Halloween

As baby is only 3 months old (well 15 weeks) I was a bit worried about her being scared of people dressed up.

I had to go to work to see a colleague as she was retiring and she was such an amazing person that I couldn't not go and see her. But the day she was retiring was the day that everyone at work were dressing up for Halloween. 

The past two years that I have been there for Halloween, everyone has dressed up really scarily and with really realistic face makeup so I was very worried about baby's reaction.

I needn't have worried. The first person we saw was very scary with full face paint and contact lenses and all baby did was giggle! That was her reaction to everyone!! I was so proud of her and I know everyone else was a bit shocked!

I don't think she realised that it wasn't their usual face, but she also didn't associate it with anything scary. This could be because she has never seen anything scary so has no reason to find them scary, or if they all just looked funny to her but either way it was super cute!

Friday favourites #3

Hi everyone ☺ hope you've all had a good week and are excited for Halloween!
Here are some of the things I have been loving this week;

☺favourite baby product
Little Einstein baby bouncer baby loves it so much and so do I!

☺favourite TV show
Criminal minds is back and is better than ever!!

☺favourite clothing
My Calvin klein t shirt is cute and super soft! I love wearing it!!

☺ favourite moment
When baby put her hands at either side of my face and leaned in for a kiss (or to eat my nose lol)

☺favourite beauty product
Estee Lauder double wear foundation is better than the previous foundation I was wearing

What are your favourite things of the week?

Xxx

Swimming with the baby

Before I moved to Yorkshire and started work as a biomedical scientist I was a part time lifeguard, and because of this I love swimming!

My parents took me swimming when I was 6 weeks old and just threw me in (apparently this is a thing and loads of people did it!) But I hated it apparently so I didn't go again until I was 8years old.  I didn't really get into swimming properly until I started dating a lifeguard which is who got me to become one.

I wanted my baby girl to have a better initial relationship with the water, so we took her for the first time last week and again this week, I think we are going to try and make it a regular thing for a Sunday morning.

It was £16.20 for baby, hubby and me for 2 hours, although babies are only meant to be in the pool for a maximum of half an hour as they get cold really quickly. There is a designated toddler pool which is open to the public from 11:15-3:45 and we tend to go for it opening. 

The pool itself was meant to be warmer than the normal pool but it has been cold both times we have been, which hasn't been very good for baby!

We dressed her in a swimming costume, we do need to get her a baby wetsuit, and no armbands or floats as they are all too big for her!but holding her works just as well!

Last week she got really excited immediately and started laughing and kicking her legs and splashing in the water, we were so impressed with her! We lasted the full half an hour before we took her out and she cried when we did get out. But this week the water was colder so she took about 5 minutes to start kicking her legs, and then after about 10 minutes she started crying. She was cold so we took her out, although I did offer to go and get her warm while hubby went on the slides in the other pool or did some proper swimming but he said no.

We did discover that the water is warmer in the middle of the pool but that is where all of the older babies play and baby doesn't like getting splashed loads!

Hopefully next week it will either be warmer or she will have a wetsuit to keep her warm :)

When did you take your babies swimming?

Xxx

Friday favourites #2

I have had a bit of a hectic week and it seems to have flown by! I hope you have all had a fab week and here are what I have been loving:

☺ favourite TV show:
The sheriffs are coming. As I am on maternity leave atm I watch this every morning and I have to say one of the sheriffs (kev mcnally) is very fit!

☺ favourite birthday present:
Michael kors rose gold bangle with diamonds.
I got this off my daughter and it matches my watch perfectly.

☺ favourite clothes:
Ralph Lauren long sleeved top.
I got this last Sunday from York designer outlet and it is so comfy!

☺ favourite baby item:
GAP onesie.
This is made from their hoody material and is so snuggly for her and she looks super cute!

☺ favourite activity:
Singing to my daughter.
She now loves being sung to, especially Disney songs!

So that's my favourite things for the week, what are yours?

Xxx

My birthday

It is official. ...I am old!I am now in my late twenties (26) !! But I am not too old for presents 😂

So here is what I got:

I got a filo fax off my parents, I've wanted one for ages and my mam saw a gorgeous purple one with pink spots!

