NaBloPoMo 30 What's been the hardest part about blogging daily?

First of all apologies I have missed the past few days, I was at my parents without internet and did not have time to write posts when I was out and managed to connect to Wi-Fi.

For me the hardest thing has definitely been making sure I get a post done! It shows just how unorganised I am and how I probably faff too much when writing posts. I guess some posts have been  a bit rushed so I suppose not always quite how I wanted them.

It has been great to take part NaBloPoMo and read other blogger's posts. Thank you to Vonnie for hosting!

NaBloPoMo 26Eliot's 5 month update

Today my NaBloPoMo post is my little mans 5 month update, he's a whole 5 months today!

Last month was my first update about Eliot. I've decided to change the way I write these updates and will be writing  them to Eliot, so one day he can read them!


5 months old

   General/milestones

My special little man, how have you got to five months already?! This time next month you will be half a year old, a whole six months!

You are still pretty good at sleeping through the night, although you still wake up sometimes and will need some milk to go back to sleep. I think sometimes you wake because your teeth have been playing you up. And that's one big milestone you have reached, you have cut your first tooth!!! Last Thursday you were using my hand as a teether and I felt it graze my skin. It's hard to get a good look at it as you poke your tongue over your lower gum.
You still babble in the mornings and give gorgeous smiles.

You are still determined to sit up and can sit forwards for a few seconds now. You can roll on to your side when you really try and can move yourself around in a circle



Feeding

Bottles are still one of your favourite things and you continue to have four 7oz bottles and an 8oz bottle before you go to bed. If you wake in the night I give you a 5oz bottle and this seems to send you back to sleep.  You have got the idea about holding your bottles and do this sometimes.The doctor has put you on repeat prescription for your reflux for the next couple of months until it is time for another review.
I have been weaning you this month and you are loving trying (most) new things. I made some purees: carrot, sweet potato, broccoli, apple and pear. You do not like carrot, the faces you pulled when trying it did make me laugh. But we will try you again on that that someday soon. Sweet Potato is not your favourite but you will eat a little. You do like the broccoli, apple and pear a lot! You have also tried banana and avocado, you love banana but weren't too sure about the avocado! Yesterday you enjoyed trying a rusk and made a right old mess! At the moment you have a bit of baby rice or porridge for breakfast and a puree later on in the day. I must try you on some new fruit and veg this month! You drink some water but you prefer it from a bottle than out of a beaker.

Feeding yourself

Weight

Despite your reflux you have continued to put on weight, three weeks ago you weighed 16lb 10oz at the health visitor. I guess your somewhere between the 17lb10oz and 18lb mark now.

Clothes

You are rapidly growing out of your 3-6 month clothes and you are in 6-9 month sleepsuits. I must sort your wardrobe again soon. You have a lot of 6-9 month clothes to get through before you grow too big for them!



Enjoying your bath!

Eliot's Likes/Dislikes

• You were bought a Jumperoo by your Nana Mary for an early Christmas present. On your second go you got the hang of what to do. You like it but only when you're in the right mood!
• You love being sung to and your current favourites are 'Old Macdonald Had a Farm' and 'If you're happy and you know it'.
• Still love bottle time. 
•  You still love baths and lay back with your hands behind your head kicking your feet.
• You love the cats and follow their every move. I thought it was just Mimi you liked but you smile and laugh at Coco too..
•  You still love going out on walks in your pram but do not like stopping for too long.
• You like playing with Sophie the giraffe, your Vtec laptop and teething rattles.
• Your still not a fan of tummy time.



Jumperoo'ing around

NaBloPoMo 25 Do you speak more than one language?

Unfortunately, no! I would love to speak another language fluently. At school I loved learning French and was pretty good at it but forgot most of it after GCSE's. We also learnt a bit of Spanish in year 9 which I also enjoyed but again forgot most of it.

