trimester symptoms come at once and you are dealing with insomnia, nesting, fatigue, the big clear out of your bowels, the aches and pains, the braxton hicks, the breathlessness. I could go on! But all is gearing up towards the big event. I’m prepared in every way, my organisation skills have exceeded themselves and I am fully prepared for every eventuality. All I’m not quite ready for is, how my little girl Moo is going to take it. She is a bundle of fun and energy right now, but she has had 3 solid years of mummy and daddies sole attention, and boy does she thrive off of it. To top it off, she is also starting at her big girls nursery the same friggin week that I am booked for my c-section, so her little world is going to be completely shaken. I’m really worried about it to be honest. Any advice from other mummies who’ve been through this before is MOST welcome. I’ve got her the obligatory ‘present from the baby’, and a massive box of toys, and crafty bits for when mummy is away in hospital, so she remembers how loved she is. I’ve prepared all the family to fuss over her still and not the baby. But no doubt it is all still going to rock her little world and cause inevitable jealous emotions.

My diary past September 17th is completely empty. I have no idea what comes next, but I’m so so ready for whatever life throws at me. The next time you hear from me will hopefully be with my wonderful birth story! Eeekk

Wish me luck,

Mrs.E

x

32 weeks pregnant and counting…

The third trimester has hit me like a tonne of bricks. Mainly because I’m carrying a tonne of baby. I’ve been having regular growth scans, mainly to keep an eye on him. But at my last 32 week scan, my bump was measuring 41 weeks, and I’m only 32! Baby Boy was off the scales on most measurements and expected to weigh 5lbs already, and 10lbs by my due date!!! What a bruiser! No wonder I feel like I’m carrying around a watermelon in between my legs. I’m not sleeping at all, between waking up for wee’s, my hips going numb and reflux, I am basically an insomniac. Which was all fairly bearable the first time round when all I had to do was laze around eating biscuits all day long. But with a toddler in toe, it’s near impossible to function. The lack of sleep, caused me to catch a stinking cold and throat virus, which knocked me for six, on top of that I have been diagnosed anaemic, so I’m taking supplements to help, but have been warned they may not do much, so expect to feel just as drained as always. But they do come with a wonderful side effect called black sticky poop! Every pregnant woman will know it’s hard enough to go at the best of times with all those hormones relaxing your digestive system, and a baby squishing your colon. So most of week 32 was spent crying my eyes out to my poor hubby, saying I can’t do this, I can’t cope!!! To think I have another 7-8 weeks to go is terrifying. But there is a silver lining to my rainy, grey cloud.

They have finally agreed my choice to have an elective c-section! After 8 months of counselling, meetings, scan’s and checkup’s I have finally been given the OK. In fact in the end they decided on it, not because of my previous traumatic delivery, but because this little bubba is set to be a chunky one, so they feel it’s just all round safer for us both! All those biscuits I’ve been eating have paid off.

So I haven’t been given my final date yet, but it looks to be the week of the 14th of September, and I can’t friggin’ wait!!!

Let the countdown begin…

Mrs.E

x

My first NCT class as a second time mum

Recently I went along to one of my mummy friend’s kids birthday parties, which was a wonderful sunny day, surrounded by little ones all dressed up in their best Disney princess outfits and dancing around the garden.  My little girl had a great time, and so did I, mainly because of how lovely and friendly all the other mummies were to me.  I didn’t know anyone other than the host, but was welcomed in by all the other mummies who knew each other, which was really kind of them.  As I got talking to the mums, I realised that they had met one another at their local NCT classes that they took 3 years before hand, and there they were 3 years later, a group of close friends with little ones all really close in age and who clearly all got on so well, and also another batch of newborns all close in age too.  They all shared birthing stories with me and we chatted about coping with a newborn when you’ve already got a toddler at home, and in a few short hours I thought, this is what I really missed out on those first few years with Moo.  I’m lucky enough to have a wonderful close family around me, and lots of wonderful friends who take great interest in my little girl and my pregnancies.  Along the way I’ve made new mum friends that I see now and again, but a core group of local mums with babies close in age really is what I probably needed to help me adjust to the wonderful world of parenthood.  So this time around I took it upon myself to search out my local NCT classes.  I wasn’t even sure if they did such a thing for second time mums, but it turns out yes they do!  They offer something called a ‘refresher course’  aimed at second times mums in the local area, which consists of 4 (2hour group classes), and one couple class at the end to get the hubbies involved.  It turned out I was too late to apply, but the lovely leader of the group said she would squeeze me in last minute if I was able and willing to start immediately.

