Harrison’s Birth Story

Harrison Dennis born 1st December 2014 at 2:10pm weighing 8lbs.

Harrison’s birth was pretty fast and straight forward compared to Sophia’s thankfully. I am recalling it three months on so my memories are a little fuzzy but I really want to get it all down.

Sunday 30th November – My Due Date:

On Sunday morning I was booked in to have a sweep at my local maternity unit. Though I was feeling scared and worried at the prospect of giving birth again I was so uncomfortable and desperate to meet our little Bean. My mum offered to have Sophia for the day while we went for the sweep and then to get a few bits done around the house.

The sweep went well (as well as it can go anyway – ouch!) and I was hopeful that it could get things going as the sweep I had with Sophia did the trick.

James and I decided to make the most of our childfree day and we went for lunch at our local pub. After we’d ordered I popped to the loo and to my surprise some of my ‘show’ had come away. I remember feeling both nervous and a bit excited. We had a yummy lunch and decided to go home. I was really keen to put our Christmas decorations as I thought we might not get chance if we waited any longer (luckily my gut was right on this one!). I still chuckle at the memory of me bouncing up and down on my birthing ball whilst putting together the tree and hanging the decorations! I kept bouncing all afternoon willing the baby on. Sophia came home after she’d had her tea and after we’d got her into her PJ’s and read her a story she went off to bed.

By that time I wasn’t getting any twinges so was resigned to the fact that I’d be waiting a little while longer to have my baby. James and I decided to relax on the sofa and we watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation together.

At about 10pm I headed up to get ready for bed whilst James locked up. I was still getting more ‘show’ when I went to the toilet but didn’t really think much of it. I got into bed to relax but noticed what I thought was Braxton Hicks coming and going. I don’t know why but I just felt very odd. Really anxious and on edge. James came up and I told him how I was feeling. We both just thought I’d feel ok once I was relaxed and sleeping. We chatted in bed for a while but I had to keep getting up to use the loo (sorry if TMI!) over and over again. The contractions were also getting pretty regular and seemed to go from uncomfortable to painful quite quickly. As time went on I realised that I was in labour and I felt really scared. I contacted my mum and let her know what was happening. She came over and we decided to head to hospital after phoning as our hospital was about a 45 minute car journey away.

The contractions kept coming as we drove there, James was timing them in the back of the car. They were coming quickly and getting more and more painful. When we got there I was examined but was only 1cm dilated. I was so shocked as the contractions seemed much worse than when I was in labour with Sophia. We were sent home until things started getting more intense.

Once we got home James and I got back into bed to try to get some sleep. Needless to say, that was an impossibility for me at that point! The contractions kept coming thick and fast were getting more and more painful. We went to the hospital once more a few hours later but, again we were told I was still only 1cm. Going up and down to the hospital was not fun – every bump in the road made the pains worse but we managed to get back home.

 

Monday 1st December – Harrison’s Birthday:

By 6am we were back home. I couldn’t believe that we’d been sent back twice! By this point I just wanted it all to be over and was starting to feel as though it’d never happen. Once back my mum took Sophia to my sister’s house to play with her cousins and be looked after there. I hopped into the bath for a bit but just felt restless in there and got out shortly after. I got dressed into some fresh clothes and got back into bed. After my bath I really felt like the contractions had intensified and I was beginning to struggle with the pain. I was terrified that the longer time went on the less likely we were to get to hospital in time. I phoned my mum to tell her I thought I needed to go back to hospital and she and my sister came to talk us. My poor mum was exhausted from having been up all night!

By the time we got back to hospital it was about 9am – we saw the college kids walking to the college by the hospital. The contractions were excruciating by now and I couldn’t stay silent through them. Once at hospital I needed a wheelchair to get up to the ward. I was checked over and told that I was STILL 1cm! I couldn’t believe it and sobbed in despair. The nurse suggested we go back home but I refused and begged to stay. I needed pain relief! The nurse suggested we could go and wait in a  side ward until things got going. I was so relieved and my mum and sister headed home. There were three other women in the side ward who were all waiting to be induced. In the end I had to pull the curtain around as the contractions were so regular and painful and I wanted to be in private.