I think it's a great tool to know another language and there should be more emphasis on learning  an extra language from an early age. The younger you are the easier it is to pick another language up. One of my colleagues can speak fluent French, German and Italian which is mighty impressive!

My petite knowledge of French has helped me out a couple of times whilst I've been away in France, I have been able to put it to some good use :)

Can you speak any other languages?

NaBloPoMo 24 Where is your favourite place to read?

The ultimate place to read for me is in bed, all tucked up nice and cosy with a good book. Saying that  I very rarely read these days, mainly because I don't make the time to. The last thing I read was A Street Cat Named Bob a true story about how a man and cat changed each other's lives, great read if you're a 'cat person' as Bob is a pretty amazing feline!
As a child though I absolutely adored reading, it was one of my stronger subjects. I loved reading series of books,  'The Saddle Club' books and when I was older 'Point Horror' books.
As a teacher I can't stress how important reading is for children, it helps them develop in numerous ways. From using their imagination in play to writing a creative story. Reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction books is essential in my eyes. I just hope my lil man is as fond of reading as I was as a child.

Best place to read! In bed!

NaBloPoMo 23 Are you spiritual or religious?

No I am not spiritual or religious. I believe religion causes too many problems. Of course the majority of people follow their faith peacefully but it has been the route cause of many problems going back centuries.
I do think it's a help for some, having a faith to turn to. But it's just not for me.
I totally respect other peoples religious beliefs, I just don't want them to try and push their views on me. This has happened on various occasions and I think it's completely wrong!
My other half has beliefs, I respect them, he doesn't push them upon me.
The truth is no one knows what happens after death, there could be something, there could be nothing! I would like to believe that we will eventually be reunited with the loved ones we've lost throughout the years but nobody can answer that.

NaBloPoMo 22 Tell us about pets

I am a massive animal lover, and have always adored them. As a child I grew up with a beautiful black Labrador called Benji. He was around before me but wasn't too keen on my arrival, luckily he quickly got used to me. He was such a fun and gentle natured dog. Unfortunately when I was 11 he became ill with a cancerous tumor on his face. Eventually the kindest thing to do was put him to sleep. It was heartbreaking, he really was part of our family.
Of course I had the obligatory goldfish but obviously they are not as much fun as something fluffy and soft! I always wanted a gerbil, guinea pig or rabbit but my mum knew it would be her doing all the looking after so I wasn't ever able to persuade her.
Around the age of 9 I rescued a pigeon who couldn't fly...yes a pigeon, I'm an animal lover remember! Anyway it wasn't eating and one day my dad arrived with two ducklings, yes ducklings! He'd spoken to a pet shop owner who advised the him that the pigeon needed to see other birds eat so it could copy. I was over the moon! Two cute little bundles of fluff, one yellow, one brown. We named them Daffy and Dilly. They did help the pigeon feed and one day he was able to fly away which was nice. Daffy and Dilly continued to grow in both size and character, they were a lot of fun and had their own little personalities. Daffy was an Aylesbury duck, they have white feathers and she liked being handled and wasn't nervous with us. Dilly was a Khaki Campbell, had a beautiful green head and browny feathers elsewhere but was quite timid and didn't particularly like being handled. Just after I'd started secondary school a fox got in to their run and killed them. I was devastated.

The hardest thing about having pets is when you lose them, it puts you off having more in the future.

As a teenager I had a few fish  but no more furry or feathered pets.

Now we have two cats, Mimi and Coco

Mimi not too keen of her Santa outfit last Christmas 

Mimi is the boss and can be a but feisty she does like her cuddles, only when she wants them of course!

Coco reading!

Coco is smaller and more timid, she likes affection at bedtime and often wants attention then.

Have you got any pets?

NaBloPoMo 21 Baby OOTD #1

I'm doing my own post again as I really don't have a go to recipe which was Vonnie's NaBloPoMo for today. I must try and improve my culinary skills!

I thought I'd start doing baby OOTD posts as it's a great way to record favourite clothing as they grow out of it so quickly.

