Rhodri's 10 Month Update

Rhodri's 10 Month Update

Hello there! I know posts have been thin on the ground recently, but I am working hard at developing some sort of work/home/blog life balance. I have a few posts in the pipeline and am grateful for all of you who read my blog and who are patient as I figure out how to juggle everything

My baby boy is now 10 months old.  He is in to everything. Everything is a toy, and belongs to him! He seems to change almost every day, constantly growing and learning. Now that I'm back in work it seems like by the time the weekend comes around and I can spend the full day with him, he's learnt so much without me. He's more and more like a little boy, and less like a baby every day. I am loving watching the changes and development. Here's what's happened in the last month!

Weight: Rhodri hasn't been weighed this month, judging by the return of his appetite I think he is probably right back on track. 

Height: We haven't had this checked since last month. He's not likely to be measured until his 1 year check up.

Clothing size: Around two weeks ago Rhodri moved up to his 9-12 month clothes. I probably could have held out a little longer as the arms and legs seem slightly too long. He was in that awkward stage where 6-9 was starting to get small and I'd rather his clothes were too big than too small.

Sleep: He sleeps 7pm - 6.30am. We do sometimes have to wake him at 6.30am so that we can get him out the door and get ourselves to work, but more often than not once he hears us stirring he starts to wake also.

This months milestones: 

• TEETH!! Holy moly! We went two and a half months with just the two bottom two teeth, when finally one of his top front teeth came through. Then two weeks later he is teething with three more top teeth! The poor little man is teething like crazy! We have made his first dentist appointment for next month, and hopefully by then the three teeth will be through!
• Rhodri is learning more words/sounds. Mamma and Dadda he has down to an art. He's working on Yes and Bye at the moment.
• In the past week Rhodri has been standing unaided for a few seconds. Not for long, but we are getting there and his balance is noticeably improving.
• He can walk when holding on to furniture or our hands.
• Still not crawling, but he has recently moved from a sitting to almost crawling position before lying down and giving up... it's progress!
• He is showing signs of being sociable with other children. Although he can't talk to them, he mimics the sounds or crys they make to try and grab their attention.
• The health visitor visited me after my first week back in work and said Rhodri showed signs of Separation Anxiety. He wasn't overly upset, and he quickly warmed to her again and showered her with smiles. But showed that he was certain who his Mummy was and who the stranger in the situation was.

This months special outings:

• Rhodri has had a few outings to the park. He loves the swings. Slides are mildly interesting. Nosing in on other peoples conversations is of course the best part of any outing.
• We continue to spend Thursdays visiting his Aunty and cousins. Sometimes when he's really lucky his girlfriend is there too. He's very fond of women. Flirt.

Baby gear love: My brand new woven wrap. I'm still getting to grips with it but I am enjoying trying out different carries using my wrap. I am building up the confidence to take him out minus the pram and with just the wrap.

Baby's routine: You can read our bed time routine HERE. 

Around 6.30am he wakes up, he has porridge and a bottle before brushing his teeth and being dressed for the day. We tend to leave the house around 7am dropping him off before heading to work. His grandparents play with him, take him out and just enjoy him of course. He naps around 9 for two hours. Has a bottle and lunch around half 11. Second nap half two ish for an hour. His last bottle after the second nap. I pick him up around 4.45pm. When we get home he has dinner and we resume the normal evening routine. Thursdays & Weekends Rhodri doesn't go to his grandparents and so I try to maintain the routine while still making memories and enjoying quality time together.

Highlights of the month: 

• Rhodri is constantly babbling and chatting. He laughs and giggles alot. Seeing him attempt communication is so rewarding and enjoyable to hear.
• Rhodri claps, waves and does a lot of dancing. I find it so lovely to see him enjoying movement and music. It's lovely to see him so happy.
• Getting home from work every day and getting smiles, kisses and cuddles is the best.

Rhodri's monthly favourites: 

• Toy - Anything musical
• Teddy - Goodnight bear.
• Food - Cauliflower, banana Pancakes and toast.
• Music - He just loves music. Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Sia, Meghan Trainor... pretty much anything in the top 40 are his favourites. He loves Queen and Bon Jovi too. Anything he can bop along to!! 
• Activity - Standing, walking, dancing.
• Person - Mummy & Daddy of course!
• Book - The Gruffalos Child.