The nurse on the ward offered me some Pethidine and, despite saying I’d never have it, I welcomed it with open arms. It really helped me to relax and the contractions felt much more manageable. I just dosed on the beg for about an hour with James rubbing my back. I remember after a while the contractions started getting more painful and intense again – maybe the Pethidine wearing off? I also began to notice a lot of pressure with each contraction, almost like I was starting to push. I asked the midwife to re-examine me and was pleased to find I was finally 4cm and could be moved to the labour ward. We were told to pack up and get ready – someone would be along in 10 minutes to collect us. I sat on the edge of the bed ready. Within a few minutes the contractions had hit a whole new level. The pains went around my back and tummy, through my hips and into my thighs. I remember saying to James that the pain was unbelievable. I started getting very antsy at this point and wondering where the midwife we were waiting for was. I think at this point I went into the Transition stage of labour as there were no breaks between contractions and I wouldn’t control myself – I was screaming and panicking, feeling the baby was about to come. The midwives heard me and rushed over. They lay me onto the bed and began wheeling the whole thing over to the labour ward quickly.

I went into my own little room and I was re-examined. I was asking the midwife for an epidural -  I couldn’t cope with the pain anymore. The midwife told me it was too late for that! In about 15 minutes I’d gone from 4cm dilated to 9cm! I was shocked and terrified all at once. In my head I remember thinking to myself, “Oh my God, I’m actually going to do this!”. I was given the gas and air and immediately it took the edge off the pain. It felt amazing to get some sort of relief from it all. I was up on my knees hanging onto the back of the bed. The midwife was lovely and chatty and was pottering around. She went out of the room and whilst she was gone my waters went. On every contraction my body was gradually pushing my baby out.

I began pushing properly at about 2pm and at 2:10pm our baby was born. He was placed up onto me and in that moment I was lost in him. This pink little being that was all ours. As he took his first breath, mine was taken away with the amount of love I felt. I just kept staring and touching him. It wasn’t until about a minute later that the midwife suggested I look to see if we had a boy or a girl. I looked down and saw we had a little boy. My heart felt as though it exploded, in that moment I knew that, just as with his sister, I would spend the rest of my life protecting him and that I would die for him. That feeling of seeing your baby for the first time is almost unearthly. It’s as though the whole universe stops just for a few seconds. There is no other feeling that ever comes close.

James and I couldn’t stop staring at him and marvelling at just how much he was like his big sister. It was like I was 21 months ago again and looking at Sophia at a few minutes old. I latched him on and he had a good breast feed whilst I was being examined to have stitches.

Unfortunately I had a third degree tear which I would need to leave my boys and go to theatre for. I remember feeling a little disappointed as I just couldn’t wait to get up to the ward, snuggle with my newborn and bask in the afterglow of having a new baby. Luckily I wasn’t in theatre for long and was back with them in no time.

Excuse the grainy iPhone photo. Having another feed after I’d got back from theatre.

My boys. Cuddles with Daddy.

And there he was…our beautiful little boy. The perfect puzzle piece to complete our little family.

Back to Blogging

After a lot of big life events over the last year I somehow managed to stop blogging. I often think of this poor, neglected blog and crave to update it. I suppose after job losses, relocation and having a new addition to our family I’ve not had much time for blogging. When I first had Sophia I blogged most days, even small snippets of what we were up to. I cherish those posts so much and now and again I’ll look back and remember those memories. I feel so guilty for not having done the same posts for Harrison. So I’m back and hoping to get back on board with regular blogging to document our little family and the memories we’re making together.

So…what has been happening?

Well, the big news is that we are now a family of 4! We welcomed our beautiful son Harrison to the world on 1st December 2014. He has slot right into our lives and it’s now hard to remember a time without him. It feels as though he completes our family. I will write more posts about him soon!

Harrison at just a few hours old.

We are now living in my hometown and are LOVING it! It’s a whole different life for us and one we are enjoying so much. Living in a big city was fantastic when we were a young couple and I reminisce fondly on all the fun times we had gallivanting here there and everywhere. Now we are a family living in a small town is much better. After moving twice in just over a year we definitely have no plans to move for a very long time!

James has a new job which is going brilliantly. He really enjoys it and it fits in much better with family life – we see much more of him now! Thanks to ‘flexi-time’, he starts at 7:30am and finishes at 4pm meaning he’s home for 5pm and can have dinner with us as well as helping with the chaos that is bath and bedtime which is always an added bonus!

Brother and sister getting along so well.