Here's my little man in what he wore today...

Jumper, jogging bottoms and bib all from F&F at Tesco. These were a gift from my lovely friend Gemma so not sure how much they cost.

I love burgundy & think it's a great colour for Autumn/Winter, the jumper is soft and perfect for keeping cosy in the colder months. Jogging bottoms are a comfy alternative to jeans and they're warmer too! (Excuse the mismatching socks :D)

Emblem & fake pocket on jogging bottoms
I love bandana bibs and this one matches the outfit perfectly.

NaBloPoMo 20 My Post Natal Ward experience

 I thought I'd post something I've been wanting to get done for a while. I also can't think of anything brave enough to share for Vonnie's NaBloPoMo prompt for today!

Wednesday 26th June 2013
After giving birth we spent are few more hours in the delivery suite. I was in my own little zone at this point after a long labour and needing stitches but managed to have a shower and get ready to move down to the post natal ward.
The midwife who'd delivered Eliot took us down to the post natal to settle down for the night. Each bay had four beds in and when we led to the bed I was allocated there was still rubbish and bedding from the previous person. My parents were with us at this point and were fuming to say the least. I'm crap at complaining anyhoo but I had no need worry my parents are experts and said their piece. We received an apology and I was taken to another bay which had a freshly made bed. Once I was as settled as I could be I said my goodbyes and my family left. I don't remember much else about that night. I did ask for help with breastfeeding but I will be writing a separate post about my attempt to breastfeed.

Thursday 27th June 2013
I was looking forward to leaving hospital and settling our son in to his first home. I sent the other half a text reminding him to bring the car seat when he came.
A midwife came and told me I would need an anti d injection (my blood is Rhesus negative) as Eliot had positive blood. She returned a bit later and gave me the injection, I was used to those as I had a few anti d injections whilst pregnant.
Shortly after, my first nightmare as a mother happened. Eliot was in his cot, I heard a strange noise and saw Eliot had brought up some clear liquid. Except he hadn't just brought it up, he was choking. I quickly scooped him up, put him over my shoulder and patted his back firmly. But I could still  hear him choking. I pressed the emergency button next to the bed with tears streaming. A couple of midwives dashed in, took him off me and simply turned him on his front and patted his back. Panic over. They explained it was fluid that Eliot hadn't expelled during delivery and it could happen again so I would need to do what they'd done. That frightened me, I hadn't read or heard about this happening to anyone.
One of the midwives returned and said she thought it would be helpful if I stayed in another night as I'd had a shock and breastfeeding was not established. I was happy with this as I was keen to get more help with breastfeeding.
Eliot later had the usual checks by a paediatrician, all seemed normal apart from one of his testicles. It hadn't fully descended but would hopefully sort out itself and be followed up at the eight week check.
Eliot had a few more episodes of bringing up fluid but I knew what to do so didn't panic.
He pooped meconium during a nappy change which went everywhere as the other half's mum picked him up. He also had his first taste of formula as breastfeeding was proving hard.
My feet and legs were incredibly swollen so I was given a pair of those oh so flattering white stockings to wear.

Some pics from our time on the post natal ward

 



Friday 29th June 2013
Eliot was still having quite a few 'sicky' episodes and the midwife on duty was not happy to discharge us. They wanted to keep an eye how often he was being sick. I was asked to keep a diary of  this, how much and what colour it was. More phone calls were made to say we wouldn't be coming home again. This is when it started to get me down, however if anything was wrong with Eliot we were in the best place.
The midwife said she'd asked one of the paediatricians to see us so Eliot could be checked over again.
We did not see the paediatrician and Eliot had more formula as I continued to struggle with breastfeeding.
My legs were still very swollen, so a doctor was asked to see me by one of the midwives. By this point the glam stockings were off, they'd been riding down and being a pain. The doctor asked me to make sure I wore them and to keep as mobile as possible. If I experienced any pain I would need to let someone know.