I was overjoyed, and last night was my first session.  I was a little apprehensive, as it can feel like a first day at school.  But I thought, surely it’ll be easier than a mummy and toddler group because everybody is new, no-one knows each other, AND you don’t have the added stress of a toddler to run around after whilst you try to hold an adult conversation.

So I was the eager one, first in the class with my notebook and pen at the ready, with ‘SOMEBODY PLEASE BE MY FRIEND’ written all over my face. As the class carried on and we each introduced ourselves, every single mummy in the room said – I’m basically here to make some more mum friends locally. At that point I finally relaxed, and realised that I’m not a complete saddo, because all these other women were feeling exactly like me.  We all shared birth stories, had a good old giggle together about our terrible two’s back at home, and actually I came away learning quite a lot about labour!  Even though I’ve been through it twice now, it was great to hear all these different stories and experiences.  Who knew that a roast dinner on your due date could potentially release enough oxytocin to trigger contractions, or that if you relax your jaw during labour it will relax your pelvis too!

So anyway – we’ve all swapped details, and I still have another 3 sessions left, so I really hope that by the end of the course I will have the makings of some lovely new mum friends and be that little step closer to being the mummy I want to be and living the life I want to lead.

Image taken from – http://www.lisacarpenterphotos.com/info/portfolio/portraits/

Until next time,

Mrs.E

x

What to do with your little ones old baby grows that you just can’t bare to throw away…

I can’t take full credit for this wonderful idea, I have to admit I found it on Pintrest one day, but I had been hoarding all of those teeny tiny little baby grows that Moo wore literally only once or twice, in the loft because I just couldn’t bare to part with them.  I ‘d hoped one day I would find a use for them, and now I have – yay.

The idea, is to cut them up into little squares and use the fabric to make a wonderful baby blanket.  I’ve let Moo have hers now to play with and snuggle under because she seemed to take such a liking to it.  But when the novelty has worn off I think I will keep in her special keepsake box and perhaps she will wrap her own little bundle of joy in it one day.

So here is the finished blanket, it’s all hand sewn and took me three days to complete.  It’s a little rough round the edges, but I’m generally really pleased with it. Here’s how to do one yourself…

1) Collect your favourite baby grows/bibs/t-shirts/fabric swatches.

2) I used a coaster as a stencil, but using a ruler or large square to draw around will work too, it all depends on the size patches you want to work with.  Draw little squares on the fabric ready to cut out in the next step.

3) Cut out the squares, and then iron them all flat. Lay them out into the design/shape you’d like, making sure the patterns don’t clash.

4) Now hand/machine sew the patches together, I did mine a row at a time, 5 squares wide, then sewed all the rows together.

5) Now choose your backing fabric, (I chose an old fleece baby blanket of Moo’s). Place the two fabrics together  facing each other ie. front to front.  Now sew together the 2 longer sides.  Then turn the fabric in on itself so the blanket is no longer inside out.  Now sew the two shorter lengths together, and voila a patchwork quilt!

 

If my description didn’t make oodles of sense – googling how to make a patchwork quilt will really help!

Happy sewing lovely readers

Mrs.E

x

Getting my craft on

When looking for lovely nursery decor for my first child’s bedroom, I felt what would make the room really special was a mixture of both old and new.  A few treasured items from my own childhood (like some of my old retro fisher price toys and a knitted blanket made by my own grannies hands, next to some brand new, fun, fresh designs and colours).  But what I really wanted to add was a little something just from mummy.  Something that they would come to treasure and perhaps even use in their own babies’ nursery one day.  So I set upon the task of getting my craft on and making something handmade and wonderful.  I decided to make a baby mobile.  My daughter Moo’s nursery was a cotton candy pink palace, with an owl theme throughout.  So this was my very first attempt at a handmade, hand sown baby mobile.