Sadly James’s father Dennis passed away in November after a hard struggle with cancer. It was a really devastating time for us and it broke my heart that he never got to meet his grandson Harrison, who was born a month later. James and I talk about Dennis all the time and we love to recall funny stories. Dennis was such a character and I wish I had got the chance to tell him how thankful I am for raising James to be the excellent father that he is.

Whilst we are still recovering financially from two job losses and getting our heads around all that has happened in the last 12 months, we feel in a good place and that things seem like they might finally been getting back on track. Everything that we have encountered seems to have made us stronger and appreciate all the things we do have in our life. I still feel lucky to be living my life.

Dear Sophia: 1 Year Your Mother

Dear Sophia,

Tomorrow you turn 1 year old. As I sit writing this post I have tears in my eyes; tears of happiness and sadness. Sadness for reaching this milestone so quickly, my tiny baby who I grew inside me being a whole year old. Happiness and pride for the beautiful, clever little girl you have become.

You see, I have wanted you for as long as I remember. Ever sine I was a little girl I’ve wanted a husband, my own house and a baby of my own. Some people know they want to be a vet or an actress or a lawyer. I knew the only thing I really wanted to be was a wife and a mother.

We struggled to have you and a month before I found out I was expecting you I was really down and sad, thinking it may never happen. But even those months of sadness were a blessing – if we’d had a baby any earlier it wouldn’t have been you! And we wouldn’t know what a truly precious gift you are.

My pregnancy with you was fairly smooth, we had two small scares but overall I had a very healthy pregnancy luckily! I remember saying to your Dad when we were expecting you that the moment you are placed in my arms and he was by my side that I’d have everything I’ve ever wanted.

The day I went into labour with you was so special. I pottered around the flat, checked everything in our hospital bags and had a lot of baths! I was so excited that I was finally going to meet you. I’ll never forget that moment you were placed up onto my chest, warm and wriggling and looking over at your Daddy’s face filled with tears. I fell in love with you there and then and knew I would do absolutely anything for you.

I remember the early days of being a mother. Bringing you home to start our new life together. That first night we couldn’t stop looking at you and marvelling at your incredible beauty. Some days were tough. I’d never been in charge of anything so demanding before! Some days you would just want to be held; I couldn’t shower, make any lunch or do any of the housework. But I just held you knowing that it’s what you needed and that those moments would be fleeting. And they were. All to soon you seemed to grow and started wanting to explore. I’d give anything to hold you, fast asleep on my chest and smell you’re newborn smell once more, even just for a few seconds.

Before I had you I had visions of being a perfect mother with the perfect house and thought I’d get everything right but now I know that there is no such thing as a perfect mother. Only a mum who can be there when you need them and shower you with love and to keep trying her best when some days it just feels like she does it all wrong. You’re sweet smiling face and little giggles are the best reward and I realise I’m not doing too badly.

You’ve changed me in so many ways, all for the better. I no longer care what others think or whether my house is tidy all of the time. You have made me learn patience and what is really important in life; love and family.

I love being a family with you and your Daddy. I look at you together and feel so proud and so in love with you both. He is an amazing Daddy to you I know he’ll always be there for you and for us. Times can be tough, we’re a young family and we don’t have lots of money to splash out but none of that matters – as long as we’re together we’ll have the best time! We love nothing more than getting out and about together and doing something new.

Sometimes I sit and wonder what the future will be like, what will you be like when you’re older.What will your talents be? What will you be interested in? Who will you look most like? I know that I will love you no matter what.

I am so incredibly proud of you, my beautiful daughter, and no matter where life takes you or who you grow into I will ALWAYS be here for you, stand next to you and hold your hand.

So as I sit here tonight, only a few hours to go until you turn one, you snuggly sleeping upstairs in your cot, I know that what I said all those months ago to your Daddy is true – I have everything I have ever wanted. You make our ordinary life extraordinary.

I love you more than words could ever say.

Happy 1st Birthday beautiful girl,

Lots of love, your Mummy.xxx

Dear Sophia: 10 & 11 Months Old

Dear Sophia,

You are now only weeks away from your first birthday and I can’t believe how the time has flown! You are a true joy and I can’t believe our luck that we have you for our daughter. You really are changing into a little girl now and you seem to be understanding more about the world around you.

You’re a cheeky little character and you get into everything, especially all of the things we don’t want you to get into! If there is a little bit of fluff or a wire not quite strapped down, you’re straight there making mischief and we love you for it.