I got ted baker pyjamas off my sister. I've been calling her a pyjama snob for months as she will only wear ted baker ones, but I fully understand it now! Not only is the design gorgeous, they are so comfy to wear too! I will only be wearing ted baker pyjamas from now on (well if I win the lottery anyway).

My mam also got me some yankee candle melts as I can't buy them in the town I live in, I have to go to meadowhall if I want some.

My mam also got me a new look voucher so I bought three pairs of jeans ☺ this came at the right time as the jeans I got from next are too big for me now!

Hubby bought me a clinique gift set which was a lovely thought as I do love clinique and I haven't bought any in ages! He got me the turnaround collection which I'd never seen before but have been using the last few days and I love it!

Hubby bought me something from baby too which I thought was cute! I got a rose gold Michael kors bangle with diamonds to match my rose gold and pink Michael kors watch. It is absolutely gorgeous and probably one of the most thoughtful and pretty presents I've ever been given!

My best friend got me some vouchers to get my nails done too as I hardly have any time to myself now that I have baby and have started my part time masters, and she thought I deserved some pampering time! I thought this was so thoughtful too as no one really notices how hard I actually work (I know all parents do!) But it's nice to know that someone does realise. (On a similar note I had a bath the other night and hubby gave me baby after five mins so I couldn't even have a bath in peace ha was lovely though).

That's what I got for my birthday, and some cards :) I didn't get a text or card or anything off the people from work though which I was a bit gutted by as I remember their birthday!but I'm 26 years old and shouldn't be childish enough to be bothered ha.

Xxx

Baby's 3 months update

I can't believe EmJ is 3 months old! It doesn't seem two minutes since I brought her home from the hospital, but at the same time I can't remember ever not having her!!

She has had 2 lots of injections now, and luckily didn't have a reaction to the second lot! She was so well behaved and only cried briefly this time

She sleeps mostly through the night now, and has even gone 10 hours! I did ask the doctor if I should wake her for feeds and was told that I shouldn't wake her for feeds during the night I should let her sleep. She usually wakes up about 3 or 4 then sleeps till 7. She doesn't sleep during the day very much, and only has a few 5 minute naps. This is good for her but means I can't get any housework or homework done!

She loves babbling away to herself and to me, she can't say proper words yet but she does seem as if she's having proper conversations as I will say something then she will babble as if replying and does this for about 10 minutes at a time!

She loves looking in the mirror and often talks to her reflection! Although sometimes she must argue with herself as it makes her cry.

She has rolled over a few more times now and still tries to crawl and walk. I really don't think it will be too much longer before she is crawling!

She still loves kisses and cuddles, and smiles and giggles when she knows I am going to give her a kiss!

Stay tuned for her 4 month update :)

Xxx

York designer outlet

While I was still pregnant, hubby and I went to York designer outlet and he bought loads of clothes for himself, but as I didn't know what size I was going to be after giving birth I didn't buy any for myself.

On Saturday we decided to visit there again, and this time I drove to make it easier than getting a train and a bus like we did last time. It's actually really easy to get to and we went there for it opening so there was loads of free parking spaces!

If you haven't heard of York designer outlet (I hadnt) it is basically a shopping centre with loads of brand names for cheaper than their normal stores, like Calvin klein, Ralph Lauren etc.

Hubby loves the polo shirts from Ralph Lauren so he bought loads of them, and Calvin klein t shirts.i got a Calvin klein t shirt and a long sleeved Ralph Lauren top. 
EmJ got a Ralph Lauren dress, a dress and tops from next, and loads from GAP. I don't usually go into GAP but hubby went in while I was feeding EmJ and he saw loads that he thought would be good for her. She needed some winter clothes as for some reason when I was pregnant and we bought 3-6 months clothes we didn't think of the weather being cold!

We spent about £150 in GAP and got some gorgeous things! My favourite being a bright pink onesie made from sweatshirt material with baby pink letters as this matches a hoody I got a while back. She looks super cute in it and it keeps her so warm! We got her a few pramsuits, jumpers and leggings which should keep her kitted out until after Christmas now!