Saturday 30th June 2013
I had my fingers crossed that we would be coming home today. I updated the midwives with Eliot's sickness and was told we'd see a paediatrician today. The hours ticked by but still no sign of a paediatrician. It was coming up to 8pm, the time when partners had to leave. We spoke with the midwife and asked the paediatrician would be coming to us. She said they could still make their way round to us so the OH stuck around for a bit longer, both of us getting frustrated that we hadn't been seen. Still the paediatrician didn't get to us. The longer I stayed in hospital the more desperate I became to get home.

Sunday 1st July 2013
Around lunchtime I was told to take Eliot and wait outside the paediatricians room. It felt like we were waiting forever but eventually it was our turn. I was asked lots of questions as Eliot was checked over. New mum shock number two hit me when the paediatrician said she suspected he might have a hernia. What?! She wanted a second opinion and to take some blood to rule out any other possibilities. So over we went to the Neo-Natal unit, where the really poorly babies were. Very frightening. We were taken in an assessment bay. Eliot was placed under a heat lamp while the paediatrician searched for a vein to put a line in and take blood. I was absolutely dreading this. My poor baby boy only a few days old being prodded and pierced. Shockingly he didn't make a peep, he was too distracted by the heat from the lamp and sucking on my finger. What a relief, he appeared to be totally unaware he had a line in the back of his hand and a splint on to keep it in place.
Another paediatrician checked Eliot over and she agreed that he may have a hernia. But they wanted yet another colleagues opinion who was in theatre. So we waited some more. When he came to look at Eliot he gave the same diagnosis as the previous paediatricians.
In a daze we were walked back to the post natal ward and would need to see a surgeon when one became available.
Later in the day room with the OH and my parents the midwife who had delivered Eliot popped in to see us and wondered why we were still there. I explained the different scenarios that had kept us there and that we were waiting to see a surgeon.
Waiting was what we seemed to do a lot of! Surprisingly, the paediatrician appeared with a surgeon later that evening. The surgeon had a good prod and poke of poor Eliot and then completely surprised us when he said he didn't think it was a hernia.  Really?! After three paediatricians suspected it was! He was pretty certain it wasn't but told us some warning signs to look out for. Thank goodness our little man was not going to need an operation. I was even happier when the paediatrician said we could be discharged but it would have to wait until tomorrow.

Monday 2nd July 2013
I was much happier when I awoke that morning, knowing Eliot was ok and that we would be going home. A midwife came and checked us both over. My stitches were healing ok but my feet and legs were still puffed up so I would need to keep the stockings on for a while longer.
The OH arrived with the car seat and we took our boy home. I couldn't believe I'd been in that hospital for so long and got very emotional on the way home. It felt so strange to be back in the big wide world and not in the confines of a hospital ward. I know it was the best place for Eliot to be if things weren't quite right.
Unfortunately we were back at the hospital a few weeks later but that is another post!

Finally able to go home!!!

 

Did you have to stay in hospital longer than expected after giving birth?

 

NaBloPoMo 19 If you could have any job (and instantly have the training and qualifications to do it), which job would you want?

This is easy for me! If I could have any job in the world it would be as an actress. Not a TV soap star but an academy award winning actress (haha we can but dream huh?!)!
I adored drama at secondary school and took it as one of my GCSE subjects, teachers' said I was good at it. But there's good and there's being good enough to make it in such a cut throat industry.  I didn't pursue it in anyway whatsoever as I believe in the back of my mind there's no way I would ever gain access in to that world.
I was thrilled when we had a drama module in our final year of university, I jumped at the opportunity to take the main role in our group which I think surprised some people. To people I don't know very well or not entirely comfortable around I think I come across as quite shy and quiet. However when I'm in my comfort zone I'm entirely the opposite.
Perhaps in the future I will investigate amateur dramatics as I do thoroughly enjoy acting and it would make a nice little hobby!