 

It was a little rough around the edges, but my baby girl would watch it completely mesmerised every night and still loves it nearly 3 years later. So a job well done me thinks.

So of course I had to do the same for my little boy, with as little as a few bits of felt, a needle and thread, some hooks and wood, this is my second attempt and I am rather pleased with it if I do say so myself.

It fits in wonderfully with his little grey and white cloud nursery and I hope it’s also something that he will go on to enjoy and treasure in the future.  Making something for your babies really is a wonderful thing to do, yes I could have bought these online and they would have looked a lot neater.  But I hope my little ones will see the charm in the way they were made with my time and love.

Happy crafting

Mrs.E

x

Learning to love myself allover again

If you are a follower of my blog you will probably have come across me raving on about a fellow blogger that I adore named Gala Darling.  At a time when I was young, lost and soul searching.  When I was on my downward spiral as I now call it, and slowly losing touch of who I wanted to be, her blog became my little safe haven.  She was someone of similar age to me who had herself been on a “downward spiral” but fought her way out of it and turned her life around for the better. Here she was telling the tale in such an open and  honest way,  and to top it off she was sharing her wisdom and teaching others about how to do the same for themselves.  Her whole concept is based upon ‘Radical Self Love’ and learning to love yourself.  After all, how can we love others if we don’t truly love ourselves.  I won’t go into oodles of detail because you can read it all for yourself on her wonderful website.  But the reason I am promoting this brilliant woman allover again is because recently she has published her very first book ‘Radical Self Love – A guide to loving yourself and living your dream’.  Although I wouldn’t say I was in a place where I hugely needed a self help/guide to happiness kind of book right now, I couldn’t help but purchase it, by way of a thank you for how Gala had helped me at a time when I needed her guidance most.  So I received my copy a week ago, and decided I would spend one of Moo’s nursery mornings all to myself and completely indulge, by sitting in my garden in the sunshine with my feet up, getting my tan on, a huge jug of fresh cranberry juice filled to the brim with crushed ice next to me, and immerse myself in Gala Darlings world. Hours later, I was quickly turning a lobster shade of red, and had a completely numb bum from where I simply couldn’t put this book down.  It was like it was speaking to me directly, like an old friend who knew me so well was reaching out to me.  There I was finding meaning and relevance in every chapter and like I was having some sort of awakening. It dawned on me that recently I have just been surviving, plodding along, getting through the day, clock watching.  I have been full of negativity, and you only have to read back through some of my recent blog posts to see it.  I have been moaning, and sulking and feeling sorry for myself and not taking onus for my situation.  It’s my life and if something isn’t right then moaning about it isn’t going to fix it – is it?!

So here goes Gala, I’m going on a journey of radical self love with you all over again.  I’m going to be doing all of the homework tasks in your brilliant book and am going to come out a happier more fulfilled person at the end of it.  And there is my first affirmation for you.

Photo taken from http://www.galadarling.com

To a happier future,

Mrs.E

x

Toddler battles

So my last post touched on the changes going on in our little world and my worries about how my little one is coping.  I know deep down, fretting isn’t really helping anybody.  So today I have slapped on the fake smile, pulled myself together and come to my senses.  Only I can make a difference and try to ease these worries.

What bought on this change of heart was my eventful morning.  It all started at 6am, with the usual pained cries from my daughters room, ‘mummmmmy open the doooooor’ so in I go all blurry eyed, then ‘noo I want my daddy’, daddy of course is at work, so I know I have to spend half an hour explaining daddy is at work and how he will come back later, but mummy is here now. When all I really want to do is crawl back in bed with a cup of tea and eat an entire packet of biscuits.