Rhodri's monthly dislikes:

• Being left the first few days Mummy went back to work.
• Being dressed. Particularly dislikes putting coats on - this continues to be an issue.
• Being put in/strapped in to seats, chairs, prams. He wants to be held or walking and doesn't particularly like being restrained.

Thats all for this month. As always thanks for reading!! xoxo

Rhodri's 9 Month Update

9 Month Update

I now have a 9 month old! That's a pregnancy... how crazy is that?! This month has really flown by and with only two weeks left until I return to work I've been filling our days with lots of fun activities. As much as I've loved that quality fun-filled time together, it does make time fly by even more. So lets take a look at what's been going on since Rhodri turned 8 months old, up until he hit 9 months old. 

Weight: Weight wise Rhodri has fallen slightly under his growth line. We know this is because he was quite poorly for almost two weeks this month. During that time he refused solids and he dropped from three bottles a day to two on a good day. Since getting better he has returned to his eating pattern so I'm sure he will be back on track soon.

Height: The health visitor measured him at his 6-9 month check and he is now 71cm long. This puts him just shy of the 75th percentile line. So he is long/tall but not massively. 

Clothing size: 6-9 months still.

Sleep: He sleeps 7pm - 7am most nights. When he was ill Rhodri woke at 10pm, 12pm & 4am every night. As soon as he was better we reverted back to his normal sleep pattern.

This months milestones: 

• Rhodri has learnt to wave. He was very keen to show this talent off at the beginning of the month but as time has gone on he doesn't wave as often, usually only when the mood suits.
• Rhodri has learnt to pull himself to a standing position using Mummy for support.
• While sitting on the sofa Rhodri will shuffle down on to his back, roll on to his tummy and then scoot off the sofa so he is standing up and holding on to the sofa.
• Rhodri is recognising who people are. So if I say 'Where is Nanna?' he looks at his Nanna.
• Rhodri says Dadda clearly. He sometimes says Mamma but usually reserves this for when he's upset.

This months special outings:

• We took Rhodri to an indoor play centre with his cousins. He was too young for most of it, but thoroughly enjoyed the ball pit!

Baby gear love: There's nothing in particular ... calpol with a syringe I guess? Anything that makes giving medicine easy is a plus.

Baby's routine: You can read our bed time routine HERE. 

Daytime wise he wakes at 7am, has porridge for breakfast, has a bottle, plays in his door bouncer or walker. Around 9.30am he goes for a nap. This is usually for about 2 hours. He then has a little play until 12pm when he has lunch and his second bottle. We play with his more interactive toys until about 2.30pm when he goes for a second nap. This is usually an hour nap. Once he wakes up we tend to play with his sensory tent and then he goes in the door bouncer or walker for a bit as well. This takes us up until dinner time which the bedtime routine covers :)

Of course there are days this differs slightly, if we go out he tends to avoid naps as long as possible and playtime isn't so scheduled but you get the gist.

Highlights of the month: 

• It was really miserable when Rhodri was ill, but the highlight of the month was seeing him starting to smile and babble again when he was feeling better. They were the sweetest smiles I've ever seen.
• He's a lot more vocal and I love that. He's always been very babbly, but after he was over his illness this has been a lot more noticeable.

Rhodri's monthly favourites: 

• Toy - A musical yellow starfish mirror toy
• Teddy - goodnight bear and his caterpillar
• Food - Banana pancakes, lamb & winter veggies, cauliflower.
• Music - Sam Smith 'Stay With Me' 
• Activity - Standing up holding on to the coffee table and bashing the table with coasters, remotes etc.
• Person - Mummy & Daddy of course!
• Book - The Gruffalos Child.

Rhodri's monthly dislikes:

• Medicine.
• Being dressed. Particularly dislikes putting coats on.
• Being strapped in to prams/car seats.
• Afternoon naps

We are still waiting for more teeth to arrive. His first two came through just before he turned 7 months and although he's been teething this entire time, no other teeth have come through yet! It looks like more are coming, but I said that last month!!

That's all for this month. As always thanks for reading! xoxo

Baby R's first blog post

Hello there,

My name is Baby R, you can also call me Chops, Monkey or Tinker. Mummy does ... alot! I thought seeing as my Mummy blogs about me ALL the time I'd come on here and tell you a bit more about me.

I was born in May 2014, which makes me 7 and a half months old. I live with my Mummy and Daddy. Mummy stays home and looks after me at the moment, but she will be returning to work in March. Daddy works, and he sometimes misses bedtime which makes us all very sad, but when he is home he plays with lots of toys with me and I love that!

