1st Birthday Plans

Eliot's 1st birthday is fast approaching. In less than a month we will be celebrating. I still can't quite believe it, it feels like yesterday I was walking around with my baby bump and now my baby is turning 1!

For his birthday we have a couple of things planned. Luckily it falls on a Thursday when I'm off work so I didn't have to try and swap it. The OH has booked it off so we are looking forward to spending this special day together as a family. On the actual day we have something quite exciting to do (more on that at the time), then we will probably have a picnic and then we are going to Battersea park zoo. Eliot loves animals so hopefully he will really enjoy it. I'm sure we will see a couple of relatives too!
Present wise I have been buying stuff for ages, as far back as the Christmas sales. One thing we do need to get is a toy washing machine as he's absolutely obsessed with the real thing.
My mum has bought him a Little Tikes trike which I can't wait to get him on, he'll love it (I hope!).

A couple of days later on the Saturday we are having a little gathering of close family and friends at ours. We have gone for a bee themed party after I was inspired a few months ago by Hannah's (from Make Do and Push) Pinterest board most of which I added to my board.  Eliot has a cuddly toy that he used to love that I named bumble because it resembles a bee and he is a summer baby so the bee theme seems perfect.
I have been buying party bits over time, Now I think we're just about ready with party decorations.
I am planning to make a cake myself in the shape of a 1 so I do need to buy a cake tin.
We of course have to do a cake smash (with a shop bought cake) and I will be following Hayley's tips from Sparkles & Stretchmarks. I will also be following some of the food tips from Kelly's from To Become Mum post. If you haven't checked those posts out and you're planning a 1st birthday I def recommend having a read!
I am super excited about his Birthday and all the new things to come but at the same time sad my baby will not be a baby for much longer.

Some of the party bits

What are your planning for your little ones first birthday?

Baby Bjorn Cups REVIEW

I don't know about you but I wasn't aware that Baby Bjorn did weaning products. When I  thought Baby Bjorn I thought baby carriers! However they do have a range of fab products and we've been trying out their baby cup.

This innovative design was born when one of the product developers for Baby Bjorn noticed how tricky it was for his own 18 month old daughter to transition to a drinking cup. So he set himself the challenge of producing a cup suitable for babies/toddlers. One that was easy to learn to drink from, wasn't breakable and wasn't easy to knock over.
The developer and his team spent a long time producing this cup from watching and analysing how babies/toddlers drink to constructing several prototypes. They also interviewed parents and had their children try them out. Until they got to the design you see today! Here's the science bit...
 The cup is made 'stable through a low centre gravity and a rubber strip on the bottom'
A rim at the bottom on the outer edge also allows it to slide, rather than fall over when knocked or pushed by a little one.
Overall it took about to years to get the result they wanted.

So, what did we think of it? On first glance I just loved the bright colours and look of the Baby Bjorn cup. A big plus point for me is that they're BPA free as are all of their plastic products.  It's also dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe, always a bonus as I've come across a few products that can't be used in the microwave! It also has the measure on the clear part so you can see how much your child is drinking.
The first time we used it I put a little drop of water in the bottom to see how Eliot got on. Immediately he picked it up and tried to drink from it. He needed assistance to lift it up to drink the water and did seem a bit confused by the water flowing freely not like when sucking on a cup or bottle. Over time he has got the hang of how to use it and this is due its design making it easy to grip.
He is a 'typical' boy and loves throwing and bashing things about so he's not quite ready to be left independently with it as his water would be everywhere! Although he hasn't been able to push or knock it over, it just slides as mentioned above.

Additionally it has been great for using as a feeding pot, we've been using it for cereal and fruit. It is recommended as suitable from 8 months but would be great to use it as a feeding pot before this and as a cup when your baby is ready.

Baby Bjorn products are available to buy from a selection of stores, you can see them here.

Have you tried any of the Baby Bjorn weaning range?

* We were sent these cups for the purpose of review. All opinions are entirely my own.



Eliot's 11 Month Update

General/milestones

My little man, I can't believe that in one month I will be writing your 1 year update, 1 year! I can't believe that you've been in our lives for 11 months.

We looked back on some video clips when you were around 2 months, if we didn't have them it would be hard to believe you were ever that small.You seem like such a little boy now and not a baby!

You have hit some big milestones this month, you have just started to crawl and can pull your self up to stand. Here's a little clip of you on the move...

You were fine at the end, there wasn't a bump fortunately but you did have a big bump the other day. Which worried mummy and daddy but you stopped crying quickly and went back to your usual self.

You still like to walk around holding on to our hands but now you know you can get to what you want independently you will plonk yourself down and start crawling (usually towards the washing machine).

You also have two new teeth! That have come through next to each of the top two. I think you are still teething as you keep putting your fingers in your mouth and chewing them.

You are strong willed and we've seen glimpses of tantrums to come! You don't like being taken away from something you are enjoying like the swing or washing machine. When I change your nappy you can be very wriggly, making change time increasingly difficult! Sometimes when I'm carrying you and go into or leave a room you will start thrashing around and whinging because you don't want to go in or leave.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned that you give kisses, not always but sometimes you will give us a sloppy kiss! You like giving pictures and toys kisses!
You are also waving now which is very cute!

