Silent Sunday ~ Because who needs a proper blog post? ;)

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

My ABCs

I recently saw an 'ABC's of Advice' on another blog and decided to do one myself.

Here's my ABC's of Advice for the first year of parenthood!

Accept help. Dishes, baby-minding, washing... Do yourself a favour and just say yes.

Be kind to yourself. It's a tough gig!

Crying will become a daily event.

Dry shampoo. You're welcome.

Every child is different, don't compare too much.

Farts. Baby farts are LOUD! You'll wonder exactly HOW your little angel made that sound.

Giggles. You will spend so much of your time trying to make baby laugh. The best part of my day is making E laugh.

Hard. It's definitely trying at times. You'll second guess yourself, you'll cry. You'll wonder if you can even do it. You can - it gets easier. Promise.

Instincts. Trust them. 

Joy. Find joy in the little things.

Kisses. Baby kisses are glorious and slobbery and delightful. I think I cried the first time E kissed me back.

Love. You will feel more love than you ever even thought possible. Sometimes it's immediate, sometimes it can take months, it will come and it will knock your socks off.

Make time for yourself.

No one has the 'right answer' or knows the 'right way' to do it.

Overreact. Try not to. Those first bumps on the head, fat lips, scraped knees. Try and be calm and composed, your little one will look to you to see if things are OK. This is a hard one but I've found it so helpful. Now when E falls he just kind of checks himself to make sure he's not hurting and goes back to playing.

Play. It's so important in baby's first year. 

Quiet time is rare, savour it.

Routine. Do your best to get one, life is SO much easier with a routine. Your routine might be completely different to the next person, and that's ok. Just work something out that suits your life.

Sex. What's that? (Be prepared for your love life to wane at least a little but probably a lot).

This too shall pass - it's been my mantra. It gets me through the hard days and makes me appreciate

the good ones.

Understanding. Do your best to be understanding of your partner, they're going through it too. No matter who gives birth, it's a massive journey for everyone.

Valuim... Just kidding ;)

Wrinkles! They're coming for you ;)

Xylophones are great, but they'll just chew on the stick for most of their first year.

Your life will be an amazing roller coaster. 

Zzzzzz... Sleep will reach a whole new level of importance! Get as much as you can.

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Bubbaroo Review!

I was very excited to discover Bubbaroo were looking for Australian bloggers to review their products, and when they offered me the Joey Swag to review I jumped at the chance!

 

 

 

 

When the box arrived Elijah was very excited to help Mummy open it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was sent the heavyweight Joey Swag 6-18 months in mocha which normally retails for $84.95. We have not paid that much when buying sleep suits for him before, and I may have thought twice if I had never used a Bubbaroo product knowing how hit-and-miss sleep suits can be (I should add, we have only purchased his previous winter suits as second hand - I'm a bargain hunter and love a good op-shop). In saying that, the Joey Swag is lovely quality and, after using it, I believe it's worth every cent.

 

One of the first things I noticed was that the swag was lovely and soft; it was also lighter than I expected, so I wasn't sure it would be warm enough. However it has kept Elijah lovely and toasty on the colder nights, as well as not overheating him on the slightly warmer ones. It fits him well around the shoulders, and the length is perfect for him as he usually has a little kick/roll around as he settles down for sleep, and sometimes gets cross if he's restricted by bedding. 

 

When it comes to particular features I was looking out for, the main one for me was how easy it would be to get on and off a wriggly toddler who may not actually want to go to bed. We have a few different styles already; buttons down the front, zip up the side and one with buttons and a zipper - some of them are just infuriating. I found the Joey Swag SO simple, with a two  way  zipper at the front that is very easy to get on and off or just get in to change a nappy. It also has a slot to accommodate a car seat or pram harness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bubbaroo has a great range of products including face washers, Joey Pouches and Blankies, a newborn pack and a super cute joey toy.  The website is lovely and has advice and guides to make choosing your product very simple. Not only safe and functional, but stylish - you won't find any gaudy designs in Bubbaroo's range. I adore the soft, natural colours that the products come in.

 

I would absolutely recommend the Bubbaroo Joey Swag, and will definitely be buying Elijah more from Bubbaroo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* I was sent this product for the purpose of this review.

All views and opinions are my own. *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another month has passed

How did that even happen!? 