Dream on dreamer ;-)

NaBloPoMo 18 If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I'm not sure I can answer this question fully as I think my opinions change depending on my circumstances.

• I think London is a great place to live as a professional. Now I'm a parent I want out!
• Brighton is an amazing place to live, I spent four years there whilst at uni. I always said it wouldn't be the same living there not as a student.

I think I adapt easily to new places as I've always settled in quickly without any problems.

I have a vision of the sort of family home I'd like in the future...



NaBloPoMo 17 Are you the oldest, youngest, middle or only child?

Both my parents were married previously and have children from those relationships. I am the only child they had together, so technically I am an only child but have half siblings. I have a half sister and brother on my dads side and a half brother on my mums side.
My mum is originally from Liverpool and moved south when she met my dad. Her son moved with her until he was old enough to move back to Liverpool as he was obviously happier there.
My dads two children live local to where my parents live now, where they and I grew up.
I remember always wanting another brother or sister when I was little, someone to grow up and play with. I think I was happy as an only child, I would be imaginative when playing with my toys and was happy to do so by myself. If I did grow up with siblings I wonder if we would have got on like a house on fire or squabbled constantly, as I have friends with both types of sibling relationship. I will never know.

NaBloPoMo 16 What is your earliest memory?

Gosh I think I must have been around three or four. We went to the Warner holiday camp in Hayling Island a few times for holidays. They used to have children's clubs so the parents could get a bit of free time. They'd taken us over to the playing field to do some sort of activity, I can't remember what. But I was much more interested in the slide which was like a helter skelter and went round and round. I obviously decided that was more fun and played on there as opposed to with the group. God knows how long I was repeating the process of climbing up the steps and sliding down. At one point I was at the top and looked to see what the group were up to. I remember panic setting in as I was there all alone. I recall running all the way back to the building but not sure if it was my parents or the children's club I managed to find.
Shocking that whoever was in charge of looking after us kids obviously hadn't done a head count or even looked around to see if any of us had strayed.  I was naughty for leaving the group to play on the slide but did have a tendency to disappear. Once I got lost and went into Marks and Spencer's to tell staff I'd lost my mummy. I was well looked after in the staff room with squash and biscuits whilst my poor mu ended up down the police station! She must have been frantic.

NaBloPoMo 15 Which was the best year of your life so far?

I can't choose one! I'm going to have to say 2008 & 2013.

2013 simply because our beautiful son was born.

2008 was a great year because...

1. With friends we made the most of our last few months as uni students
2. I met the OH
3. I graduated from uni with a 2:1
4. I got my first job as a qualified teacher

I wonder what the future holds :)

NaBloPoMo 14 What was your hardest age?

After reading some other posts I think I've been really lucky not to have experienced some really tough times.
My childhood and teenage years were happy, I had the odd blip like everyone I suppose but I guess a hard age for me was about 20. I fell out with some close friends over something petty, I was a nanny and not entirely happy with my job. I worked for two wonderful families but I wanted something more. Other good friends were away at uni so I guess it was a bit of a lonely time. I had a boyfriend who my parents did not approve of, so my relationship with them could be strained at times.
One day a friend convinced me I should go to university as it would open up many more doors for me. So the uni application process began, deciding what course to do, filling out the ucas form etc. I was accepted at Birmingham and Brighton universities on their teaching degrees and that was the start of a positive new beginning :) I became friends with the girls I'd fallen out with again and had the best university experience I could have wished for.

NaBloPoMo 13 What's best between two pieces of bread?

Apologies for missing yesterday's post. I'm over at my parents and they don't have internet connection!
Ooo I love a sandwich and a variety of fillings appeal to me depending on the mood I'm in. But the hands down winner has to be a ploughmans sarnie. Mmmm cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and pickle. That's the one for me :)

NaBloPoMo 11 Do you feel you get enough of what you need to keep your heart/soul happy?