We've had some lovely weather this month so we've enjoyed picnics and parks.

 Blurry photos of you standing as you can't keep still!

Feeding

You still love your food but have had a funny few dinner times when you've refused to eat most of it but I think this is due to you teething. You also like to taste food before you eat it just to make sure you like it!
Bottles are still the same, you have three a day, two 7oz and a 5oz.

Weight

We haven't checked your weight but your 8-12 month check with the health visitor will be soon so we will find out then.    

Clothes

You are now wearing mostly 12-18 month stuff, even some of that only just fits but there are still a few larger 9-12 month bits that still fit you.

Sleeping

You have been waking up quite frequently because you have got yourself into an awkward position and can't turn back. As I've said I think your teeth have been bothering you so that's disturbed your sleep. Thankfully so far you are pretty happy going back to sleep.. 

My cheeky monkey

Your Likes/Dislikes

• You are obsessed with the washing machine and will sit for ages putting stuff in and taking stuff out

Other than that I don't think there's anything else that is too much different from a couple of months ago apart from you are much happier in your 'big boy carseat' than your old one!

I still can't believe you will be a whole  year next month!
Love you lots
xxxxx

Inner City Gems-Center Parcs' May Blogger Challenge

 

Over the past few weeks, London has been blessed with some glorious weather and what better way to enjoy such days than getting out and about! We all know the British weather is consistently temperamental so I believe you need to make the most of the sunny days we do get.

Living in London it's easy to forget that any serenity and greenery exists amidst the busy hustle and bustle. 

But take a leisurely stroll and you will surely come across some inner city gems.

Take Battersea Park for example, a beautiful green space with wildlife, a boating lake and even a zoo!

It's also home to a Peace Pagoda, a Buddhist stupa making it easy to contemplate you are not even in  London.

On our stroll around the beautiful gardens, we took a break to feed some of the resident ducks. Much to my surprise a heron flapped over and got stuck in with the carb heavy feast!

I adore animals so I was thrilled when the heron joined the ducks. I didn't expect to come across herons on our city park wander.

Here are another couple of herons we spotted as we walked through the secluded paths. Not as confident and/or hungry as the previous heron as they didn't budge when we fed another group of ducks.

Of course the pigeons flocked towards us rapidly to get in on the bread action. Now I know the majority of people dislike pigeons, I don't. In fact I feel sorry for them with the amount of  hatred they get. Regardless of their unpopularity there's no denying that they are iconic city wildlife, you will find them everywhere!

When the weather is good you just have to get in a bit of alfresco dining. On our walk we enjoyed a family picnic.

Time to take a break and recharge! Time to savour summer tastes and enjoy the sunshine. Time to chill out with loved ones. Time to admire the clear blue skies and do a bit of plane spotting...

 

 

 

High in the sky or on the descent to Heathrow. A stark reminder you are actually in London!

 

 

 

 

 

It was also an opportunity to snap some of these precious moments. I do love a selfie but it is hard to get little ones to cooperate! My cardigan is clearly more interesting!

 

And as a finale to our outdoor family time locally, Eliot enjoyed a jaunt on the swings...the smile says it all! 

 

 

On a recent venture out of London, we took advantage of the countryside gems! Almost no traffic and fields upon fields of green, with the odd flock of sheep and herds of cows here and there.  Extremely peaceful and relaxing!

 

 We made several attempts at some family selfies but as usual the little man was distracted by something else!

Rich Heath from Center Parcs gives four tips when getting snap happy outdoors. I'm torn so I have two favourites, taking family selfies for those precious memories and capturing nature, you never know when you'll come across that wildlife again!

*This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots100 May challenge. If I'm chosen, I would like to visit Longleat Forest

Sheridan AW14 Collection

Last week I attended the Shridan press event in central London. If you haven't heard of Sheridan before they are an Australian brand with innovative designs that ooze the highest quality.

On arrival I was offered some prosecco but I opted for sparkling water instead, better to be safe than sorry when I was returning home to mummy duties! Before I had a chance to look at the collection I was lucky enough to get a manicure, what a treat! Whilst my nails were being beautified I eyed up this gorgeous bedding. I loved the peacock inspired print.

When my nails were (almost) good to go after I'd already smudged them once I was shown the rest of the collection by one of their lovely team.
I am a HUGE fan of floral print so this bedding was right up my street! I love how the stripes work so well with the floral.

Later this year Sheridan's loungwear range for men and women will also be available, from basic cottons to wrap overs.

My favourite piece from the clothing collection had to be this cardigan with knot feature. I love grey, it's lightweight and that knot helps hide some sins!

Overall though my favourite collection was the baby range. This striped blanket is so adorable and the blue blanket to the left is named the 'Elliott blanket'. A firm fave as it shares the same name as Eliot!

I must admit I do get jealous of girls clothes and accessories as they are so pretty. It was the same with Sheridan's bedding rnage. Just look at this beautiful print on a baby sleep bag!

 

Have you browsed the Sheridan collection yet?