This month saw Mummy finishing working in Birmingham to spend more time with you and so far I’ve been loving it! We have our little routine and enjoy our daily walks, play times and story times. We also have been going to two groups a week – stay and play on a Monday and a library singing group on Friday’s. We always get new library books while we are there as you’re such a bookworm! You love getting out and about and joining in with all the world has to offer.

Your 10th and 11th month has seen you come along so much, both in your development but also in you appearance. Your hair is really growing now and makes you look so much more grown up.

Eating

You still have a fantastic appetite! You eat all the food we give to you and I enjoy finding new, healthy recipes to feed you. Meal times are lovely all together at the table and you love to see that we’re all eating the same. You are gradually weaning yourself off your baby milk and are eating more food during the day. You eat most of what is on your plate and when you’ve had enough you pull your own bib off and push the bowl away (or sometimes start trying to throw the bowl on the floor!). Up until recently I used to load food (like porridge or yogurt) onto the spoon and you’d then put the spoon into your mouth yourself but now you can use the spoon more or less yourself to scoop up the food. You’re trying hard to use your fork too but that’s a little more tricky!

You enjoy having a snack here and there now too, we usually share some fruit or rice cakes in the afternoon to keep you going until dinner time.

(Eating a pear like a big girl)

Development

The last two month have seen more changes.

• Teeth. You now have two teeth on the bottom gums which are completely through and look so cute when you smile.
• Copy sounds. Your speech has come on a lot in the past few weeks. What you say is now starting to sound more like words. You copy the sounds Daddy and I make and you say ‘mud’ for Smudge and ‘bu’ for bye and bubbles as well as ‘mummummum’ for me and ‘dadda’ for daddy.
• Standing unaided. You can stand completely on your own without falling over which is really exciting! You have taken a step on your own and I don’t think it will be too much longer until you are walking.
• Kiss. You kiss us when we say ‘kiss’ which is the sweetest thing!
• Stroke Smudge. You used to be really rough with poor Smudge but gradually we’ve been showing you how to use gentle hands and you now stroke him really nicely. When you stroke him gently you look at us and start clapping, knowing you’re doing the right thing.
• Look at books independently. I’ve noticed that lately you prefer to look at books rather than play with your toys. You sit with them and turn each page carefully. Sometimes you’ll chatter away while your doing it which is a fantastic sign of a budding reader! Although you do this a lot, you’re favourite thing to do is clamber onto our lap to listen to the story.

(Some water play on a quiet afternoon)

Five Favourites at 10 & 11 Months:

Favourite toy: This month it is probably your ball tower which you got for Christmas. You put the balls in the top and they then fall down through the levels to the bottom. Once it reaches the bottom you’ll clap in delight then do it again.

Favourite book: You’re favourite books this month are the book you had for Christmas, ‘Tales from Acorn’ wood which is a lovely rhyming book with flaps in it. You’ve also really been enjoying our nightly bedtime book ‘Goodnight Moon’. It’s a lovely soothing book which we read up on our bed before putting you down for the night.

Favourite food: Cheese! You are like a little mouse! It’s always the first part of the meal you’ll go for. I’m glad you like cheese as much as Daddy and I do!

Favourite activity: Probably still reading. You spend most of the day with a book!

Favourite thing to do or say: You love playing peepo! You like to be the one to hide and then surprise us! When we put you into your cot you pull the blanket up over your head and wait for us to say ‘Where’s Sophia?’ then you’ll pull the blanket down and give us a cheeky smile.

(In this picture Sophia is wearing a little snood that I crocheted myself for her – I love how it turned out and is perfect for this chilly weather!)

We love you so much Sophia, every day you make us laugh and you’re always doing something new and different. Soon you’ll be turning one and a whole new adventure will begin!

Happy 11 month birthday beautiful girl!

Lots of love from Mummy and Daddy.xxx

2013…Looking Back

 

2013 has been a rollercoaster year for us! We’ve had soaring highs and difficult lows.

2013, the year that was…

 

The Pits of 2013

• Marking one year of our house being on the market with no success.
• Having trouble with the sellers of the house we wanted and eventually having to pull out of the sale.
• Spending over two months apart during our house move.
• James losing his job.
• Illness and hospital stays for my sister and mother and father in law.