Eventually she gives up and mummy will do, we then make our way to the stairs – of which I am trying to make her walk down by herself like a big girl at the moment (which she has been doing happily for the last 5 months by the way) but now that mummy is big and pregnant and won’t carry her down anymore, suddenly she is completely unable and will stand at the top of them shrieking to be carried down.  I coax her down eventually keeping as patient as I possibly can even though that biscuit packet is still calling for me.

Then comes the breakfast battle ‘I want this’ no ‘I want that’, ‘my melon is too pink’ ‘the milk on my cereal is too spicy’ (WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!!).  Once we’ve found the perfect shade of pink melon and some non spicy milk and fought our way through breakfast, then comes the debate about getting dressed. After lots of patient chat and plenty of distraction we finally get the ‘oh so offensive’ clean clothes on.

Then comes one of my favourite parts of the day –  the teeth brushing battle… Mummy sits at the sink doing hers, singing about how lovely it is to have squeaky clean teeth. Moo even kindly helps mummy, jabs me in the throat a few times , I then wash the toothpaste off of my eyebrows and nose and then it’s Moos turn.  First it’s a few laps around the kitchen, then it’s a few games of playing limp slippery fish everytime I have hold of her. Then she finally gives in but will sit on the seat with her mouth clamped shut. Such fun!!!

So we’ve made it so far, she is dressed, fed and teeth are clean-ish.  Now it’s mummy’s turn to get ready quickly.  I know I have about 3 and half minutes in which to do this before she notices I’ve gone. So I set her down with a game to play whilst I dart around like a loony.  4 minutes later, mismatched socks on, greasy hair scraped back, some seriously questionable clashing top and trouser combo on and a bit of concealer spread over my face, because foundation just takes too long, and I’m good to go.

Although this particular morning – nature calls – and when you are 7 months pregnant and nature calls you should jolly well listen or else your little friend constipation will pay you an unwelcome visit and that’s a whole other fun story for you.  So there I am door wide open so to prevent a total hissy fit from Moo for daring to have a few minutes privacy.  Moo ofcourse isn’t best pleased and decides to come and join me in the loo. I know not to ask her to go and play alone, because I have tried this many times and it’s resulted in mega tantrums. So when I’ve finished and Moo has had a good look I can then begin the ‘final off we go to nursery battle’. Yay.

I coax her into the car with promises of cake.  Regardless of my best distraction attempts ‘hey look at that purple scuberdiving goat over there Moo’, she still remembers the mention of cake. So begrudgingly I riffle through the emergency car cake stash and hand it to her. Knowing I only have 3 minutes peace until she asks for more and I have to explain there aren’t anymore and then deal with the consiquences.

We finally get to nursery now covered in cake, and proceed to run around the car park shouting ‘I don’t want to go to nursery’.  A pitying teacher finds us and manages to talk Moo into coming in, but the whole time she is clinging to me so tight I can feel her fingernails breaking through my skin.  I stay playing at nursery with her for half an hour to try and settle her in.  Note to self – DO NOT SIT ON THE FLOOR AT NURSERY –  you are then at small child height and they will see this as an invitation to invade your personal space and drive toy cars over your tits and push play food in your mouth.  Eventually Moo is distracted enough by a bowl of shaving foam that is randomly sitting on the table labeled dinosaur food, and I take my opportunity to sneak off.

I get back into the car, my eyes fill up with tears, I feel guilty for dashing out and leaving her, I question my reasons for putting her in a nursery at all.  I sit there wondering how else I could have coped better this morning and what I must do next time in order to be a better mummy, and eventually I’m in tears.

I send an S.O.S text to the hubby, he calls me with lots of rational advice, and eventually I feel a little better.  But seriously where did my little angel go, and who is this little madam who insists on fighting with me over every single little thing!!!???

I remember foolishly saying to my hubby one day, I think we seem to have missed the terrible two’s, she is just such a good girl.  Silly smug fool!!!  2 years and 7 months in, it’s hit us BIG TIME.  So I have a plan of action,

Toddler incentives…

I’m bored of empty threats to throw her favourite toys in the bin, and talk of the naughty step.  It’s time I found a way of reasoning with my determined child, and making some much needed progress on the obedience front.