Over the last 7 months I have become quite the clever little boy, even if I do say so myself. I can do loads of tricks, some of them make mummy squeal with excitement. Mummy's funny when she makes excited noises. It gives me the giggles.

Mummy was having scans from as early as 6 weeks pregnant with me, that's why she calls me Tinker, and the fact that I kept her on the toes for the entire pregnancy. At 40wks+2 I made mummy go to hospital by refusing to move for hours. She was sent home because even though the Dr wanted me to be born, they were too busy at the hospital. They told her to go back the next day to discuss induction. The next day we were told she was definitely going to be induced because I was distressed, but she'd have to wait another day because there were no beds. I didn't want to wait anymore, I wanted out! So as the nurse said 'You can go home' I started Mummy's contractions every 4.5-5minutes apart. Mummy wasn't allowed to go home, and good job too! I didn't hang around for long once I got things started. Mummy's active labour was 3 hours and 11 minutes! She was in a bit of shock when I was born, and it's been a whirlwind ever since!

From about 1 week old I've slept for 5/6 hour stints at night and since I was 7 weeks old I have slept from 7pm to 7am. This is not just because I love Mummy, it's because I love sleep! I know I could wake my parents up a bit more but I love cuddling up in my cot and sleeping the night away. I think I'll save the sleepness nights for when I'm older and Mummy isn't expecting it.

Around 5/6 weeks Mummy noticed I was being sick a lot. I tried to tell her I had reflux, but she didn't understand the arching of my back wasn't wind related. It got worse and worse, I was so sick that I was constantly hungry. That made Mummy cry and I was in so much pain! But a lovely woman at the Doctors surgery gave me Gaviscon and we've never looked back.

I learnt to roll over when I was about 4 months old. I'm NEVER doing that again! I hate being on my tummy. So now the furthest I roll is on to my side and then back again. I much prefer sitting up which I learnt around 6 months. It took me until 7 months to get the balance to stay sat up for any length of time.

I don't want to crawl. It's not fun. I'd rather sit with my toys or stand up. Standing up is great fun! I have to hold on to Mummy, a toy or a table but it's much better than crawling or rolling! Besides once I start crawling Mummy will stop fetching my toys and that's a game I enjoy way too much to give up.

I learnt to blow raspberries thanks to one of my Aunties (you know who you are!) when I was about 4 months old and since then I also developed a talent for sticking my tongue out as soon as I detect a camera in the room. Mummy paid for professional pictures of me, and all but one of them I had my tongue out!

I was 4 months when I started trying solids, I couldn't wait until 6 months. I just wanted food and once or twice tried to take food off Mummy. I used to love eating carrots or tomato and blowing raspberries. A mouth full of carrot can stain clothes, bibs and even my mouth like nothing else! Mummy wasn't very impressed with that trick, so now I only do it if I'm in a bad mood. It's my way of telling Mummy I don't want to sit in my high chair, I don't like bibs and I definitely don't like have my face wiped after dinner.

My favourite foods are pasta, tomato, banana, cheese and yoghurt. Although these tend to change dependent on whether mummy has bought a lot of my favourites. I then decide that I like something else. For example my favourite food was scrambled egg, until Mummy bought a truck load of eggs, so I promptly decided I don't like scrambled eggs and so Mummy had to eat all the eggs.

My favourite books are Guess How Much I Love You & One Ted Fell Out Of Bed. My favourite toys are my door bouncer, my activity center/walker and my mummys mobile phone. I have a favourite teddy called 'Goodnight Bear' I suck on his ears or his hands for comfort. All the white fur is now grey, and no matter how much mummy washes him he never gets white again.

I found my voice a while back, but I'm just about mastering copying certain sounds. So I can go Bababababa over and over while Mummy says 'Not Baba, Mama'. Oh yes and this Christmas my Auntie who came to visit me for Christmas taught me to clap. I'd like to thank her for that, because now every time I clap I can demand cheering and clapping from Mummy. It really lifts my mood when I'm getting bored of eating, sleeping, playing and babbling.

Well that's it for now folks, I'm really tired and probably need a nap. So I'm going to grizzle for a bit and then give my mummy a cuddle so she knows I'm ready for a sleep. If you have any questions for me let mummy know in the comments and I'll be sure to answer them all for you.