 

The Peaks of 2013

• Selling our flat.
• Having our beautiful baby girl, Sophia.
• The birth of our sweet little niece, Florence.
• Getting to spend lots of time with my family during the time I was staying in Ludlow.
• Sophia’s christening.
• Celebrating 2 years of marriage and 6 years together.
• My mum getting her teaching qualification.
• Becoming closer to my Dad, Grandparents and step family.
• Moving to our new house.
• Adding Smudge to our family.
• James being offered a new job.
• Celebrating Christmastime with all the people we love.

Even in the times when we seem to have had a string of bad luck, I’m so grateful for the life I have. Having Sophia has made me look at life differently and realise that we are here for such a short time that we should enjoy every moment of the life we have and to show love to the people we care about. I feel so incredibly blessed to have every single family member and friend in my life and I hope that 2014 is a year which brings everyone happiness!

Happy new year from The Smith Family.xxx

Every little thing is gonna be alright…

I like to keep this blog for happy things and showing all the good things we get up to. A light-hearted little place to document our life as a young family. Unfortunately, life isn’t always carefree and sometimes it gets too hard to ignore. I think it’s important to share both the good and the bad on this blog.

The last two years have been a struggle.

It seems we’ve had to face so many challenges and so much bad luck. With jobs, houses and even starting a family we’ve had to fight hard to keep positive and patiently wait. This year everything finally started coming together; Sophia was born, we had an offer on our flat, we found a house we liked and, despite having to spend weeks apart, we eagerly waited until we had the keys, James found a new, better paid job which meant I could be at home with Sophia and start childminding. It all finally felt like all that time hoping and praying things would work out had been worth it – we had the life we wanted and could relax a bit.

But that was not to be.

Monday evening we had the news that James had lost his job with immediate affect.

This week has been hard. Really hard. I go from being upbeat and positive to feeling like I just haven’t got the strength to keep on fighting. Of course, I always will because Sophia relies on us and we will never let her down.

James has been applying for jobs and I’ve put my childminding on hold to do the same. Hopefully something will come up.

I don’t know what the future holds for us. This time next week we could both have new jobs and it’d be as though this week didn’t matter. Or this time in a few months we could be heading into debt or have lost everything.  But as long as we have Sophia and each other we will be okay.

I don’t want a lot in life. I want my family, a place to call home and just enough money to cover our outgoings. Though I’m scared I am still hopeful that eventually we’ll have a calm life. I believe that everything happens for a reason. God has a plan for us. I don’t know what that is yet but I’ll keep holding on and seeing the beauty in the stormy times.

In under two weeks time we’ll be celebrating our first Christmas with our little girl, something we’ve been looking forward to so much. No matter what happens I’m determined it’ll be a lovely day for her. She’ll wake up to smiling, happy parents on Christmas Day because that’s what she needs and deserves.

Traditions

At the age of 25 I still love Christmas just as much as I did when I was younger, if not more! And now I have my own child it has got so much more exciting!

Aside from the obvious of it being Jesus’s Birthday, to me Christmas is all about traditions that are anticipated with joy each year. As a child I knew it was Christmas when I started to see the Coca-cola advert on TV, the music and the bells bringing me so much excitement. Or the tradition of carefully finding then ripping open the doors on the advent calendar each day and  tasting that little bite of sweet chocolate that seemed to be much tastier than chocolate at any other time of the year. And, of course, the lead up to our Christmas nativity plays at school. Weeks of practising our lines, singing the same few carols over and over and then hurriedly getting into our costumes on the big night! There is just something so magical about it all!

I know lots of people think that Christmas has become a time of over-consumerism and a complete waste of money but most of the traditions that I most enjoyed and still enjoy involve little or no money at all.

Since last Christmas, when I was pregnant with Sophia, we’ve been thinking, “what will be our family Christmas traditions?” We’ve come up with a few which are important to us and we hope they’re things that our children look back on and cherish.

The Four Gift Rule

We both think it’s important that we limit the amount of presents we give Sophia. We don’t want her to associate Christmas with getting mounds of presents and for that to be her main focus. This year we are entering the new year with uncertainty about my job and money. We have already tightened our belts in preparation but this is something we would’ve done anyway no matter how well off we were.

Here are the four rules we’ll be using for our children…

I think, when it comes to children, they’d much rather do things with their parents and create memories rather than have lots of toys they’ll soon grow bored of. I’m not in any way bashing what other parents do as every family is different; this is just what we believe will work best for our family. With the money we’ll save from giving only four gifts we’ll be able to spend on going to different places together.