If you haven't been before I highly recommend going as you can get a lot of bargains! There is even a makeup shop selling MAC, clinique, Estee Lauder etc for cheaper but not all shades are sold so you have to be careful!

Have you been here before? What did you think of it?

Xxx

Friday favourites

I love reading these types of posts so again I thought I would do my own! I first saw a Friday favourites type post on the Lauren conrad site (I love her so much since laguna beach and the hills!), and thought it was such a good idea!

☺ favourite diary:
My mam gave me a purple and pink spotty filofax as an early birthday present and I love it!

☺ favourite person:
My daughter, she is 12 weeks old and surprises and amazes me every day.

☺ favourite book:
Hellfire by Chris Ryan.

☺ favourite baby item:
Mother care so loved bear playmat.

☺ favourite drink:
Costa coffee hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream.

Hope you've all had a really great week and have a fab weekend!

💖 xo

Coping with uni with a small baby

So stupidly I agreed to do my masters this year part time. This means I go to uni on a Monday, for the next few weeks EmJ will spend the day with her dad but after that she is going to nursery.

The first couple of weeks was fine as I didn't get any homework and hubby brought EmJ through to Sheffield so I could see her on my breaks.

But last week I got home work, which I couldn't do until the weekend anyway because my sister came to stay for a few days. But the weekends are the only time EmJ hubby and I get to spend together as a family so we like to do family things. This meant that I only really spent Sunday on my homework!

This week I got twice as much homework, and I intended to do it while EmJ was sleeping but the little tinker hasn't been sleeping more than 5 minutes a time during the day and she's at a stage where she wants to play all of the time.

Hubby finished work late too so I couldn't rely on him to look after EmJ while I did some work. He is going to try and watch her if he finishes earlier but he never knows when he is going to finish until the day.

I am sort of regretting choosing to start my masters now, I thought hubby would have been around more to help me, and I thought EmJ would sleep during the day more so that I would have enough time to do homework.

I am hoping that as she continues to grow she will be able to play with her toys alone for half an hour to allow me to do some homework every day.

I have exams next month and I am really keeping my fingers crossed that I am able to revise for them!!

Has anyone else done their masters while looking after a small baby? How did you manage it?

Xo

My advice for the week:join a baby group

Since having EmJ 11 weeks ago, I have been through a lot. Having a fit after the birth, having a biopsy (which I still don't have the results for), starting my masters degree, raising a baby etc and all in a town where I have no family.

You might be wondering where I am going with this post, but bear with me :)

Through all of this, my friends who I knew before having the baby haven't really known how to help me through the bad parts, and as my family are so far away I haven't really spoken to them about any of the bad parts as they can't do anything.

The people that have got me through the bad times (and yes I know it's only been 11 weeks) is the people I have met at a baby group.

I go to a baby group every Friday morning for 3 hours, and sometimes go to lunch with them after. They can't really understand some of what I have been through but most of it at least one has been through the same thing (even when I found out hubby had been sending messages to other women asking for sex while I was looking after EmJ ), and it helps so much to know that other people have been through it.

The best thing though is that if I am worried about anything regarding EmJ I have people I can talk to. We have a group on WhatsApp so even if it's not a Friday and I need advice they are always there for me. There is always someone who has been through the same thing with their baby and can offer advice, and what I love the most is that there is always someone who has had a worse week with their child than you.

This might sound nasty to say, but I will say that knowing that someone else's child has played up more than yours is a very nice feeling! And when EmJ is very well behaved (which she always is) at the baby group and someone else's baby is screaming for no reason it does give me hope that maybe I am a good parent and my baby is happy and thriving. 

So my advice is make time to go to a baby group.  You will get invaluable advice about anything you could ever ask about having a baby, and maybe even get good mates from it too! There is one woman who I would count as being my best friend now and I wouldn't have thought I would have met my best friend the day after giving birth!

What is your advice for this week?

#advicefromtheheart
Xo