Thank You. Raspberries, slobbery kisses and giggles from me! xoxo

Baby R's Reflux

I mentioned in Parenting Choices and 0-3 Month Must Haves that Baby R has suffered with reflux. It dawned on me while writing those posts that until Baby R was diagnosed and treated I had heard very little about reflux. There's not a lot of support for this kind of thing, or at least not in my area. I found it very difficult to cope with, to get a diagnosis and to get the treatment my son needed. Part of the reason I struggled so much with getting a diagnosis was the assumption of healthcare professionals, that as I was a first time mum I was probably also just being over protective and worrying too much. I'm sharing my experience to empower parents to believe and to trust that they really do know their child better than anyone.

Baby R was born in May 2014, his birth was a whole other story of me being ignored that resulted in a stressful, scary and traumatic labour & delivery for both of us. I didn't get to hold my son for almost 2 hours after he was born which wasn't what I planned or imagined while I was pregnant. I always had this image of him being passed to me as soon as he was born and me cuddling him. I didn't get that and it's still a bit raw thinking back. But I digress!

When I was pregnant I had decided I was going to breastfeed my baby. I had done many hours of research and discussed it all with my husband. I knew that as I would be going back to work we would have to eventually transition to bottle fed but while I was home I wanted to at least attempt to breastfeed. For the first few weeks this was a brilliant bonding experience. It was very unglamorous at times of course. Loosing used nursing pads down my parents sofa wasn't the highlight of my life that's for sure! Thanks Mum for finding them before poor Dad did! *BLUSH* But on the whole, it was an experience I enjoyed and would recommend any mother tries.

Baby R was (still is) a fantastic baby. He fed every three hours for about half hour except for night times when he would go 5 hours, which started day 1 in the hospital. He increased his evening sleep to 7 hours, 9 hours and then 12 hours by the time he was 6/7weeks. I'd hit the baby jackpot and knew exactly how lucky I was. Even the midwife commented that he seemed to have read the baby books and knew exactly what to do and when.

Sometimes he was a little sick after a feed, but nothing out of the norm. I put it down to eyes bigger than his belly, a bit of wind or posseting which is common in babies hence the muslin clothes we drape over our shoulders. But around 6/7 weeks it felt like Baby R took a giant step backwards. He started wanting feeds every two hours and then every hour and a half. Instead of feeding for half an hour, he was feeding for 45 minutes to an hour. I was getting half hour inbetween feeds in basic English, and it was horrific. In addition to this the little bit of sick/spit up became a lot more than that. He was being really sick. It didn't matter how much or how little he fed. Whether I winded him during or after the feed. Didn't even matter if I kept him sat up in between feeds and didn't let him lie down. Within a few minutes he'd start being sick and continue to be sick for hours on end. Only stopping at bed time. I gave up on bibs. Sick just soaks through them, drips off them, or even avoids them entirely and lands on mum instead. My hair, shoulder, leg & shoes were constantly used for target practice and while it started off as a little joke, it very quickly became not very funny at all.

The worst part was absolutely the fact that my son was being sick. It was horrible to watch. It was heartbreaking to see him arch his back in pain/discomfort, to cry and scream when there was no more wind and nothing else for him to be sick with, and soon it started to take it's toll on me too.

It was awful that he'd start his hungry cry and I resented him. That I had to feed him again? Then I felt guilty. He was a baby and I was being so mean in my head towards this perfect baby boy that I loved so much. My life went from this amazing three hour cycle to, Me all day everyday sat in a chair with him feeding off me or being sick on me. I hated leaving the house. Breastfeeding in public is daunting and offputting at the best of times. Add one child with reflux and it was... horrific. I'd walk in a shop and know I wouldn't buy anything because I'd have to find a cafe to feed him before I even reached the till. In the cafe I'd get flustered trying to feed him and mop up sick, this made him fussy which made feeding a nightmare. I went out if I had to. I tried to keep it to peoples houses, and tried not to show I didn't want to be there. The washing machine was constantly on. If it wasn't washing bibs, muslin clothes, tea towels, burp clothes or baby clothes then it was washing my clothes, bed clothes... you get the picture. I was starting to feel quite depressed about it all. I resented my son for being constantly hungry, I resented myself for feeling that way, I resented my husband, for no reason other than he got to go to work and have a break from the sick. I resented anyone who told me it was normal. This wasn't normal. Babies didn't arch their backs and scream after feeds, they didn't regurgitate an entire feed and demand another one. In what way was this Normal?