This year we have got Sophia:

Something she wants: A soft dolly. We used to see this looking around Sainsbury’s and every time I showed Sophia it she’d get so excited and try to grab it!

Something she needs: A hammer bench. She needs something educational to extend her development. This toy will teach her lots of practical skills such as hand-eye co-ordination, colour distinction and motor skills.

Something to wear: A wintery top. James chose this pretty little top for Sophia. It’s so sweet with different textures and little snowflakes and I love the peter pan collar.

Something to read: A lift the flap book. Sophia still loves flap books and this one has some beautiful illustrations in with lots of things to point to and talk about – I can’t wait to read it to her! It has three stories inside, all of which rhyme so will help her language development.

24 Books of Christmas

Sophia will be too little for a traditional advent calendar for a while so I was in search of an idea that she would enjoy instead. I saw this idea floating about on the internet and thought it’d be perfect for us! I am obsessed with children’s books! I think I could open my own library with all the ones I have. I’ve read to Sophia since day one and it’s something I’m really passionate about.

The idea is that you collect 24 Christmas books and wrap them up. Each night we’ll unwrap a book together and read it. The last book on Christmas Eve will always be ‘The Night Before Christmas’ as I think it’s such a special story.

We don’t actually have 24 Christmas books at the moment, we have about 11. I’m going to borrow some more from the library to bulk out the selection.

 

A Decoration Collection

Something that we’re doing for Sophia (and will do for future children) is making a collection of decorations for her. Every year we’re going to buy her a new tree decoration. It doesn’t have to mean anything special or fit in with any particular theme, just a lovely decoration that Mummy and Daddy have picked for her. Then when she is grown up, has left home and has her own Christmas tree we’ll give them to her.

She won’t get the full benefit of this tradition until she’s much older but we think it’ll be so special for her to receive.

This is the decoration we chose for Sophia this year. We both liked it and thought it was sweet and smiley; just like her!

Christmas Eve

Not really that special, as I’m sure it’s what most people do, but Christmas Eve evening will be a time for new PJ’s, yummy treats and watching a Christmas film together under blankets.

 

Some of our traditions might sound a little cheesy but they are all about love and family, which is the most important part of Christmas (and life for that matter!). I’m looking forward to our first family Christmas together and making happy, magical memories.

Pinch Me

It’s a rainy, dark Monday morning. We’ve had a testing weekend; I was at training all day Saturday and Sophia has been ill for the rest of the weekend with a cold. She has been grumbly and upset and none of us have got much sleep or many of the things we had planned done.

Our house is covered in clutter, needs a good hoover and don’t even mention how badly the bathroom needs cleaning! But does it matter? Does it really matter? No, it doesn’t at all.

I try to be as positive as I can and I try to never lose sight of what I have.

Being a parent is hard work. Running a house is hard work. Even marriage is hard work! Sometimes I feel like I have no free time to do anything. Sometimes I take my husband for granted. Sometimes I despair about the endless housework. Sometimes I can’t bear to look in the mirror as all I see is a body which doesn’t seem my own anymore, ravaged by pregnancy. If I allowed myself I could get into the head space where everything was ‘bad’ and I could get really down.

When I was trying to conceive Sophia I learned a lot about being patient and being grateful for all I had. Though it was really very tough sometimes, I did my best to see things positively and to enjoy all of the little things.

I have a daughter who is an absolute joy. She’s so bright and sweet and makes me laugh and smile in so many ways. I’m SO proud of her and love to show her off or talk about her at every chance I get.

I have a husband who I love so much and who loves me. I love being partners with him as we grow older and discover what life is all about. I never feel as though I’m on my own and he’s always so supportive of me. I feel very lucky.

Yes I have lots of things to do in my house. But it is my house. I’m lucky that not only do I have a roof over my head but it’s a beautiful house that we worked hard to afford and pay for. We still have lots of plans for the place and lots of things to do but it’s a home we will be in for a long time. It’s a place of security that, as long as we pay our mortgage, it’ll never be taken away from us. I hope to have so many happy times here; Christmases, Birthdays and even bringing our future children home to.