So I’ve chosen to try something called Good Pot, Naughty Pot.  This involves rewards for good girl behaviour.  The idea is that you have a bowl of marbles, and two pots, one is the good girl pot, and the other the naughty girl pot.  For good behaviour Moo can choose a marble to put in her good girl pot, and when she is naughty we take one away from the good girl pot and into the bad girl pot.  If the good girl pot fills up by the end of the day/week – she gets a treat.  The treat should be small, but wonderful… for my Moo that would be an ice lolly, or a little barbie costume.

I really hopes this helps us with even a few of our daily battles, and stops me wanting to bribe with cakes and threaten taking toys away, this way I can just use the simple idea of marbles to achieve the same result.  Which is teaching my toddler that good behaviour is rewarded and bad behaviour is not.

I will of course update you,

Now pass me that packet of biscuits already!!!

Mrs.E

x

Night Nadgers

My mum calls them the night nadgers, those nights when you wake at 4am and can’t get back to sleep because your mind is working away like mad and all your worries seem magnified to the Nth degree.  Well here I am, 4:53am, having crept downstairs leaving the hubby and the little one upstairs snoring, got myself a cup of tea, switched on the laptop.  Now what?…

Lets start with of list of my recent worries big and small…

Having been on holiday to Spain last week, Daddy has now been home for 2 whole weeks, which as wonderful as it’s been, I now dread the fact that he is back to work and I have to get used to parenting single handedly again.  Also Daddy and daughter have become completely inseparable so she won’t take it well at all.  Which means at the toughest of moments in the throws of a tantrum I know I will hear those words ‘I want my daddy”, which make you want to cry and give up all at once feeling like your the bad guy failing parent and all they want is their super parent to come home and rescue them.  And while I know she does this to daddy when mummy is away, it still hurts a little.

Potty training is looming.  To be honest I’ve been putting it off for as long as I can.  We’ve had sporadic moments of interest, and keep the potty out on show, and are very open when mummy and daddy use the loo (even let her look at our poop as she seems interested eww).  We’ve been reading all the big girl potty stories, bought the big girl pants and dressed her teddies in them.   But that jump to actually using the potty still seems miles off.  Moo HATES the unknown, be it a new dress, a new place, a new buggy, she doesn’t really like change and although we’ve reached a point where she is getting agitated by her nappy and takes them off herself, when we mention the possibility of using the potty, its like we’ve sworn at her!  She is 2 years and 7 months old, and starting a new big girls nursery in 3 months and I really want her to be on the way by then, but it seems like one hell of a mountain to climb beforehand.

Babies arrival.  Obviously I’m a complete bag of nerves this entire pregnancy.  Im 26 weeks, which is wonderful, but am no way in the safe zone yet.  I hope by 30 weeks I can start to relax in knowing that baby will have a much higher survival rate if anything goes wrong.  I’ve been fighting my case for a cesarean section, for reasons that I won’t go into now (that’s a whole other post right there).  But this fight has sort of kept me focused actually, and it’s helped me in ways.  It’s meant I’ve seen the hospital for regular appointments and meetings and now know many different faces in the maternity unit.  I think I have managed to agree and good compromise in where I will have membrane sweeps from 38 weeks, and a cut off date (c-section on or very close to my due date).  It’s been quite the struggle to come to that agreement, and its not set in stone by any means, but I’m happy with that outcome.  But this now causes another worry…

My Moo’s new nursery start dates are when I am 39 weeks pregnant, so it looks like baby will arrive exactly when she starts a new nursery, when mummy and daddy are carting her off to a new strange place for 5 mornings per week.  My poor little angel.  I know bringing a new baby into the home is change enough, and very hard on a little one who’s been so used to sole attention for nearly 3 years.  Let alone her starting a new nursery, its killing me just the thought of it.  I really struggle with feeling guilty about sending her to nursery now anyway whilst I take ‘me time’, but have to remind myself how much she loves it, and how far she has come and developed because of going.  But the LAST thing I want to do is rock her little world so massively in one week!

Any advice on any of my worries is SO welcome.

Yours fretfully,

Mrs.E

x