This last month has been a little crazy, and I haven't gotten around to blogging aside from the occasional pic for Silent Sunday. I won't apologize, you're all used to it by now ;)

Sadly, we said goodbye to my Great Uncle Geoffrey. He was a gorgeous man, never letting the fact that he had Downs Syndrome get in the way of leading an amazing life. He will be very missed, but I'm so proud that I can say I knew him.

In other news, Elijah has changed so so much. Babbling non stop and even cracking out a "mum mum mum" for me the other day. He often sounds like he's telling a funny story and looks at you like; "do you even understand me, lady?". He has cut his bottom molars, boy that was AWFUL! His previous teething was nothing compared to that. We were almost in tears, seeing him in that much pain - to top it off, as he was teething, he broke out in a rash and got blisters around his little mouth so stopped eating for a few days. He was diagnosed with Hand Foot and Mouth disease, which has now passed. Phew!

That's a little update for you all. Sorry it's short and sweet, so much to do so little time!

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Wordless Wednesdays {are moving!}

After today, Wordless Wednesday will be moving to Silent Sunday! 

Here's a little something to get you through ;)

Jo has returned to work. It had to happen eventually but it still sucks. She's been such a trooper and although I know she must miss him dreadfully and feel all those yucky working mum feelings (that I know too well) she's just gotten on with it. I'm very proud of her for being so brave and I'm very grateful that we could  manage things so she could stay home with him for his first year.

We didn't want Elijah in care for more than three days a week, and there were only certain days that our chosen Day Care could offer so we've reshuffled things a little. Jo is home with E on Fridays and I've dropped work on Wednesdays so I get to stay home with our boy one whole day a week! I'm so so excited! 

I plan for my Wednesdays to be very productive! Lots of play, lots of housework and blogging! {I know, promises promises} 

 

Over and out for today, I have the most handsome little dude insisting we play with his new bike, which due to his Evel Knievel style, is a 'supervised only' toy :/

Elijah turns one!

I find it hard to believe that it was a whole entire year ago that we were welcoming our son into the world. A YEAR!

I remember vividly the flood of relief when I heard his first cry, I remember feeling completely overwhelmed throughout Jo's labour but knowing it was all ok the first time I laid eyes on him, I remember taking him over to meet Jo while they were putting all her bits and pieces back together, I remember knowing that he would make my life more amazing each day, and he has.

We've had rough days, rougher nights, vomit, poop, pee, snot, blood, tears, moments of pure bliss, moments of total uncertainty. We've learned a lot about parenting, about each other, about ourselves. It's been a rollercoaster with the highs, the lows, that feeling of your stomach dropping and complete elation (sometimes all within the same day!). We've had sleepless nights, family snuggles, tickles, raspberries, kisses, pinchy little fingers and sharp little teeth.

Every moment, good and bad has brought us here - we are the very proud mums of a one year old boy who is absolutely everything we could ever want.

I'd like to thank everyone that has read, commented, offered advice and answered questions. I'd like to say special thank you to the ladies over at My Two Mums, who have been there from the very start when we found each other on a pregnancy app. They're kind, generous, have a great blog and a gorgeous son Monkey who was born just a few days after Elijah. It's been a pleasure to be on this journey with them, even if it's from across the pond!




All the memories, mushiness and thank you's aside, it's time to talk about the PARTY!

We decided on a woodland themed party at our home, a simple gathering with family and close friends. I had images of a gorgeous party with beautiful decorations and an indulgent food table thanks to all of the amazing images I found on Pinterest. I had the best of intentions... There was to be a three layered cake with fancy frosting, there was to be gorgeous decorations and woodland animal masks... hmmmmm.

It rained all day. The cake turned out dry and I decided against the fancy frosting technique at the last minute and let him have it as a smash cake, with cupcakes for the guests. Elijah bawled his eyes out for almost the entirety of the party. The food table looked nothing like it was supposed to and the masks fell apart as soon as the kids touched them haha!

But do you know what? None of that matters! Even though the party didn't turn out like the ones on Pinterest or in the magazines, it was our party - it was a day to celebrate our son turning one with our loved ones. We weren't blessed with good weather, but we were blessed with guests who absolutely showered Elijah with lovely gifts, we were blessed to be able to celebrate it together. We had people travel from hours away to celebrate with us. We even had story time with his great great Aunty, which was so special that I tear up just thinking about it. It was the best first birthday ever.

I'll leave you with some photos from the day x