My body is unrecognisable from what it was pre-pregnancy. It wasn’t fantastic before I had Sophia but now my tummy will never be the same! But that’s ok. There are changes I’d like to make to my body but there is no rush and I don’t need to beat myself up over it. I was lucky enough that my body was able to grow my baby! It provided everything she needed and it held her until we could hold her in our arms. And, I have to say, my body did a pretty damn good job at producing the most perfect little girl!

When I look at everything I have, I have a ‘pinch-me’ moment. I know there are so many people in the world who would love what I have; a loving family, warm clothes, plentiful food and much more. I hope I never stop counting my many blessings and knowing how precious they are. My life isn’t perfect and some would find it downright boring. But to me it is perfect.

I’ve decided to do a weekly post about all the things that have made me smile or feel grateful each week. I’ll list at least one thing each day which I’m thankful for. I think it’ll be nice to look back upon in years to come and also for Sophia to see what our family life was like.

Dear Sophia: 8 Months Old

Dear Sophia,

Yet again I’m sat here wondering how time has sped past so quickly. You are 8 months old! 8 months! How did that happen?

This month feels as though it’s been such a turning point in your development, you have changed so much. You’re eating more and being very active, soon you’ll be  a ‘toddler’ and I’m not sure I’m ready for that! As always, I just savour every moment I have with you.

Eating

You are still loving your food! You are eating more at each meal and are taking in less milk. You really enjoy the social aspect of eating. Every meal we sit at the table with you and show you that we are eating the same thing and you love being a part of everything. You are now using a glass to drink out of and are enjoying being the same as mummy and daddy. I thought you’ spill all your water at first or drop the glass but you are so clever at using it.

You’ve tried pumpkin for the first time this month and seemed to really enjoy it! You’ve tried it as soup, dipping your toast soldiers in and as a pasta sauce. You liked both ways.

Development:

Oh my goodness, this month has been a game changer! You’ve hit lots of different milestones…

• Clap. Granny taught you how to clap and you love to do it all of the time! When you hear music you start clapping or when you do something you are pleased with you do it too.
• Pull yourself up. You pull yourself up anything you can and shuffle along the furniture. Daddy and I got you a push-along truck which you have a go at walking with. You’re not quite there yet but I’m sure it won’t be long.
• Tooth. You have one tooth coming through on your bottom left gum! Finally! Your gums have been bothering you for what feels like months and finally your teeth are starting to make an appearance. It’s about half way through so we’ve started brushing your teeth which you LOVE! I’m not sure if it’s the sensation of the brush you like or the taste of the applemint toothpaste.
• Dance. As well as clap to music you’ve started to move your whole body to it!

Five Favourites at 8 Months:

Favourite toy: This month you have been enjoying playing with your wooden instruments. You have a maraca and a castanet and you love shaking them.

Favourite book: You’re really interested in lift-the-flap books this month. I need to keep a close eye on you otherwise you rip the flaps right out! You love the fairy tale books by Nick Sharrat, in particular the Three Little Pigs Story.

Favourite food: This month you love oranges. I cut a big orange into wedges and you have 1 or 2 wedges at your meal and make ‘mmm’ noises as you eat it. You also love chicken. We had fajitas the other day and you loved the chicken!

Favourite activity: You’re favourite thing to do this month is to knock things over! I use your stacking cups to build a tower and you promptly knock it over and clap in delight. You’d happily do this all day long!

Favourite thing to do or say: You love to make ‘echo’ noises with your mouth. You babble and use your hand to make a funny noise, it’s such a sweet thing to watch you do!

And that’s it for this month! You are so interactive now, we laugh and smile together and when you are tired in the afternoon we cuddle up together. I’m so proud of all that you are and everything you do. I cannot believe my luck that you are mine. My daughter.

Keep shining bright sweet Sophia.

Happy 8 month birthday beautiful girl!

Lots of love from Mummy and Daddy.xxx

So…I’ve resigned!