He'd see the health visitor and they insisted this was normal. He was gaining weight and was fine "Keep doing what you're doing". So I did. I kept going. I forgot to eat, I forgot to drink and I sat in a chair feeding him. I wiped up the sick and then I kept going, kept doing what I was doing. Autopilot kicked in. More appointments, he was still fine, still gaining weight. I wasn't fine but I felt guilty so I stopped asking if there was anything that could be done and kept doing what I was doing.

When he was around 8/9 weeks old I couldn't cope anymore. I made up some bottles and sent him out with his Dad. I cleaned the house, I ate and I drank. I hated him being out but I felt human and a small part of me waited smugly for Dad & Baby R to come back flustered. Only they didn't. They came back all smiles. He had gone four hours between feeds, and had only been 'a little bit sick'. I was pleased Baby R had felt better today but I was utterly confused and took it very personally.

The next day we resumed breastfeeding and straight away he was sick sick sick and a lot more sick. Something clicked in my head. I'd read somewhere about reflux. The arching of the back, the constant tears, the random little cough he had developed. It all made sense. Powdered milk was a bit thicker maybe that's why he was keeping it down? So once again I addressed my concerns with the professionals but once again I was told I was wrong, he was gaining weight so he was fine. I decided it must be me. I couldn't get anyone to listen to me after all.

At 12/13 weeks old I eventually gave up on breastfeeding entirely. I couldn't keep feeding him every hour. At least if he went on the bottle other people could help me out and the physical demand on my body wasn't so high. It wasn't a decision I took lightly but I felt for my own sanity I had to go to bottle feeds. I knew this would make the health visitor sit up and listen too. I rang her and waiting for the telling off, for the 101 reasons why breast is best and I was a horrible mother. But instead she listened and said "if you've stopped breast feeding then I know there is an issue. Keep a diary of his feeds, how often he's sick etc. I will come see you in 3 days and we will go from there." Three days & 8 sides of A4 later she sat down read my notes and said what I had suspected for a few weeks. Reflux... His stomach muscles weren't properly developed yet so milk and stomach acid was leaving his stomach and coming back up his esophagus. The acid was painful, hence the back arch. The acid was burning his throat causing the cough. The amount of sick was basically an entire feed and hence why he kept wanting to feed. It was at this point she told me he was still gaining weight but it wasn't the amount he should have been and he'd gone from the 50th percentile to the 25th percentile and wasn't far off the 9th percentile line. I was livid. My pleas for help had been ignored while his growth chart had shown there was a problem for weeks!!

We were sent to see the Dr who immediately prescribed gaviscon. This doesn't work for a lot of babies, but for my son it did. He stopped being sick, his feeds grew further apart. His cough is still there but it's nowhere near as bad. He doesn't arch his back and he's clearly not in pain anymore. I'm told that by the time he's 12months he should have grown out of it and his stomach muscles will have strengthened enough to keep his food down. Along with the change from liquid to solid foods the outlook is good.

This blog post has been my experience with reflux in babies. Let me know below if you would like a more factual post of reflux, what I've learnt from the Doctor since his diagnosis. Also let me know if you've had an experience with reflux. How did you cope? What led you to the diagnosis and what was your godsend. Ours was gaviscon!

I've forgiven myself for feeling worn out, stressed, tired and even resentful. I've forgiven myself for being human and feeling what any mum who knows something is wrong but can't get help would feel! If you're in the same situation stay strong, your baby needs you and it's easier said than done, but us Mums have a way of eventually getting the help that's needed!

As always thanks for reading and don't be shy to say hello! xoxo

0-3 Month Must Haves

If you haven't already then check out my Newborn Must Haves by clicking here.

Babies grow so quickly, and as they grow they seem to need even more 'stuff'. Things that were 'life savers' for our newborns don't necessarily have the same importance as our babies learn & grow and their needs change. As parents, we find ourselves buying many different things to fulfill those needs. Some things work out and some not so much. Here are my 0-3 months Must Haves.