The answer is easy, no! To justify my answer is harder. I'm not sure what it is I would need to make my heart/soul completely happy. I am lucky to have lots of positives in my life...

1. A beautiful baby boy.
2. A loving fiancé.
3. Lovely family and friends.
4. A cosy home.
5. A rewarding job

I suppose I'm not entirely happy with number three. Now we have a son I am eager to move in to a larger property with a garden. I am also keen to move out of London.

I guess number five bothers me too. I love teaching, it is immensely rewarding but I dislike the 'after' part when the kids have gone home. All the additional expectations and pressures really spoil being a teacher for me and others I know.

So maybe those two things are what make me feel my heart/soul is not completely happy. Neither are easily fixed. Moving home costs a fortune. Changing career is something I've considered but I feel like I'll regret leaving teaching if I do.

NaBloPoMo 10 Do you own a garden? What do you grow?

We live in a flat on the fourth floor so we don't have a garden. However we do have a balcony and pebbled area in front of our flat. Just outside the kitchen window are a few plants which have nothing to do with me! No no, I'm not 'green fingered' at all, it's left to the other half! Although saying that I have manage to keep a coriander plant alive for a few days! I don't know why but I'm just not interested in getting my hands mucky in soil even though you can get beautiful results.
The closest I've got to growing several plants must be when I've taught it during science lessons and we've grown cress and done the old experiment to see what happens when plants don't get any light/water etc etc.
I do want to move to a property with a garden some day soon so I wonder whether I'll change my mind. After all,  a garden needs to be looked after or they just look unkempt. I do have a vision of beautiful flowers and clean cut grass but don't envisage me doing the upkeep!

NaBloPoMo 9 1st Christmas Stocking Fillers

Today I thought I'd do a post not following a prompt as I'm in need of a bit of help. As you can tell from the title, this post is about 1st Christmas stocking fillers. So far I've only picked up a few little bits and would like some ideas on what else I could pop in to Eliot's 1st Christmas stocking.

This is what I have so far...

Good old traditional gift of socks, thought they were cute and Eliot will be needing  more of the next size up. A hardback book all about shape. A word and picture book on animals that can be attached to the pushchair. And finally, some glow in dark soothers, not the best stocking filler but our boy loves his dummy at bedtime!

I would love to hear what you put in your little ones 1st Christmas stocking or if you have seen  something perfect. Any ideas of little toys will be great, thank you :) You can see Eliot's first Christmas stocking here to get an idea of how big a gift can be.

NaBloPoMo 8 Tell us about your profile picture.

The picture I have on my 'About Me' page is of myself and 'the other half'. It was taken back in 2011 at the Super Saturday festival on Clapham Common in aid of the Paralympic Games, held last year.

It was a great day, we saw several artists, Will Young, The Wanted, The Saturdays, Pixie Lott to name a few. We were even caught on one of the channel 4 cameras, getting our couple of seconds claim to fame!
It's funny to think how it wasn't that long ago and our lives were totally different. Carefree, boozing and boogieing all day/evening long. Now that would be my biggest nightmare, waking up with a cloudy head and having a bubba to look after!
I do love looking back at old photos, reminiscing about all the fun times had. Now I'm looking forward to looking back at all the family photos that we take/have taken.

NaBloPoMo 7 What percentage of yourself do you think you reveal to people online?

Hmmm this is a tough one as I honestly think you will never know someone 100% by just reading their blog but I think you can really get to know someone from other social media like their personal Facebook. Of course it depends on how open you wish to be.
I think people who don't know me that well are often surprised by my crazy photo collection on Facebook as I think I come across quite shy and quiet. However my FB photos tell a different story (particularly uni ones), of course that was a few years ago so I'm sure there won't be as many crazy photos now.
I think I'm open and honest so I think 90% of me is revealed, I doubt you'll see my full angry self, although I do like a rant!

Me back in the uni days.

A bit more sophisticated these days ;)

Do you think you reveal 100%?