I’ve been back at work for half a term now and have the scary news that before I broke up for half term I handed my notice in. It was a combination of things that made me do this.
The travelling is SO stressful! I feel like I’m racing to and from work everyday and as the roads are always so busy to get to and from Birmingham I’m filled with panic about getting there on time everyday and then getting back at a decent time to collect Sophia.
Secondly, because I work so far I am leaving Sophia at 7am and collecting her some days at 5:30pm – that’s 10.5 hours of her being out of the house, it’s such a long day for her and she is still a baby at the end of the day. My baby.
Another thing that has pushed me to resign is the fact that I am really unhappy at work now. Since I’ve been back I’ve had a new role of teaching six different classes over three days. Some days I’ll have around 150 books to mark, meaning it’s a choice between having lunch and even going to the loo or being late for Sophia. It is meant to be an easier role as I don’t have many of the usual ‘teacher responsibilities’ like planning, assessments and reports but I find it much harder than being responsible for my own class.
So…I handed my notice in! I’ve started training to become a childminder and should be up and running early next year. I’m still at work until the end of December which means we will have a month or two without my salary which is quite scary but we’ve looked at our finances and will be able to get by in the short term. We will have to give little luxuries and treats a miss for a while (not that we have many of those!) but as long as we can pay the mortgage and the bills we will be just fine. Not to mention the amount we’ll be saving on childcare and petrol.
Being a childminder means I’ll be at home with Sophia, I’ll be my own boss and also I can still do the thing I love which is working with Early Years children.
Though it was a brave, and some might say silly, decision my philosophy is that we only have one life and it shouldn’t be spent doing things that make us unhappy. I want to look back on my life and know that I’ve squeezed every bit of happiness I can from it. The most important thing in my life is and always will be my family. I’m never going to have the chance to be with my baby again so I need to take this opportunity to do so.
I think it’ll be hard and tiring work but lots of fun along the way and what a blessing to see my sweet girl everyday!

Top Barn Farm

Today we went to Top Barn Farm near Ombersley to do their Pumkin Trail.

We had a lovely day and Sophia was so interested in everything. We visited the farm shop and coffee shop before a tractor ride to pick a pumpkin and bunny petting. Some pictures from our day...

On our way with lots of smiles!

On the tractor ride looking around the farm.

Daddy choosing our pumpkin.

He picked a good one!

Petting Kate the rabbit.

It was a great day out! We'll be starting to carve and eat our pumpkin tomorrow...yum!

All the country air did Sophia good as she was out like a light after her bath tonight!

We're planning to stay at home tomorrow and have a cosy day in, especially if the reports are true about the big storm on its way to us.

Hope everyone has a super rest of the weekend!

BLW Recipe: Meatballs with a Twist

Sophia really loves spaghetti bolognaise, it’s her very favourite! So when I saw some meatballs on offer the other day I knew they’d be perfect for trying out a new recipe for a different take on mince and spaghetti.

The ‘twist’ to my recipe is the fruity, creamy sauce which has four hidden vegetables making it healthy for the whole family.

I used pre-made meatballs to cut down on time but you could make your own meatballs and chill in the fridge ready to add into the recipe.

Serves: 1 baby and 2 adults generously

Ingredients:

vegetable oil for brushing the pan

12 lean beef meatballs

1 medium carrot, grated

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 courgette, grated

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp curry powder

½ cup of unsweetened coconut milk

hot water from the kettle

125g wholewheat spaghetti

 

Method:

1. Brush the vegetable oil onto the frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onions and gently fry until softened and translucent.
2. Add in the carrot, pepper, courgette, paprika and curry powder and continue to cook until all the ingredients are soft.
3. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plastic jug or bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes before adding in the coconut milk and blitzing with a hand blender. Add hot water until the sauce is the consistency that you like.
4. Brush another pan with oil and once hot place in the meatballs. Brown them all over and allow to cook for around 10 minutes.
5. Turn the hob to a low to medium heat and pour the sauce onto the meatballs. Allow to simmer gently.
6. Meanwhile, add boiling water to a saucepan and add in the spaghetti. Cook as the packet instructs.
7. Once the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is bubbling, portion off your baby’s meatballs and sauce (Sophia had two meatballs and a large spoonful of sauce).Allow this to cool.
8. Season the remaining meatballs as you wish.
9. Drain the pasta and serve along with the meatballs and sauce.
10. Enjoy!

We all really enjoyed this meal and the meatballs were the perfect size for Sophia to pick up and eat. I’ll definitely be cooking this for my family again!

Sophia finished her meal with some natural yogurt. Yum!

Stourport Park

On Monday we decided to take Sophia to Stourport park for a picnic and walk. The weather was glorious! It was such a warm and sunny day and was the perfect way to spend my last day of maternity leave.

The perfect blue sky.

Playing on the swings.

Having a yummy picnic.

Having a long walk by the river and an ice cream.

We had a lovely day!