1) Bright Starts Snuggle & Teethe Giraffe - The perfect cuddle/teething toy. At 6 months old my son still loves his 'George'. It was originally purchased as a gift for my son off his Auntie. It's soft and cuddly but also has a crinkly material in parts that babies love to scrunch. Silky patches, which just like labels seem to make babies very excited, and the 'feet' are a plastic that they can chew on. I loose count of how many teething items I bought and tried on my son. He still has no teeth but has been teething since he was 2 months old. George was the first toy he put in his mouth and used for teething. I love that he uses it for comfort, play & teething. It's the perfect take a long item if you are going out... although possibly I should have bought a toy ring to attach George to the pram. George #1 fell out of the pram on a very rainy day and was never seen again. George #2 was accepted and loved with no issues. Thank goodness!

2) Baby Einstein TV - Found this Youtube channel while looking for nursery rhymes and lullabies to play for him (as my son loves music... or maybe it's just noise he likes!)  I stumbled across Baby Einstein TV and my son loves it. His attention span for watching anything isn't great usually but he will watch these videos. Or if he's playing and this is on in the background he seems more content to play. I don't feel as bad about playing these to him as I would if he was sat infront of a cartoon as they introduce music, art, maths, science and language to infants. 

3) Baby lotion - Once the initial newborn perfect skin was replaced with milk spots and baby acne slowly my sons face started to get very dry. It didn't take long for dry patches to emerge on his arms, legs & body. I tried baby oil, it did nothing for him. I tried different bath products to ensure it wasn't a reaction to his bubble bath. But there was no change. So I pulled out the Johnsons Baby Lotion and after every bath I rubbed in some lotion all over making sure to cover the dry patches. Within a week the dry patches were gone. I use the lotion after every bath now and although he does sometimes still get dry skin, it's nowhere near as bad.

4) Bibs - Initially I began to wonder why I had so many bibs. My son didn't really dribble much and was rarely sick after a feed. That all changed around 8 weeks when he had a double bout of bad luck. First off his teething began super early (and with still no teeth to show for it, I can't help but feel for the poor boy), drool covered clothes were no fun. So the bibs were a must have.

In addition to this he started showing signs of reflux out of nowhere. He was sick, and I mean really sick. It didn't matter how well he was winded, or how long I sat him up for after a feed. He would start being sick anywhere from 5-20 minutes after a feed and would continue being sick for the full 3 hours between his feeds. I went through bibs like there was no tomorrow, but at least I didn't have to change his clothes every single time he was sick!!

I only have 1 'I wish I hadn't bothered - The Clevamama On The Go Bottle. It was a 'lets give it a try' moment. I suspected the issue my son had was reflux but was trying to get the help I needed to solve the problem. I thought this might be an interim solution. If he could take a bottle sitting up then maybe he wouldn't be so sick? 

In theory it's a great idea. Except the straw system pulls apart way too easily for little hands and milk goes everywhere. In addition to this it seemed to require a lot more 'work' for my son to drink his bottle and after three separate attempts with this bottle he point blank refused to even try. Maybe it was just me & my son, maybe it just didn't work for us, but I really wish I hadn't bothered with this purchase.

That's it for my 0-3 month must haves. As my son is 6 months in just 4 days I will soon have a 3-6 month must haves post for you. 

Hope you enjoyed, and as always thanks for reading! xoxo

**The Mummy Tag**

The Mummy Tag

I've seen this tag floating around on blogs I read, and some of the YouTubers I watch have done this too. So I thought it was a fun little blog to do just to pass some time while Hubby is in work and baby is tucked up in bed.

 I tag anyone reading this, who is a mummy. Here goes:-

1) Are you a stay at home mum or a working mum? 

I am currently a stay at home mum while I am on maternity leave, but I will be returning to work next year.

2) Would you have it any other way?

Yes & no. Yes I would love to be able to give up work at least until my son is in school. But on the other hand I would rather work and provide him with everything he needs, than not work and struggle.

3) Do you co-sleep? 

No. Never have and never would. I would be terrified of falling in to a deep sleep and hurting/suffocating my son. Plus I think it's important for your child to sleep in their own bed or space and to be able to get to sleep without Mum or Dad cuddling them to sleep.

4) One must have gear for baby?

Tough one. I have two! First one is the bath seat. My son wasn't too keen on baths to start with. It was quite hot in Britain this summer and warm baths weren't exactly wanted by an already warm baby. The seat meant I could wash him with warm water but he was sat above the water so didnt get too warm. Now he's older it means my hands are free to wash him. Help him play with toys etc.

Second one would be his Elephant Slumber buddy. It's a projector night light that plays lullabies. The light and music switch off after a set amount of time (ours is set to half hour). Now he's a bit older he loves to look at the projected stars on the ceiling and it helps calm him down just after his bed time story and just before bed time.

5) How many kids do you plan on having?

I honestly don't know. My husband would like three but at the moment my son is only five and a half months so I'm quite happy with my little baby. Maybe one day we will have a second. Just enjoying my little boy for now.

6) Date night? How many nights a month?

We don't really do date nights as such, and definitely not every month. We went out last month to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and we will probably do the same for our birthdays and stuff. But we enjoy being at home with the little one, so I don't think date night will become a thing.

7) Your child's favourite show?

He's five and a half months, he doesn't really have a favourite show. He sometimes watches Baby Einstein TV if I need him distracted for me to tidy up or do laundry, and he enjoys it, but he's not that bothered by TV at the moment.

8) Name 1 thing you bought before you had your baby and you never used?

Scratch mittens. He wouldn't wear them or keep them on so the 7/8 pairs I had haven't been used. Instead I started buying sleepsuits with the built in mittens (you roll the sleeves over the babies hands) and they work much better than actual mittens.

9) Your Child's favourite food?

Apple, Porridge or the two mixed together. He's still in the early stages of weaning, but will eat most vegetables and fruit. But baby porridge and apple are definitely his favourite so far.

10) How many cars does your family have?

One

11) Weight gain before pregnancy, during, after and now?

OK so I lost maybe 2lbs during pregnancy? After I lost a further 15lbs and now I am 38lbs lighter than my pre pregnancy weight.

12) Dream holiday with your child?

I'd love to take him to Disneyland (Paris or Florida). I think that would be really magical when he's quite a bit older. But I'd also quite like to take him around the UK to different places. There's a lot for him to explore and do.

13) Dream holiday without your child?

If money was no object I'd love to go on an around the world cruise. 

14) How has your life changed since your baby has been born?

Probably not in the ways I was expecting. I'm lucky, he's an excellent sleeper and has slept through the night since he was about 7 weeks old so I haven't really lost out on much sleep (furiously smacking every piece of wood available to me).

I guess mainly the fact there is someone more important than me or my husband in my life. Leaving the house requires planning and thought. It's like a military exercise and even then it never quite goes to plan.

My washing machine never stops. Not just because of him, but because of the amount of mess I manage to get myself in looking after him all day. He has reflux so there was a time when I would have to change my top 4/5 times a day. Luckily he's much better these days ... but the washing is still ridiculous.

It's changed my relationships with a lot of people. I think there is a new found respect for the other mums & dads in your life, for your own parents etc. Some relationships improve, some not so much and some dissolve the instant you become Mummy. 

Plus you become a bit of a circus act. The amount you can do with one hand is incredible. I was rubbish in the first few weeks, but something clicked and now I can juggle (metaphorically of course) the baby, a hand full of toys, dirty laundry and a bottle if needs be. 

15) Finish the sentence: "It makes my heart melt to see...."

My baby smile and my baby peacefully sleeping. The two things that are guaranteed to make me grin from ear to ear and just want to hug, squeeze & love him!!

16) Where do you shop for your kids?

Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Next, Matalan, Primark, Babies R Us, Mothercare... anywhere & everywhere basically :)

17) Favourite make-up and skin care products?

Make-Up - At the moment I'm in love with BB creams. Rimmel Londons 9-in-1 BB Cream is my current fave.

Skin Care Products - "I Love..." Strawberry Celebration bath & shower cream 

                                     Palmers  Cocoa Butter

18) Huggies or Pampers?

Pampers, but I think I will be trying out some other brands, as I don't think they are worth the money given how often they leak. Have heard Aldis own are good so may well give them a go.

19) Have you always wanted kids?

Yes, I've always wanted to be a mum. Even when I was 6/7 I can remember playing in my room. I played this game where I was a doctor, teacher, author, ballerina, shop owner all in one week. And I can remember pretending to drop my children off at school before I went to work... my child being a teddy bear named 'Cuddles' would then be my patient, student, publisher, dance partner or customer. Very versatile bear!!

20) Best part of being a mum?

That feeling of being totally in love and not knowing how you could possibly love or be any more proud of your child. But yet every day you love them even more and are proud of every little thing they do. The unconditional love between you and your child... and getting to see them grow in to their little personalities.

Ok so that's the Mummy Tag. Hope you enjoyed and as always. Thanks for reading!